Global menu

Scarabaeidae

English

Umtali flower beetle

English
Chlorocala smaragdina umtaliensis

The Umtali flower beetle is distinguished by its beautiful metallic colors of blue-purple, green and pearl, or by its colorful borders.

Belonging to the Coleoptera order, this beetle is found in the rainforests of Central Africa from Uganda to Zimbabwe. It’s poorly documented to this point, and observation of its behavior at the Insectarium will advance research on the subject. If you’re lucky enough to have a flower beetle land on your hand, it’ll feel very much like a ladybug’s feet.

Grapevine beetle

English
Pelidnota punctata

These large, oval beetles are 1.7 to 3 cm long. Their colour varies from yellowish orange to reddish brown. Their short antennae end in clubs made of plates called lamellae, which unfurl into a fan.

Their elytra (wing covers) have three black dots on the side and a fine black line on the dorsal portion. Southern specimens have light brown legs, while northern ones have darker legs.

The fleshy grubs are whitish and C-shaped, and may be up to 5 cm long.

Rose chafer

English
Macrodactylus subspinosus

These elongated beetles are 8 to 13 mm long. They are tan or greenish, with long orange-brown legs. The wings do not completely cover the abdomen.

The whitish grubs have brown heads. In the soil they adopt a crescent-shaped position. In the final larval stage, they have three pair of long legs and are up to 13 mm long.

Japanese beetle

English
Popillia japonica

These beetles are recognizable by their bright metallic colours. The head and thorax are usually green, and the elytra (wing covers) are copper. There are five small tufts of white hair on either side of the abdomen. They reach 12 mm long.

The white grubs have brown heads and three sets of legs. They adopt a crescent-shaped position in the soil, and may be up to 32 mm long.

Scarab beetles

English

These typically stout, broad beetles have an elongated or oval shaped body, and come in a variety of colours. Their antennae are clubbed and tipped with leaf-like plates called lamellae, which can be drawn into a compact ball.

Subscribe to RSS - Scarabaeidae