Noble chafer

Last updated

Noble chafer
Gnorimus nobilis side.jpg
Gnorimus nobilis. Side view
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Gnorimus
Species:
G. nobilis
Binomial name
Gnorimus nobilis
Synonyms
  • Scarabaeus nobilisLinnaeus, 1758

The noble chafer (Gnorimus nobilis) is a species of beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae. [1]

Contents

Etymology

The genus name Gnorimus derives from the ancient Greek γνώριμος, gnōrimos meaning 'famous'. The species name nobilis (Latin) means noble. [2]

Distribution

This species is widespread in most of Europe (Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine and United Kingdom). [3] It seems to be declining over much of its European range. In Britain this beetle has been losing its habitat, and its populations shrinking, for more than a century. The beetle has been recently seen at a handful of sites in the old English fruit-growing regions of Gloucestershire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire. . [4]

Habitat

This species mainly inhabits both the plains and the mountains. It prefers open, deciduous woods and forests and it is associated with dead wood. In the UK, however, it often can be found in old fruit orchards. [4]

Species and varietas

Subspecies and varietas include: [1]

Description

Gnorimus nobilis can reach approximately a body length of 15–19 millimetres (0.59–0.75 in). These beetles have the pronotum and head covered with dense medium-sized dots. Elytra are covered with dense, coarse wrinkles and small, small dots. They have a green metallic-green body speckled with white. They show a brilliant iridescence that can vary from gold to copper or violet. The sides of the abdomen and the pygidium are also gold-green with large white spots. The bottom side varies from bright coppery to black. [4]

The related species Gnorimus variabilis is easily distinguishable. In this species the elytra are not green metallic, but black, with white spots. In addition, the shape of the pronotum side edge is laterally weakly s-shaped, while in Gnorimus nobilis it is simply rounded.

Gnorimus nobilis is also rather similar to the more common Cetonia aurata , but in the latter the middle and hind legs are toothed, whereas they are smooth in the Gnorinus nobilis. Moreover in the noble chafer the scutellum forms an equilateral triangle. [4]

Biology

The adults can be found from May until early August, [2] most often on warm sunny days between July and August. Adult beetles feed on nectar and pollen on flower heads, especially umbellifers, such as common hogweed ( Heracleum sphondylium ). Females lay their eggs on rotting wood on the trunks of old trees, especially ancient oaks. This species spends most of its life as a grub, living in the rotting wood of old trees, mainly willow, poplar, oak and fruit trees. Larvae grow to a length up to 48 mm and take two years before pupating. In their second summer adults comes out to breed, before dying in the early autumn. [4]

Life cycle

Related Research Articles

<i>Cetonia aurata</i> Species of beetle

Cetonia aurata, called the rose chafer or the green rose chafer, is a beetle, 20 millimetres long, that has a metallic structurally coloured green and a distinct V-shaped scutellum. The scutellum is the small V-shaped area between the wing cases; it may show several small, irregular, white lines and marks. The underside of the beetle has a coppery colour, and its upper side is sometimes bronze, copper, violet, blue/black, or grey.

<i>Hylotrupes</i> Genus of beetles

Hylotrupes is a monotypic genus of woodboring beetles in the family Cerambycidae, the longhorn beetles. The sole species, Hylotrupes bajulus, is known by several common names, including house longhorn beetle, old house borer, and European house borer. In South Africa it also is known as the Italian beetle because of infested packing cases that had come from Italy. Hylotrupes is the only genus in the tribe Hylotrupini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oedemeridae</span> Family of beetles

The family Oedemeridae is a cosmopolitan group of beetles commonly known as false blister beetles, though some recent authors have coined the name pollen-feeding beetles. There are some 100 genera and 1,500 species in the family, mostly associated with rotting wood as larvae, though adults are quite common on flowers. The family was erected by Pierre André Latreille in 1810.

<i>Rhabdotis aulica</i> Species of beetle

Rhabdotis aulica, known as the emerald fruit chafer, is a species of Scarabaeidae, the dung beetle family, and is found in Africa. Adult beetles, which are about 25 millimetres (0.98 in) long, feed on flowers and fruit, laying their eggs in goat and cattle manure. The pupae develop inside egg-shaped protective clay shells.

G. nobilis may refer to:

<i>Callipogon relictus</i> Species of beetle

Callipogon relictus is a species of longhorn beetle which is mostly found in Korea, but also in China and southern part of Russian Far East. It inhabits mixed and deciduous forests. The population of Callipogon relictus is decreasing due to deforestation and uncontrolled collection, and therefore the species are listed in the Russian Red Book.

<i>Dinoptera collaris</i> Species of beetle

Dinoptera collaris is the species of the Lepturinae subfamily in long-horned beetle family.

<i>Gaurotes virginea</i> Species of beetle

Gaurotes virginea is a species of the Lepturinae subfamily in the long-horned beetle family.

<i>Chrysanthia viridissima</i> Species of beetle

Chrysanthia viridissima is a species of beetles belonging to the family Oedemeridae subfamily Nacerdinae.

<i>Mimela junii</i> Species of beetle

Mimela junii is a species of shining leaf chafer belonging to the family Scarabaeidae subfamily Rutelinae.

<i>Dicronorhina derbyana</i> Species of beetle

Dicronorhina derbyana, or Derby's flower beetle, is a sub-Saharan species of flower chafer.

<i>Stephanorrhina princeps</i> Species of beetle

Stephanorrhina princeps, common name spotted flower beetle, is a beetle from the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae and tribe Goliathini.

<i>Eudicella euthalia</i> Species of beetle

Eudicella euthalia is a tropical, east African species of flower beetle in the genus Eudicella, belonging to the subfamily Cetoniidae.

<i>Chlorophorus varius</i> Species of beetle

Chlorophorus varius, the grape wood borer, is a species of beetle in the family Cerambycidae.

<i>Inca clathratus</i> Species of beetle

Inca clathratus is a species of flower chafer in the family Scarabaeidae, indigenous to Central and South America. These beetles can be seen surrounding the sap flows from injured or diseased trees anytime in the day and sometimes at night. They mostly feed at the sap flows of the trees, including avocado and mango trees. Like other beetles they also feed off of rotting fruit. There are a few different subspecies of Inca clathratus including: Inca clathratus sommeri, Inca clathratus clathratus, and Inca clathratus quesneli. The species name has been frequently misspelled as "clathrata" but the genus name Inca is masculine.

<i>Gnorimus variabilis</i> Species of beetle

Gnorimus variabilis, also known as the variable chafer, is a species of scarab beetle belonging to the subfamily Cetoniinae, the flower chafers. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1758. The species is native to Europe and is usually found in oak and beech woods or parkland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tillus elongatus</span> Species of beetle

Tillus elongatus is a species of beetle in the family of checkered beetles Cleridae. It is found in the Palearctic. The “Holz” in the German common name Holzbuntkäfer indicates that these checkered beetles are found in wood. Although Tillus elongatus can reach up to a size of 1 cm long, the beetle is rarely seen by humans, as it primarily resides hidden in the wood of trees. The colouration of the males differs from that of the females.

<i>Sinodendron cylindricum</i> Species of beetle

The rhinoceros stag beetle, also known as the horned stag beetle, or simply the rhinoceros beetle, is a species of stag beetle native to Europe. It is characterised by a clear sexual dimorphism.

Chrysanthia superba is a species of false blister beetles belonging to the family Oedemeridae.

Adoretus versutus, commonly known as rose beetle, is a species of shining leaf chafer found in Afro-Oriental tropics.

References