Hoplia argentea
| Hoplia argentea | |
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| Male (top) and female (bottom) | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Scarabaeidae |
| Genus: | Hoplia |
| Species: | H. argentea
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| Binomial name | |
| Hoplia argentea | |
| Synonyms | |
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Hoplia argentea is a species of scarabaeid beetle belonging to the subfamily Melolonthinae.
Subspecies
[edit]Subspecies include:[2]
- Hoplia argentea var. coerulipennis Della Beffa
- Hoplia argentea var. karamani Reitter, 1893
- Hoplia argentea var. viridula Mulsant, 1842
Distribution
[edit]These flower-loving scarabs, quite common in the mountains, are present in most of Europe (Albania, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland).[2][3]
Habitat
[edit]These beetles inhabit open landscapes, parks, mixed forests, gardens, forest edges and meadows.
Description
[edit]
The adults of Hoplia argentea grow up to 9–12 millimetres (0.35–0.47 in) long. It is a very variable chromatic species. The body of these medium-sized flower-loving scarabs is covered with pale green, bluish-green or yellow ocher scales. The scales produce interference colors (as with butterflies). Old specimens lose most of the scales, changing their color from green to brown. Like other species of the genus Hoplia, it has fairly long hind legs terminated by a single nail. The legs in males are black with longer hind legs, while in the female they are reddish and the body colour is usually brown.[4]
Biology
[edit]Adults can mostly be encountered from May through September in orchards, meadows and clearings feeding on pollen of flowers, especially Apiaceae species. The larvae develop in the soil feeding on roots of various plants during the summer, then hibernate, emerging as adults in spring.
References
[edit]
- ^ Poda, von Neuhaus, N. (1761). Insecta musei Graecensis, quae in ordines, genera et species juxta Systema Naturae Caroli Linnaei digessit. Graecii [=Graz]: Widmanstadii. pp. 127 + [xii] pp., 2 pls.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b Biolib
- ^ Fauna europaea
- ^ Illustrations of British Entomology; Or a Synopsis of Indigenous Insects
External links
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