Mecynorhina passerinii

Mecynorhina passerinii
Mounted specimen of Mecynorhina passerinii, male
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Subfamily:	Cetoniinae
Genus:	Mecynorhina
Species:	M. passerinii
Binomial name
Mecynorhina passerinii (Westwood, 1844)
Synonyms
Amaurodes passerinii Westwood, 1844 Amanthodes passerini Amantodes passerini Westwood, 1854 Callopistes passerini (Westwood) Schaum, 1844 Ceratorhina passerini (misspelling) Ceratorrhina passerini (Westwood) Bertoloni, 1889

Mecynorhina passerinii, the Orange-Spotted Fruit Chafer, is a species of beetles belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae.

Subspecies

• Mecynorhina passerinii dukei (Allard, 1985)
• Mecynorhina passerinii nigricans (Fairmaire, 1897)
• Mecynorhina passerinii passerinii (Westwood, 1844)

Description

Male in Pietermaritzburg.

Mecynorhina passerinii can reach a length of about 30–45 millimetres (1.2–1.8 in) in males, of about 40–55 millimetres (1.6–2.2 in) in females. Males show large forward-projecting horns. Elytra are black or dark brown with orange spots. The coloration of the thoracic shield (pronotum) may be yellowish, brown or black, usually with a broad brown or black central stripe. Hind tibiae and tarsi are orange-brown. These beetles feed on sap of the Bridelia micrantha.

Distribution

This species can be found in South Africa, Eswatini, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.

References

• De Palma (M.) & Frantz (S.), 2010. Taxonomic revision of Megalorhina Westwood and subgeneric classification of Mecynorhina Hope, Natura Edizioni Scientifiche
• Biolib
• Brian Morris Insects and Human Life
• Mike Picker,Charles Griffiths,Alan Weaving Field Guide to Insects of South Africa