Protaetia speciosa

Protaetia speciosa
	P.s. jousselini at Prague's National Museum (top), P.s. cyanochlora at Entomica Insectarium (bottom)
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Genus:	Protaetia
Species:	P. speciosa
Binomial name
	Protaetia speciosa; (Adams, 1817)
Synonyms
	Cetonischema speciosa (Adams, 1817);

Protaetia speciosa is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae and subfamily Cetoniinae.

Description

Protaetia speciosa can reach a body length of about 23–30 mm (0.9–1.2 in). The basic colour of the body typically is metallic golden-green, but depending on subspecies sometimes red or blue. Adults can be found from May to October, with a peak in June–August. These beetles feed primarily on tree sap and fruits. The larvae develop in rotten wood of deciduous trees, mainly oak and willow.

Distribution

This flower beetle is present in the Near East and far southeastern Europe, in northern Iraq, Syria, northern Iran, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, southernmost Russia and Romania.

Habitat

This beetle lives in deciduous forests, in plains and mountains.

Subspecies

Protaetia speciosa cyanochlora Schauer, 1941
Protaetia speciosa jousselini (Gory & Percheron, 1833)
Protaetia speciosa speciosa (Adams, 1817)
Protaetia speciosa venusta (Ménétriès, 1836)

References

External links