Hoplia argentea
Male (top) and female (bottom)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Hoplia
Species:
H. argentea
Binomial name
Hoplia argentea
(Poda, 1761)[1]
Synonyms
  • Hoplia farinosa (Linnaeus)
  • Scarabaeus argenteus Poda, 1761
  • Scarabaeus farinosus Linnaeus, 1761

Hoplia argentea is a species of scarabaeid beetle belonging to the subfamily Melolonthinae.

Subspecies

Subspecies include:[2]

  • Hoplia argentea var. coerulipennis Della Beffa
  • Hoplia argentea var. karamani Reitter, 1893
  • Hoplia argentea var. viridula Mulsant, 1842

Distribution

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

These beetles inhabit open landscapes, parks, mixed forests, gardens, forest edges and meadows.

Description

Old specimen that lost most of the scales

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

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

Wikispecies has information related to Hoplia argentea.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hoplia argentea.
  1. ↑ 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)
  2. 1 2 Biolib
  3. ↑ Fauna europaea
  4. ↑ Illustrations of British Entomology; Or a Synopsis of Indigenous Insects


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