Eudicella smithii
Eudicella smithii, the jade headed buffalo beetle, is an insect of the scarab beetle family, in the subfamily known as flower beetles.[2]
Eudicella smithii | |
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Eudicella smithii | |
Eudicella smithii, male and female. Museum specimen | |
Scientific classification | |
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Species: | E. smithii |
Binomial name | |
Eudicella smithii (MacLeay, 1838) | |
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Varietas
- Eudicella smithii var. interruptofasciata Kraatz, 1900
- Eudicella smithii var. trilineata (Quedentfeld, 1880)
Description
Eudicella smithii reaches about 25–40 millimetres (0.98–1.57 in) of length. The males have a Y-shaped forked horn in the forehead, typical of the entire genus and used in fighting over females and in defense of territory. The color of the pronotum can be reddish, green or blue. The elytra vary from ocher to yellowish and show a black spot on the shoulders and on the rear exterior angles. The legs are mostly reddish brown. Due to similarities between E. smithii and E. euthalia, the two are easily confused.
Distribution
This species can be found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania.[1]
References
- MacLeay W.S. (1838) On the Cetoniidae of South Africa. Smith A.:Illustrations of the zoology of South Africa; consisting chiefly of figures and descriptions of the objects of natural history collected during an expedition into the interior of South Africa, in the years 1834, Smith, Elder & Co. London 3:3-52
- Scarabs: World Scarabaeidae Database. Schoolmeesters P.