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Species Euphoria inda - Bumble Flower Beetle
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
Superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Scarab, Stag and Bess Beetles)
Family Scarabaeidae (Scarab Beetles)
Subfamily Cetoniinae (Fruit and Flower Chafers)
Tribe Cetoniini
Genus Euphoria
Species inda (Bumble Flower Beetle)
Other Common Names Brown Fruit Chafer Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Euphoria inda (Linnaeus) Identification Yellow/brown elytra marked with black, lots of yellowish hairs on thorax. Probably mimic of bumblebees, it has buzzy flight.
An uncommon dark form was previously considered a separate subspecies, E. inda nigripennis (1). Range Eastern and central North America--Quebec south to Florida, west to Minnesota, Nebraska, Arizona. Season Seems to have two flight seasons. Reported March-May, August-October in North Carolina (2);
February-April, and August in South Carolina (3). Reported in May in Minnesota. Food Adults visit flowers for pollen and/or nectar. Sometimes damage flowers. Also takes rotting ruit, corn, sap, other plant juices. Life Cycle Larvae usually reported to live in decaying wood, vegetation, and especially, dung (4). Eggs deposited in summer near these food sources. Larvae feed and overwinter, or perhaps pupae overwinter. Adults emerge in early summer. Males often seen searching for newly-emerged females.
Larvae are, perhaps, associated with ants? From Insects of Cedar Creek:
Larvae of these species are reported to live in decaying wood, but I suspect that some live as scavengers in ant nests (primarily those of Formica obscuripes). E. inda (yellow with black flecks) is commonly seen buzzing over Formica mounds in spring. On descending to the mound it is immediately covered by ants. Print References Marshall, photos 309.6-7 (1)
Harpootlian, p. 118, fig. 281 (3)
Dillon, p. 553, plate LIV (5)
Cranshaw, pp. 270-271 (6)
Arnett, p. 422, fig. 24.75 (4)
Papp, p. 193, fig. 658 (8)
Arnett et al., p. 181, fig. 443 (9)Internet References Insects of Cedar Creek: family page, genus
Insect Images--shows larvae in dung
Cirrus Images--looks like a male searching for newly-emerged females
Univ. Nebraska--shows feeding on sunflower stalk
Works Cited | 9. | How to Know the Beetles
By Ross H. Arnett, N. M. Downie, H. E. Jaques | |
Contributed by Cotinis on 14 March, 2004 - 4:57pm Additional contributions by Brad BarndLast updated 16 March, 2008 - 7:34pm |
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