From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from
Cetoniinae)
Flower chafers (Cetoniinae) are a group of scarab beetles, subfamily Cetoniinae. Many species are diurnal and visit flowers for pollen and nectar, or to browse on the petals. Some species also take fruit. The group is also called fruit and flower chafers, flower beetles and flower scarabs. There are around 4,000 species, many of them still undescribed.
[edit] Overview
By morphological characters, the adults can be separated from the other scarabs by the combination of the following characters: epipleuron easily recognizable, border lateral of elytra sinuate and antennal insertion visible from above. Six tribes are normally recognized: Stenotarsiini, Schizorhinini, Gymnetini, Goliathini, Cetoniini, and Cremastocheilini, the last four are also found in the New World. The tribe Gymnetini is the biggest of the American tribes, and Goliathini is mainly found in the rainforest regions of Africa.
In an episode of Mythbusters, the flower beetle, as well as cockroaches and fruit flies, were tested to determine their resistance to radiation in the event of a nuclear holocaust. In the end, the flower beetle was the only species tested to live 30 days past exposure to 100,000 rads (100 times the lethal dose to human beings).
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] External links
