''Anoplognathus viridiaeneus'', commonly known as the king Christmas beetle, is a
beetle of the family
Scarabaeidae native to eastern Australia. The largest
Christmas beetle
Christmas beetle is a name commonly applied to the Australian beetle genus ''Anoplognathus''. They are known as Christmas beetles because they are abundant in both urban and rural areas close to Christmas. Christmas beetles are large (20–30&nbs ...
, it can be over long.
Taxonomy
Edward Donovan
Edward Donovan (1768 – 1 February 1837) was an Anglo-Irish writer, natural history illustrator, and amateur zoologist. He did not travel, but collected, described and illustrated many species based on the collections of other naturalists. Hi ...
described the King Christmas beetle in 1805 as ''Melolontha viridi-ænea'', writing, "Nature seems to have devoted abundant attention to the embellishment of this common insect: its glow of colouring is peculiar and inimitable. The prevailing hues do not strictly please us by their harmony as their contrast, which is indeed striking, or rather glaring, but upon the whole produce a rich effect", describing it as "testaceous" (red-brown) overlain with translucent green and a brassy-gold sheen in light. Its specific epithet is derived from the Latin words ''viridis'' "green" and ''aeneus'' "copper/bronze".
The King Christmas beetle was described in 1817 as ''Rutela caesarea'' by
Gustaf Johan Billberg and ''R. latreillei'' by
Leonard Gyllenhaal.
When Leach erected the genus ''Anoplognathus'' in 1815, he did not assign a type species. Phil Carne designated ''A. viridiaeneus'' as the type in 1957.
Description
The largest Christmas beetle, the adult male is 30–32 mm long and 16–19 mm wide at its broadest, while the female is 28–34 mm long and 16-19.5 mm wide. It is predominantly red-brown with gold-green overtone. The head has rose highlights, while the
pronotum, scutellum and
elytra have a gold sheen. The pygidium, coxae, and abdomen are a bright green, while the legs are red-brown, and tarsi are black. The female has flatter elytra than the male.
Distribution
This species is present in eastern Australia (New South Wales and Queensland).
Once common around Sydney, it has all but vanished due to loss of habitat.
Ecology
The larvae feed on rotting wood, humus and grass roots.
The King Christmas beetle has been recorded on the turpentine tree (''
Syncarpia glomulifera'') of the family
Myrtaceae
Myrtaceae, the myrtle family, is a family of dicotyledonous plants placed within the order Myrtales. Myrtle, pōhutukawa, bay rum tree, clove, guava, acca (feijoa), allspice, and eucalyptus are some notable members of this group. All speci ...
.
References
External links
* Andrew Smit
Checklist of the world Anoplognathini
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4770141
Scarabaeidae
Beetles described in 1805
Beetles of Australia