''Mecynorhina'' (frequently misspelled as ''Mecynorrhina''; the original spelling used a single "r" and the misspelling is not in prevailing usage, therefore not valid under the
ICZN) are beetles from the subfamily
Cetoniinae
Flower chafers are a group of scarab beetles, comprising the subfamily Cetoniinae. Many species are diurnal and visit flowers for pollen and nectar, or to browse on the petals. Some species also feed on fruit. The group is also called fruit ...
, tribe Goliathini. The genus was created by
Frederick William Hope
Frederick William Hope (3 January 1797 – 15 April 1862) was an English clergyman, naturalist, collector, and entomologist, who founded a professorship at the University of Oxford to which he gave his entire collections of insects in 1849 (now ...
, in 1837.
According to the last work of De Palma & Frantz, the type species of the genus is ''Scarabaeus polyphemus'' Fabricius, 1781.
The genus is spread throughout the tropical African region.
Taxonomy
Former classification
Formerly there were three species in the genus ''Mecynorhina'':
* ''
Mecynorhina oberthueri'' (Fairmaire, 1903)
* ''
Mecynorhina torquata'' (Drury, 1782)
* ''
Mecynorhina ugandensis'' (Moser, 1907)
Some authors designated ''ugandensis'' as a subspecies of ''torquata''.
''Mecynorhina oberthuri'' was long thought to be the rarest species in its genus, however, Jean-Pierre Lequeux discovered that it is common in the forests of
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
. This species is now reared by many amateurs.
The most variable species is ''Mecynorhina ugandensis'' where rarely two specimens are of the same aspect. Many variations have been illustrated by
Allard.
Allard_(V.),_1986._Les_Coléoptères_du_Monde,_volume_7,_Goliathini_3._Sciences_Nat
,_Venette.html" ;"title="Sciences Nat">Allard (V.), 1986. Les Coléoptères du Monde, volume 7, Goliathini 3. Sciences Nat
, Venette">Sciences Nat">Allard (V.), 1986. Les Coléoptères du Monde, volume 7, Goliathini 3. Sciences Nat
, Venette]
Current classification
Following De Palma & Frantz (''l.c.''), the genus is now divided in five subgenera:
* ''Mecynorhina'' Hope, 1837
** ''Mecynorhina polyphemus'' (Fabricius, 1781)
* ''Mecynorrhinella'' Marais & Holm, 1992
** '' Mecynorhina oberthueri'' Fairmaire, 1903
** '' Mecynorhina torquata'' (Drury, 1782)
** '' Mecynorhina ugandensis'' (Moser, 1907) (often treated as a subspecies of ''Mecynorhina torquata'')
* ''Chelorhinella'' De Palma & Frantz, 2010
** '' Mecynorhina kraatzi'' (Moser, 1905)
** '' Mecynorhina savagei'' Harris, 1844
* ''Megalorhina'' Westwood, 1847
** '' Mecynorhina harrisi'' (Westwood, 1847)
** '' Mecynorhina mukengiana'' (Kolbe, 1884)
** '' Mecynorhina taverniersi'' Allard, 1990
* ''Amaurodes'' Westwood, 1844 (Synonym = ''Chelorrhina'' Burmeister, 1842)
** '' Mecynorhina passerinii'' (Westwood, 1844)
File:Mecynorrhinella oberthuri kirchneri Drumont, 1998 (3513433960).jpg, '' Mecynorhina oberthueri''
File:Megalorhina harrisi harrisi Westwood, 1847 (3251082004).jpg, '' Mecynorhina harrisi harrisi''
References
Chelorrhina
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1315968
Cetoniinae