Heterochelus gonager

Heterochelus gonager
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Scarabaeiformia
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Heterochelus
Species:
H. gonager
Binomial name
Heterochelus gonager
(Fabricius, 1781)
Synonyms
  • Melolontha gonagra Fabricius, 1781
  • Heterochelus testaceipennis Blanchard, 1850
  • Heterochelus longipes Burmeister, 1844

Heterochelus gonager is a species of beetle of the family Scarabaeidae.[1] It is found in South Africa (Western Cape).[2][3]

Description

Adults reach a length of about 6–6.5 mm (0.24–0.26 in). The head, pronotum and underside are black, although the abdomen is sometimes dark brown. The elytra are dark brown, densely covered with small, short oval, yellow scales. The pronotum has similar scales, but these are less numerous. Furthmore, there are long, yellow, stiff hairs on the sides.[3]

References

  1. ^ BioLib
  2. ^ Schoolmeesters, P. (2025). "Heterochelus gonager at Catalogue of Life". World Scarabaeidae Database (version 2025-10-07). In O. Bánki, Y. Roskov, M. Döring, G. Ower, D. R. Hernández Robles, C. A. Plata Corredor, T. Stjernegaard Jeppesen, A. Örn, T. Pape, D. Hobern, S. Garnett, H. Little, R. E. DeWalt, J. Miller, T. Orrell, & R. Aalbu, Catalogue of Life (2026-01-16). Amsterdam, Netherlands: Catalogue of Life Foundation. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  3. ^ a b Kulzer, H. (1960). "Revision der Dichelus Untergattungen Heterochelus Burm. und Ischnochelus Burm. (Col. Melolonth.)" (PDF). Entomologische Arbeiten Aus Dem Museum G.Frey. 11: 433–580. Retrieved March 6, 2026.