Tropinota hirta
| Tropinota hirta | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Scarabaeiformia |
| Family: | Scarabaeidae |
| Genus: | Tropinota |
| Species: | T. hirta
|
| Binomial name | |
| Tropinota hirta (Poda, 1761)
| |
| Synonyms | |
|
Synonyms
| |
Tropinota hirta, also known as the "apple blossom beetle" or "hairy rose beetle", is a species of beetle in the Scarabaeidae family, native to the Old World. It is not found in North or South America.
Common from April onwards on flowering plants, whose parts it feeds on, this polyphagous rose chafer causes serious damage to crops and ornamental flowers.
The larvae live in the soil and feed on roots (often dead ones) without causing significant damage.
Distribution
The distribution range of Tropinota hirta covers Europe, northern Asia, and the Mediterranean basin. It is not found in North or South America.[1]
Possible confusion
Epicometis hirta can be confused with the Mediterranean spotted chafer (Oxythyrea funesta). Indeed, they share the following characteristics[2]
- black color with white spots
- the general shape of a rose chafer
- hairiness
but they differ in:
- the genus Tropinota lacks white spots on the pronotum
- size: Oxythyrea funesta is often smaller
- hair density: Tropinota is hairier, hence the term "hirsute"
- the tibia of the legs. T. hirta has three spikes on the tibia, Oxythyrea only has two.
Tropinota hirta can also be confused with Tropinota squlida. It is very hard to tell these apart without magnification. T squalida is less cold tolerant. It is mostly limited to the Mediterranean basin. Their ranges overlap but there are differences related to color of traps used.
Taxonomy
List of subspecies
- Subspecies Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta crispa Petrovitz, 1971
- Subspecies Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta hirta (Poda, 1761)
- Subspecies Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta suturalis Reitter, 1913
Synonyms
- Apple blossom beetle
- Scarabaeus hirta (Poda 1761)[3]
- Cetonia hirta (Poda, 1761)[4]
- Epicometis hirta (Poda, 1761)
- Cetonia hirtella Linnaeus, 1767
References
- ^ Some Observation on Tropinota (Epicometis) hirta (PODA, 1761) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea, Cetoniidae) from the Republic of Moldova Galina BUŞMACHIU, Lidia TODERAŞ Institutul de Zoologie al Academiei de Ştiinţe a Moldovei. M A R I S I A, XXXIII–XXXIV, p. 123–130
- ^ In French, Baraud, J. 1992. Coléoptères Scarabaeoidea d´Europe. Faune de France, vol. 78. Féderation : p.816-818,820-821:
- ^ According to Catalogue of Life (June 8, 2021)
- ^ According to BioLib (June 8, 2021)