Anoplognathus aureus
Species of beetle / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anoplognathus aureus, commonly known as the gold Christmas beetle, is a beetle of the family Scarabaeidae native to northern Australia,[1] from northeastern Queensland to northern Western Australia. It is prized by collectors.[2]
Anoplognathus aureus | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Family: | Scarabaeidae |
Genus: | Anoplognathus |
Species: | A. aureus |
Binomial name | |
Anoplognathus aureus Waterhouse, 1889 | |
Synonyms | |
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English entomologist Charles Owen Waterhouse described the gold Christmas beetle in 1889.[3] The species name is the Latin adjective aureus "golden". The Reverend Thomas Blackburn described Calloodes frenchi in 1890, from a specimen given to him by Australian entomologist Charles French. Blackburn doubted the genus Calloodes was distinct from Anoplognathus.[4] Blackburn described Anoplognathus concinnus in 1900, which turned out to be a red-brown colour variant of this species.[5]
The beetle is a brass-gold,[3] gold or shiny red-brown colour with red-brown legs. Red-brown beetles have a gold sheen on their mesosternum and abdomen,[6] and behind the head.[5] The male is 12.5–14 millimetres (0.49–0.55 in) long, while the female is 14.5–16.5 millimetres (0.57–0.65 in) long. The margins of the male's scutellum have a purple tinge. The male's clypeus has a narrowed apex while that of the female has a more rounded shape. The elytra are smooth or have fine grooves along the sides. The pygidium is shallowly convex in profile.[6]
It is found in north Queensland from Cairns and Mossman south to Innisfail, and has been recorded from Broome in Western Australia.[7] It is not commonly encountered.[2]
It has been recorded on Hibiscus tiliaceus, Breynia cernua and Tristemma mauritianum.[6] There is some evidence it attacks sugarcane crops on the Atherton Tableland.[8]