Biology:Anoplognathus aureus
| Anoplognathus aureus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Scarabaeidae |
| Genus: | Anoplognathus |
| Species: | A. aureus
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| Binomial name | |
| Anoplognathus aureus Waterhouse, 1889
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| Synonyms | |
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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]
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]
References
- ↑ Australian Biological Resources Study (17 December 2010). "Species Anoplognathus aureus Waterhouse, 1889". Australian Faunal Directory. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/abrs/online-resources/fauna/afd/taxa/Anoplognathus_aureus. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Hangay, George; Zborowski, Paul (2010). A Guide to the Beetles of Australia. Collingwood, Victoria: CSIRO Publishing. pp. 99. ISBN 978-0-643-10193-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=7RHvHyBf-p4C&dq=Anoplognathus+chloropyrus&pg=PA99.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Waterhouse, Charles Own (1889). ". Descriptions of two new Coleoptera in the British Museum (Buprestidae and Rutelidae)". Annals of Natural History 3 (16): 360–61. doi:10.1080/00222938909460345. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/15622153.
- ↑ Blackburn, Thomas (1890). "Notes on Australian Coleoptera, with descriptions of new species. Part VI". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 15: 147–56 [148]. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/3348408.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Arrow, Gilbert J. (1919). "XLI.— Notes on Ruteline Coleoptera and descriptions of a few new species in the British Museum". Journal of Natural History 4 (24): 379–85. doi:10.1080/00222931908673907. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/18616166.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Carne, P.B. (1957). "A revision of the ruteline genus Anoplognathus Leach (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)". Australian Journal of Zoology 5 (1): 88–143 [127]. doi:10.1071/zo9570088.
- ↑ Carne, P.B. (1981). "Three new species of anoplognathus leach, and new distribution records for poorly known species (coleoptera: scarabaeidea: rutelinae)". Austral Entomology 20 (4): 289–294. doi:10.1111/j.1440-6055.1981.tb01049.x.
- ↑ Sallam, N.; Burgess, D.J.W.; Lowe, G.E.; Peck, D.R. (2011). "Survey of sugarcane pests and their natural enemies on the Atherton Tableland, far north Queensland". Proc Aust Soc Sugar Cane Technol 33: 1–8. https://www.assct.com.au/media/pdfs/Ag%2016%20Sallam%20et%20al.pdf. Retrieved 2017-12-18.
Wikidata ☰ Q14903452 entry
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