Hoplia argentea

Gold Dust chafer Hoplia argentea

The Gold Dust chafer ( Hoplia argentea ) is a beetle of the family of Rutelidae. It is also referred to as Purzelkäfer.

Features

Gold Dust foliage beetles are about an inch long. They are easily recognizable, shimmering in the thick scales that dusted silvery yellowish or greenish, sometimes brownish as with shining powder.

System

The Gold Dust chafer was first described in 1761 by the Jesuit, mathematician, and Entomologists Nicolaus Poda of Neuhaus as Scarabaeus argentea in his work Insecta Musei Graecensis. This was the first purely entomological book that used the nomenclature of Linnaeus. The synonym Hoplia farinosa Linnaeus, 1761, therefore, is not a valid name. The genus Hoplia has recently been placed in their own family Rutelidae.

Dissemination

The beetles are common in the Alpine and pre-Alpine area. A distribution map is given in the Fauna Europaea. The beetles prefer open landscapes with copses, parks, mixed forests, overgrown gardens, forest edges and meadows. During the day they hide under tufts of grass or leaves.

Way of life

At dusk, they go for dating. Orientation is about the sense of smell. The beetles feed on pollen. The larvae are among the grubs and feed on plant roots. They do not cause damage. The generation time is 2 years.

Colors

The scales produce interference colors (like butterflies ). Rücker degree of gold dust leaf beetles, the reflection of sunlight in the wavelength range of 430-700 nm measured Among all insects showed the gold dust leaf-beetle, the highest total reflection: his carapace reflects 38.1% of the sunlight.