Protaetia cuprea | |
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Protaetia cuprea ignicollis | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Family: | Scarabaeidae |
Genus: | Protaetia |
Species: | P. cuprea
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Binomial name | |
Protaetia cuprea (Fabricius, 1775)
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Synonyms[1] | |
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Protaetia cuprea, also known as the copper chafer, is a species of chafer in the family Scarabaeidae.[2] This species is also known as the rose chafer and has a wide geographic distribution, extending from Canary Islands, Portugal, and Spain to the west towards Vladivostok in the Russian Far East, Mongolia, and North China.[3] This species forages for pollen from flowers and fruits, such as apples, from trees. However, since fruit is scarce in the spring and winter, they only transition from a diet of pollen to a diet of fruits in the summer.[4] Since pollen is richer in proteins and lipids than carbohydrates, while fruit is richer in carbohydrates, they are able to travel longer when on a fruit diet; this is due to their increased aerobic performance when fueled by high-carbohydrate content.[4]
This beetle is well-known for its flight ability, a skill that supports its foraging behavior. It has swift maneuvering ability and strong precision when landing on flowers and plants; it is able to do this due to the elasticity and mechanisms this beetle's wings possess.[5]
Meresman2017
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