Eudicella gralli, sometimes called the flamboyant flower beetle or striped love beetle, is a brightly colored member of the scarab beetle family

Scarabaeidae

The family Scarabaeidae as currently defined consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide. The species in this large family are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family is fairly unstable, with numerous competing theories, and new proposals appearing quite...

, in the subfamily known as flower beetles. Their shells seem to have a prismatic

Prism (optics)

In optics, a prism is a transparent optical element with flat, polished surfaces that refract light. The exact angles between the surfaces depend on the application. The traditional geometrical shape is that of a triangular prism with a triangular base and rectangular sides, and in colloquial use...

 quality, refracting the ambient light to give the green of their carapace a rainbow tint. This species of flower beetle lives in the rainforests of Africa, where it feeds on the nectar and pollen of flowers, but is popular in the exotic pet trade. The larvae of the flower beetle live in decaying wood, feeding on dead wood and leaf litter. Adults reach lengths of 25–40 mm (0.984251968503937–1.6 ). As in other species of this genus, the males have a "Y"-shaped horn, used to fight over females. The females have a shovel-like tusk, used for burrowing in wood.

Further reading

1. Vincent Allard
   Vincent Allard
   Vincent Allard was a Belgian entomologist.Born at Braine l'Alleud, south Brussels, Vincent Allard received his medical studies in France where he obtained several degrees from the University of Paris and Institut Pasteur in 1947 and 1948.In 1949 he was in the United States where he studied fungal...
   
   , 1985 - The Beetles of the World
   The Beetles of the World
   The Beetles of the World is a series of books devoted to the study of the Coleoptera, worldwide. Sciences Nat published the 24 first volumes; the following volumes and the supplements were published by Hillside Books, Canterbury....
   
   , volume 6. Goliathini 2 (Cetoniidae), Sciences Nat
   Sciences Nat
   Sciences Nat was the academic publisher specialising in entomology of the Societé Sciences Nat. The society was established in 1971 and based in the rue de la Mare in Paris. Three years later it moved to the rue des Alouettes and later to Venette near Compiègne...
   
   , Venette http://www.insects.demon.co.uk/cm/cm-6-english.html
2. Vincent Allard
   Vincent Allard
   Vincent Allard was a Belgian entomologist.Born at Braine l'Alleud, south Brussels, Vincent Allard received his medical studies in France where he obtained several degrees from the University of Paris and Institut Pasteur in 1947 and 1948.In 1949 he was in the United States where he studied fungal...
   
   , 1985 - Réhabilitation de Eudicella gralli pauperata Kolbe, bona species, (nec trilineata" Quedf.) (Cetoniidae), Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat
   Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat
   The Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat was a French entomological scientific journal. It was published by Sciences Nat and established in 1972.- History :...
   
   , 46, p. 11.
3. Vincent Allard
   Vincent Allard
   Vincent Allard was a Belgian entomologist.Born at Braine l'Alleud, south Brussels, Vincent Allard received his medical studies in France where he obtained several degrees from the University of Paris and Institut Pasteur in 1947 and 1948.In 1949 he was in the United States where he studied fungal...
   
   , 1985 - Réflexions sur la classification des groupes gralli et smithi du genre Eudicella White (Cetoniidae), Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat
   Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat
   The Bulletin de la Société Sciences Nat was a French entomological scientific journal. It was published by Sciences Nat and established in 1972.- History :...
   
   , 47, p. 27.

External links

• Eudicella gralli elgonensis photos at Beetlespace.wz.cz
• Eudicella gralli hubini photos at Beetlespace.wz.cz
• Natural Worlds