Mountain Monkey Beetle

Appearance

The adults of "Hoplia argentea" grow up to 9–12 millimetres long. It is a very variable chromatic species. The body of these medium-sized flower-loving scarabs is covered with pale green, bluish-green or yellow ocher scales. The scales produce interference colors. Old specimens lose most of the scales, changing their color from green to brown. Like other species of the genus Hoplia, it has fairly long hind legs terminated by a single nail. The legs in males are black with longer hind legs, while in the female they are reddish and the body colour is usually brown.

Naming

Subspecies include:
⤷ "Hoplia argentea" var. "coerulipennis" Della Beffa
⤷ "Hoplia argentea" var. "karamani" Reitter, 1893
⤷ "Hoplia argentea" var. "viridula" Mulsant, 1842

Distribution

These flower-loving scarabs, quite common in the mountains, are present in most of Europe.

Behavior

Adults can mostly be encountered from May through September in orchards, meadows and clearings feeding on pollen of flowers, especially Apiaceae species. The larvae develop in the soil feeding on roots of various plants during the summer, then hibernate, emerging as adults in spring.

Habitat

These beetles inhabit open landscapes, parks, mixed forests, gardens, forest edges and meadows.