Africa Wild

Small Green Dung Beetle Gymnopleurus humeralis
Suborder: Polyphaga. Family: Scarabaeidae. Subfamily: Scarabaeinae. Tribe: Gymnopleurini

© BluTuna

© BluTuna

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park, Nwanetsi

In Africa South of the Sahara, the tribe Gymnopleurini is represented by three genera: Garreta (12 African species of which 7 occur in South Africa); Allogymnopleurus (14 African species of which 3 occur in South Africa and 2 in Mozambique) and Gymnopleurus (32 African species of which 12 occur in South Africa and 5 in Mozambique).

Description
Body length 12 mm. A ball-rolling dung beetle.
Habitus: Entire dorsum with dense, fine micro-granulation; entire exoskeleton eithermetallic blue, green, or cupreous.
Head: Clypeus bidentate, clypeus and genaewith discrete large granules on anterior margins, but finely microgranular posteriorly; clypeo-genalsutures raised and acutely ridged, terminatingabove level of the eyes, continuation of sutureclose to obsolete laterally on frons and vertex, effaced centrally; allother sutures entirely effaced.
Thorax: Prothoracic disc coarsely microgranular;metasternum coarsely microgranular with mid-longitudinal furrow and mid-anterior protuberance. Foreleg with three large, external, distal teeth;terminal spur with an acute tip in females, a blunttip in males.
Abdomen: Sides of abdomen taper fairly markedlyfrom anterior to posterior; elytra finely micro-granular and microrugose, lateral margin with a sharp projection on the anterior end of theemargination in males, an angularity inlarge females, or a sinuosity in smallfemales; striae fairly faint; pygidium bordered andfairly uniformly microgranular; sternites micro-granular.

Distribution
Northeast of southern Africa.

Habitat
Mesic savanna.

Links:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... arabaeinae

© BluTuna
Marakele National Park, Limpopo

Giant Dung Beetle Heliocopris sp.
Suborder: Polyphaga. Family: Scarabaeidae. Subfamily: Scarabaeinae. Tribe: Coprini

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park, Crocodile Bridge

The genus Heliocopris is represented by 46 large nocturnal species in Africa.
Heliocopris comprises strongly convex, large-bodied species. Elytra with two lateral carina. They have thick legs with backward projecting spines that allow them to get traction in the soil while the beetle tunnels by lowering the blade-like front of its head into the earth and making powerful upward thrusts.
Heliocopris species are typically elephant dung specialists and their distribution largely coincides with that of elephants and other pachyderms such as rhino.

Tar Darkling Beetle Somaticus aeneus
Family: Tenebrionidae. Subfamily: Pimeliinae. Tribe: Sepidiini

© nan
Windhoek, Namibia

© nan
Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park

Somaticus is a very large genus. The pronotum is hexagonal in shape, with a sharp anterior margin ventrally; the head is clearly visible from above; the shape of the body ranges from slender to moderately globular. The dorsal costae are well pronounced.

Somaticus (Somaticus) aeneus is recorded from Namibia, Botswana, South Africa.

Blister Beetle Hycleus lugens
Family: Meloidae. Subfamily: Meloinae. Tribe: Mylabrini

© BluTuna
Lower Sabie, Kruger National Park

Links: Meloidae.com

Giant Flattened Dung Beetle Pachylomera femoralis
Suborder: Polyphaga. Family: Scarabaeidae. Subfamily: Scarabaeinae. Tribe: Scarabaeini

© Tina

© Tina

© Tina

© Tina

© Tina

Description
Pachylomera femoralis is the largest flying, ball-rolling dung beetle in the world (body length 36-50 mm), broad, flattened, opac blackish gray with raised polished areas. Pronotum wider than abdomen. Anterior femora very strong with teeth.

Distribution
This species occurs from the northern parts of Natal, through northern Transvaal, Zimbabwe and into north-eastern Botswana.

Habitat
A widely distributed species in wooded and open areas, it prefers deep sand.

Biology
Diunal, commonly seen in flight. Pachylomera femoralis makes a loud humming noise when flying , heard from a considerable distance.
Adults burrow beside fresh dung of various mammals, dumping excavated soil on top of the dung and filling tunnels with dung, probably for feeding only. Tunnels are sealed with soil. Also rolls dung balls away for burial, presumably for making brood balls.
These scarabs use carrion, fermenting fruit and several types of dung.


Waterberg Plateau Park in Namibia © nan
Waterberg Plateau Park in Namibia © Saint In The City

Flatface Longhorn Beetle Titoceres jaspideus
Family: Cerambycidae Subfamily: Lamiinae




KTP

Distribution
Titoceres jaspideus is a common species throughout Africa, extending from South Africa northward.

Host Plants
Longhorned beetles, including Titoceres jaspideus, are serious pests of Acacia trees.

Acacia trees occur in a wide area of semi-arid land across sub-Saharan Africa. The Acacias are of high economic, environmental and social importance. Common direct and indirect benefits of Acacia trees include supply of fuel wood, charcoal, timber, pharmaceuticals, honey, fruit, pesticides, and forage. Moreover, Acacias are used for erosion control, soil improvement and particularly in agroforestry as shade dispensers, ornamental and intercropping trees. The major producers of marketable gum are Acacia senegal (Hashab gum) and A. seyal. Many factors interfere with the health of Acacia trees, among the most important are pest insects.

T. jaspideus host plants:
Acacia: A. raddiana, A. seyal, Cassia florida (Somalia), Cassia petersiana and Dichrostachys (Mozambique)

White-legged Toktokkie Dichtha incantatoris
Family: Tenebrionidae. Subfamily: Pimeliinae. Tribe: Sepidiini

© steamtrainfan
Pilanesberg, Bakgatla camp

Description
White-legged toktokkies are ground-dwelling, Afrotropical beetles in the family Tenebrionidae. They are stout, black beetles of about 2 – 2.2 cm in length. The antennae and legs are covered in pale down.
Like the related genus Psammodes, the adults tap out a rhythm on the ground to attract and locate mates.
They feed on both plant and animal material. D. inflata, may feign death.

Arrow Poison Flea Beetle Polyclada sp.
Family: Chrysomelidae. Subfamily: Galerucinae. Tribe: Alticini

© BluTuna
Male, Kruger National Park, Skukuza

The Alticini is a tribe composed of minute to medium sized beetles, whose enlarged hind femora and renowned jumping ability have earned them the common name of ‘flea beetles’. They are highly specialised phytophagous insects. Both the adult and larval stages feed on stems, leaves or roots, and rarely on flowers, in almost all the higher plant families. The tribe Alticini includes 4, 000 to 8, 000 species, grouped in approximately 500 genera. This taxon has a world-wide distribution, but occurs mainly in the tropical regions of South America, Africa and Asia.

Sixteen species of Polyclada have been described. They have Antennae with 11 antennomeres. Antennomeres 4–10 pectinate or flabellate in male and serrate in female.

The larvae are used to make arrow poison for hunting. Polyclada beetles, along with beetles in the related genus Diamphidia, are noteworthy because their larvae bioaccumulate toxins derived from the plants on which they feed.

This genus is generally associated with plants in the family Anarcadiaceae.


Links:
https://www.researchgate.net/publicatio ... 0/download

Flatface Longhorn Beetle Prosopocera (Dalterus) blairiella blairiella
Superfamily: Chrysomeloidea. Family: Cerambycidae. Subfamily: Lamiinae. Tribe: Prosopocerini

© BluTuna
Kruger National Park, Skukuza

Description
Size: 10 mm.

Geographical distribution
Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, Zimbabwe.

Longhorn Beetle (Calothyrza jardinei)
Superfamily: Chrysomeloidea. Family: Cerambycidae. Subfamily: Lamiinae.