Pachnoda sinuata, the garden fruit chafer or checkers tor or brown-and-yellow fruit chafer, is a species of beetle found in Namibia, South Africa, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Egypt. It is a beneficial pollinator, and a minor pest of fruits, easily recognised by its yellow patterns.
Subspecies Pachnoda sinuata calceata Harold, 1878 Pachnoda sinuata flaviventris (Gory & Percheron, 1833) Pachnoda sinuata machadoi Rigout, 1989 Pachnoda sinuata nicolae Rigout, 1986 Pachnoda sinuata sinuata (Fabricius, 1775)Biolib
Identification The species is part of the large family Scarabaeidae, which also include the scarabs and dung beetles. This species is large with a smooth carapace. Colouration is variable but basically yellow with dark brown central area broken by yellow spots and a transverse yellow line across the rear of the elytra.
Diet Adult beetles feed on flowers and fruit, often destroying them in the process which makes them unpopular with gardeners.
Biology This species is a popular prey species for many species of bird, such as red-winged starlings and hadada ibises.
Habitat It ranges widely in South Africa and thus are found in a variety of habitats. They are commonly found in gardens.
Gallery
References
Picker, Griffiths & Weaving - Field Guide to Insects of South Africa (Struik 2002) Rigout (J.), 1989, The Beetles of the World, volume 9, Sciences Nat, Venette
External links
Montreal Insectarium Pachnoda sinuata flaviventris in Biolib