Trichius gallicus is a beetle species belonging to the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae. It frequently appears in the literature under the name "Trichius rosaceus", but this name is permanently unavailable under ICZN Article 11.4, as are all of Voet's names.[1]

Trichius gallicus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Genus: Trichius
Species:
T. gallicus
Binomial name
Trichius gallicus
(Dejean, 1821)
Synonyms
  • Trichius rosaceus Voet, 1778 (nomen nudum)

These beetles are present in most of Europe, they are about 10 millimeters long and can be encountered from May through July feeding on flowers.

The sides of the chest and the back of the abdomen are covered with a pubescence, hence the popular name of Bee beetle of Trichius species. Head and pronotum are black, while the elytra are yellowish, crossed by a few black bands.

The first black band usually does not reach the scutellum, other bands are incomplete and the second has a rectangular form. The color of hair usually is more orange-red compared to Trichius fasciatus. Median tibiae are without teeth. In males, only the penultimate abdominal segment has a band of white hairs.

Subspecies

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  • Trichius gallicus gallicus Dejean, 1821
  • Trichius gallicus zonatus Germar, 1831

References

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  1. ^ Krell, F-T. (2012) On nomenclature and synonymy of Trichius rosaceus, T. gallicus, and T. zonatus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae: Trichiini). Zootaxa 3278: 61–68.