Pachnoda
ephippiata
Range: eastern equatorial
Africa
Size: 20 mm
In the tropical environs of Kenya lives
Pachnoda
ephippiata. Two bright yellow bands frame the sides of the insect's
body, and the rest of the dorsal surface is black. There are many
different species of Pachnoda across Africa, and they are among
the most commonly encountered of the continent's cetoniine scarabs.
They are also among the simplest of all tropical beetles to breed in captivity,
and the larvae are not at all particular about the constituents of their
rearing substrate. A substrate containing a 50/50 mixture of decaying
leaves and wood will work well. The larvae will also eat slices of
ripe fruit placed on the substrate surface. A species of Pachnoda
that is even more commonly seen in public displays of living insects is
Pachnoda
flaviventris, the "yellow-bellied"
Pachnoda of western equatorial
Africa, so named for the bright yellow colouration of its ventral surface.
P. flaviventris has been captive reared for many generations. |