Gametis bealiae (Gory & Percheron, 1833)

Perissinotto, Renzo & Clennell, Lynette, 2021, Census of the fruit and flower chafers (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae) of the Macau SAR, China, ZooKeys 1026, pp. 17-43 : 17

Gametis bealiae (Gory & Percheron, 1833) Fig. 3

Cetonia bealiae Gory & Percheron, 1833: 282.

Distribution.

Within the Palearctic Region, G. bealiae is known from the Chinese provinces of Fujian, Guangdong, Hebei, Hubei, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and the Hong Kong SAR ( Yiu 2010; Lirong et al. 2013; Bezděk 2016). It is also widely distributed across the Oriental Region, specifically in Myanmar, Laos, northern Vietnam and north-eastern India ( Sakai and Nagai 1998; Krajcik 2011).

Material examined.

1♂: Coloane Village , 29 Jun 2019, in fruit-baited trap, R Perissinotto & L Clennell (MACT) .

Other Macau records.

Taipa Pequena, 4 Mar 2019, on flowers of Ligustrum sinense , R Perissinotto; Coloane, Hác-Sá, 4 Apr 2019, on flowers of L. sinense , R Perissinotto & L Clennell; ibidem 11 Apr 2020, R Perissinotto & L Clennell.

Remarks.

In Macau, this species varies in size between 12.5 and 15 mm in TL and between 7 and 9 mm in MW. Colour forms range from black to olive green background, with testaceous to reddish green pronotum and ochreous to testaceous mid-elytral bands. The white maculation on the general surface appears to be consistent. During 2019, one individual was retrieved inside a fruit-baited trap, while four others were observed feeding on flowers of Ligustrum sinense . In 2020, only one specimen was observed while feeding on flowers of L. sinense . In Macau, this species appears to have its peak of adult activity between early spring and early summer, while no specimens have been recorded in late summer, autumn, or winter. In nearby Hong Kong, this species has been recorded feeding on flowers of Viburnum odoratissimum and Lonicera sp. between March and May ( Yiu 2010) as well as on flowers of Zanthoxylum avicennae in October (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/62885551). No information is available on larval or pupal stages in the region.

Figures

Figure 3. Gametis bealiae (Gory & Percheron, 1833): dark green and ochreous form (left), olive green and testaceous form (right) observed at Coloane on 4 Apr 2019 (photographs: Lynette Clennell).