InsectNet forum

Panacanthus wrote: ↑Thu Mar 16, 2023 7:01 pm livingplanet3 - you are very accurate in your description of the appearance of H. gloriosa! Many beetles have an opalescent appearance to them, but H. gloriosa somehow takes it to another level. The depth and "glow" is unique and almost unmatched, and must be see in person to be fully appreciated...

Amazing - you actually have a PAIR of these?! So fortunate; these are truly gems.

If you have H gloriosa, I'm curious about what other rare Cetoniinae you might have, especially some of the more difficult to obtain African species. For example, do you have any of the Fornasinius that are rare or uncommon in collections, such as higginsi, klingbeili, or aureosparsus? How about Hegemus pluto christineae?

livingplanet3 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:35 pm

Chuck wrote: ↑Wed Mar 15, 2023 8:13 pm I detailed my large beetle degreasing on the archived forums, but let me summarize it:...

Thanks for the info; 70% isopropyl alcohol would certainly be less expensive than acetone, and perhaps not quite as hazardous to work with, I believe?

Just remember that 70% isopropyl contains 30% water. This will cause a very different (and usually less effective) degreasing effect than a pure solvent. It will “set free” dried bodily fluids which a pure solvent would not, which in most cases is not good and could lead to staining. These are water based dried fluids which usually do not migrate and cause problems once a specimen is dried. Add water and you can cause them to dissolve and migrate again. I’ve used pure 100% isopropyl in degreasing moths with great success(not as harsh as acetone), but still find acetone ideal for beetles.

Blue color morph (selectively bred) of Mecynorrhina torquata ugandensis -


Source: https://richardsinverts-store.com/produ ... lue-larvae

The more typical blue morph of M. t. ugandensis, which has white markings -




Source: https://richardsinverts-store.com/produ ... lue-larvae

Stephanocrates (=Compsocephalus) bennigseni, an African cetoniine that I recently acquired a specimen of (average length is 45 mm) -

Blue is my very favourite color. Sometime I would like to put together a little collection of only blue beetles. TFP!

John K.

boghaunter1 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 11:47 pm Blue is my very favourite color. Sometime I would like to put together a little collection of only blue beetles. TFP!

John K.

Should definitely include Eupholus magnificus! -



E. bennetti too, among various other Eupholus spp. -

livingplanet3 wrote: ↑Fri Mar 17, 2023 4:57 pm
Amazing - you actually have a PAIR of these?! So fortunate; these are truly gems.

If you have H gloriosa, I'm curious about what other rare Cetoniinae you might have, especially some of the more difficult to obtain African species. For example, do you have any of the Fornasinius that are rare or uncommon in collections, such as higginsi, klingbeili, or aureosparsus? How about Hegemus pluto christineae?

Yes I feel very fortunate to have the H. gloriosa. I've only seen them available twice and those are the specimens which I acquired! Well, actually there was one other specimen but the seller (actually a respected seller too) was asking an astronomical price - I can't remember exactly but it was in the hundreds of thousands. Just insane.

I only have the more common Fornasinius. I've considered the rarer ones many times, but for me their appearance just isn't "unique" enough compared to the more common ones, to warrant the very high price tags. I have Hegemus pluto but not christineae. Again, in this case, just not worth it for me!

Here are a couple more small Cetoniinae which you might find interesting. Both are rarely seen in my experience. Not prepared yet when I took the photos.

Hadrosticta viridiflua from Panama (Only one I've seen offered) - it's more beautiful in person

Argyripa lansbergei from Colombia (out of the Le Moult collection)

livingplanet3 wrote: ↑Sat Mar 18, 2023 9:41 pm Blue color morph (selectively bred) of Mecynorrhina torquata ugandensis -

Surely the most variable species of beetle, even without selective breeding?! Here are a few more "solid" (or mostly solid) forms of M. ugandensis, but these are not bred. I was "addicted" to this group for a while lol!

Fantastic species (and specimens) as always....

This one seems to be one of those "addictive" species indeed as I knew of a collector who was likewise captivated by their color variations. At one point he told me he had nearly 20 of them; but, that his focus on them had also cost him a lot of money. He was afraid if his wife found out he would be short-lived !!

So, he slowly began reversing his trend and started parting with some of his cache to recoup some of his over expenditure. He still retains 6 of the best ones he ever acquired but, at least he has piece of mind that he got back 60% of his money and he CAN SLEEP at night !

I have never owned any myself. The exceptional ones that I have run across have always been out of my means....

Interesting/uncommon little scarab beetles - males have prominent jaws (sometimes to the extreme!)

Kibakoganea fujiokai pr. - Vietnam


K. vernicata - pr. Vietnam

Additional horned Scarabs,

Fruhstorferia nigromuliebris Sabah, N. Borneo


Unidentified sp. from Vietnam


John K.

Trehopr1 wrote: ↑Sun Mar 19, 2023 4:14 pm Fantastic species (and specimens) as always....

This one seems to be one of those "addictive" species indeed as I knew of a collector who was likewise captivated by their color variations. At one point he told me he had nearly 20 of them; but, that his focus on them had also cost him a lot of money. He was afraid if his wife found out he would be short-lived !!

So, he slowly began reversing his trend and started parting with some of his cache to recoup some of his over expenditure. He still retains 6 of the best ones he ever acquired but, at least he has piece of mind that he got back 60% of his money and he CAN SLEEP at night !

I have never owned any myself. The exceptional ones that I have run across have always been out of my means....

Trehopr1 - I can sympathize with your friend .......I have also stopped buying them but that didn't happen until I acquired around 90 premium specimens lol!!! This does include a few females, and also it includes some torquatas and oberthuris, but it was definitely time for me to stop as well! Since they are among my absolute favorite specimens, I have not been able to part with any though!

Mecynorrhina oberthuri, a large and strikingly marked cetoniine which has been called "The Treasure of Tanzania" by some beetle enthusiasts. Once considered one of the more difficult African cetoniines to rear, but now being captive bred more successfully by various hobbyists.

Form "decorata" -


Source: https://richardsinverts-store.com/produ ... ata-larvae

Form "unicolor" -


Source: https://richardsinverts-store.com/produ ... lor-larvae

Zopherus nodulosus, USA. I'm not sure if this is considered a scarab (maybe Teneb?), but it's interesting for its almost impenetrable elytra and "tar-sprinkled" appearance.

58chevy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 3:43 pm Zopherus nodulosus, USA. I'm not sure if this is considered a scarab (maybe Teneb?), but it's interesting for its almost impenetrable elytra and "tar-sprinkled" appearance...

Zopherus nodulosus haldemani - this subspecies is endemic to TX (possibly ranging into MX), and while not uncommon in the areas in which it occurs, I myself have only ever seen a few of them here in North TX, and it seems that very little is known of their biology. They're in the family Zopheridae, which is part of the superfamily Tenebrionoidea.

https://www.texasento.net/Ironclad.html

https://bugguide.net/node/view/54853