Texas Beetle Information

Return to Texas Entomology - Compiled by Mike Quinn


Bee-like Flower Scarab

Trichiotinus piger (Fabricius)

Family Scarabaeidae, Subfamily Cetoniinae, Tribe Trichiini


cf. T. texanus 

(Feeding on pollen of Ox-eye Daisy, Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)

West Chicago Prairie, DuPage Co., IL 
June 17, 2005 (Bruce Marlin)


Texas County Records for Trichiotinus piger

County Record Data from E.G. Riley, Dec. 2005


Range: Widely distributed in the eastern half of the United States

Adult Activity: May - July per the 71 specimens in the TAMUIC.

Biology: Adults eat the pollen of many species of flowers. When flying, they resemble bees in appearance and in sound.

Similar Species: Eight species of Trichiotinus are found throughout the United States (except the far west) and southern Canada. (Arnett, et.al. 2002).

Texas species:

Trichiotinus lunulatus (Fabricius) - East Texas
Trichiotinus piger (Fabricius) - Northeastern Texas
Trichiotinus texanus (Horn) - See map


Bibliography:

Arnett, R.H., Jr., M.C. Thomas, P.E. Skelley & J.H. Frank. (editors). 2002. American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press. 861 pp.

Hoffmann, C.H. 1935. The biology and taxonomy of the genus Trichiotinus (Scarabaeidae; Coleoptera). Entomologica Americana 15 :l33 -214.

Howden, H.F. 1968. A review of the Trichiinae of North and Central America (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Memoires of the Entomological Society of Canada. 54:1-77.

Ratcliffe, B.C. 1991. The Scarab Beetles of Nebraska. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum 12:1-333.

Riley, E.G. & C.S. Wolfe. 2003. An annotated checklist of the Scarabaeoidea of Texas. Southwestern Entomologist, Supplement, no. 26. 37 pp.

Ritcher, P.O. 1966. White Grubs and Their Allies. A Study of North American Scarabaeoid Larvae. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis. 219 pp.


18 Dec 2005  © Mike Quinn / mike.quinn@tpwd.state.tx.us / Texas Entomology / Texas Beetle Information