Gametis jucunda (Faldermann, 1835)

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 jucunda (Faldermann, 1835) Fig. 4

Cetonia jucunda Faldermann, 1835: 386.

Distribution.

Mainly a Palearctic species, recorded from the Chinese provinces and municipalities of Beijing, Chongqing, Fujian, Gansu, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Hubei, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Sichuan, Shanghai, Shandong, Shanxi, Yunnan, Zhejiang and the Hong Kong SAR ( Lirong et al. 2013; Bezděk 2016). Also found in Pakistan, Nepal, the Indian Sikkim Province, North and South Korea, Mongolia, Russian Far East and Japan ( Sakai and Nagai 1998; Krajcik 2011; Bezděk 2016). According to Bezděk (2016), it also occurs in the Oriental Region.

Material examined.

1♂, 1♀: Coloane, Hác-Sá, 8 Apr 2020, on flowers of Ligustrum sinense , R Perissinotto (MACT).

Other Macau records.

No locality and date, 14 mm (in Pun and Batalha 1997: 65, fig. 108 as Oxycetonia jucunda Faldermann); Taipa Pequena, 11 Mar 2019, on flowers of Toddalia asiatica , R Perissinotto & L Clennell.

Remarks.

A rare species in Macau, despite its widespread distribution and common occurrence in the surrounding regions, such as the Hong Kong SAR ( Yiu 2010; iNaturalist observations). The dorsal background colour is always predominantly green, ranging from bright to olive grade, while the white maculation can vary somehow in extent. In particular, the discal spots on both pronotum and elytra can fade completely in exceptional cases. Specimens range in size within the approximate range of 12-15 mm TL and 6-8 mm MW. The period of adult activity appears to peak in the spring and no specimens have been recorded in Macau during summer or autumn yet, although their occurrence during these seasons is well established in nearby Hong Kong ( Yiu 2010). In Macau, adults were observed feeding on flowers of Ligustrum sinense , Clausena lansium and Toddalia asiatica , while in Hong Kong they were also found on Guilandina bonduc , Rhus chinensis and Schima superba ( Yiu 2010). The 1st-3rd instar larvae of G. jucunda have been comprehensively described and illustrated by Murayama (1931), Medvedev (1952), Zhang (1984) and Sawada (1991) ( Šípek and Král 2012).

Figures

Figure 4. Gametis jucunda (Faldermann, 1835): dorsal (left) and side (right) views of typical specimens observed at Taipa (11 Mar 2019) and Coloane (8 Apr 2020), respectively (photographs: Lynette Clennell).