Protaetia (Calopotosia) orientalis orientalis (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

Protaetia (Calopotosia) orientalis orientalis (Gory & Percheron, 1833) Fig. 7

Cetonia orientalis Gory & Percheron, 1833: 193

Distribution.

Within the Palearctic Region, this species is known from the Chinese provinces of Chongqing, Fujian, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Sichuan, Shandong, Zhenjiang, the Hong Kong SAR, North and South Korea as well as the Russian Far East ( Lirong et al. 2013; Bezděk 2016). It is also widespread in the Oriental Region, specifically in northern India, the Kashmir region, northern Vietnam, and Laos ( Sakai and Nagai 1998; Krajcik 2011).

Material examined.

1♂, 1♀: Coloane , Ká-Hó, 16 Jun 2018, dead on roadside, L Clennell (MACT) ; 1♂: Coloane , A-Mà Cultural Village, 13-15 Jun 2019, aggregation on sap of Albizia lebbeck , R Perissinotto & L Clennell (MACT) ; 1♂: Macau, University of East Asia Library, 4 May 1990, ER Easton leg (UMEC) ; 1♀: ibidem, on building, 1 Aug 1989, ER Easton leg (UMEC); 1♂: ibidem 30 Jul 1989, ER Easton leg (UMEC); 1♂: ibidem, on building, 12 Jul 1989, ER Easton leg (UMEC); 1♀: ibidem no data, ER Easton leg (UMEC).

Other Macau records.

Taipa, University of East Asia Campus, near library, 28 May 1991 ( Easton 1991: 111; 1993: 55); No locality and date, 18 mm ( Pun and Batalha 1997: 66, fig. 109); Taipa Grande, 22 May 2018, L Clennell; Coloane, 10 May 2019, R Perissinotto & L Clennell; ibidem 18 May 2019, R Perissinotto & L Clennell; Macau, 15 Jun 2019, Peggi Chao (pers. comm.); ibidem 8 Aug 2019, Ben Wong (pers. comm.); Alto de Coloane, 23 May 2020, R Perissinotto & L Clennell; ibidem 5 Jul 2020, feeding on sap of Sapium discolor R Perissinotto & L Clennell; Barra Hill, Macau, 9 Jul 2018 12:58, Kisu Wong (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/23843295); Coloane Alto, Macao, 15 Jun 2019 16:11, L Clennell (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/56299608); St. Francis Xavier’s Parish [Coloane], 12 May 2019 10:27, Kit Chang (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/24989100); ibidem 5 Jul 2020 13:56, L Clennell (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/56110922); Avenida Doutor Stanley Ho [Macau], 24 May 2020 11:44, Benny Kuok (https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47261733).

Remarks.

This is the only species currently seen in reasonable numbers in the Macau SAR, but only from late spring and throughout the summer. Specimens are generally of a bright green colour with golden sheen and white markings, but the background colour can turn olive-green or even darker in some specimens. Adult size varies within the approximate range of 20-25 mm in TL and 10-13 mm in MW. Its diet appears to be the most variable exhibited by any of the cetoniines encountered in Macau, with adults recorded in aggregations on sap flows of Albizia lebbeck (Fig. 7 ) and Sapium discolor . It also enters regularly into fruit-baited traps and has been observed feeding on wild figs and lychee fruits. Among the flowering trees that attract this species are Acronychia pedunculata , Litsea glutinosa , Paliurus spina-christi and Syzigium buxifolium .

Easton (1993) reported that this species was regarded a minor pest, as the adults fed on lychees and other soft fruits such as peaches, while their grubs were believed to feed on the roots of grasses. Although adults are typically diurnal, with activity peaking in the hottest part of the day, they have also been found on the walls of buildings illuminated at night ( Easton 1993). The 3rd instar larva of this species was comprehensively described and illustrated by Sawada (1991). In Hong Kong, larvae have been successfully reared in captivity using fermented sawdust as food ( Yiu 2010).

Figures

Figure 7. Protaetia (Calopotosia) orientalis orientalis (Gory & Percheron, 1833): dorsal view of typical specimen (left) and aggregation of several individuals (right) on sap flow of Albizia lebbeck, observed at Coloane on 18 May 2019 and 15 Jun 2019, respectively (photographs: Lynette Clennell).