European Rose Chafer

The Rose chafer is a beetle species found in Europe, the southern part of the United Kingdom, and Southeast Asia. They have the ability to fly fast and feed on pollen, nectar, and flowers, particularly roses. The metallic green color of the beetle is created by the reflection of circularly-polarized light and can also appear in copper, grey, and black. Some beetles have white speckles while others have none. The beetle’s color has been described as a left-hand narrow-band elliptical polarizer. There are external links provided for photos and additional information.

Overview

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Rose chafers are capable of fast flight; they fly with their wing cases down. They feed on pollen, nectar, and flowers, especially roses. They can be found among roses on warm sunny days from May until June or July, and occasionally as late as September. Rose chafers are found in southern and central Europe and in the southern part of the United Kingdom, where they sometimes seem to be very localized. They can also be found in South East Asia, in the countryside and outlying islands of Hong Kong. They are a beneficial saprophagous species (detritivores).

Coloration

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The metallic green coloration of the beetle is created structurally, by the reflection of mostly circularly-polarised light; like other scarabs, this is left circularly polarised: When viewed through a right circular polariser, the beetle appears to be colorless. There are also different colors besides the common green; there is also copper, grey and black. A lot of specimens have white speckles while some have very few or none at all. It has been described as a left-hand narrow-band elliptical polariser.

See also

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Scarab (disambiguation) Scarab (artifact)

External links

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Photos of Cetonia aurata Photos of Rose chafer - Cetonia aurata and other flower beetles. Rose chafer Cetonia aurata, some life cycle photos. Color of Cetonia aurata through 3D movie glasses, a 23-second YouTube video demonstrating the handedness of the shiny color of the beetle.