Diet

• Adults: Primarily feed on nectar, pollen, flowers, sap and ripe or fermenting fruit. Adults are often found visiting flowers and can be active during the day.

• Larvae: Develop in decaying wood, rotting plant material and organic-rich soil, where they feed on decomposing material.

• The exact food sources vary among species.

Range

• Trigonopeltastes is a genus of flower chafers in the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Cetoniinae, tribe Trichiini.

• The genus is primarily Neotropical, with species occurring from Mexico through Central America and into South America.

• It is occasionally sighted in Zihua, especially during the rainy season, when flowering plants and fresh vegetation are abundant.

Habitat

• Found in tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, woodland, forest edges, gardens and secondary vegetation.

• Adults are particularly associated with flowers and flowering trees, where they feed on pollen and nectar.

• Around Zihua, check flowering shrubs and trees, especially in sunny clearings and along forest edges.

• Adults may also be attracted to ripe fruit and fermenting plant material.

• Larvae develop in decaying wood and other decomposing organic material.

Size

• Adult length: approximately 12–25 mm (0.5–1.0 in), depending on species.

• Body robust, oval and somewhat flattened compared with many other scarab beetles.

• Often brightly marked with combinations of black, yellow, orange, cream or reddish-brown.

• The contrasting markings can make Trigonopeltastes quite conspicuous when sitting on flowers.