Diet

• Adults: Primarily feed on foliage and flowers. Documented food plants include Guazuma ulmifolia and Acacia species, as well as flowers of Pithecellobium lanceolatum.

• Larvae: Develop in soft, rotten wood, where they consume substantial quantities of decomposing wood. Larvae have been successfully reared in rotten Annona wood, and have also been found in decaying mango and other tree stumps.

Range

• Pelidnota virescens has a broad distribution along the Pacific slope of Mexico, extending from southern Sonora southward to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, and also occurs through parts of Central America.

• Around Zihuatanejo, it is likely fairly common during the rainy season, particularly from approximately April through October. Adults can be attracted to lights, and the species can become abundant in some localities.

Habitat

• Found in tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, secondary forest, orchards, gardens and other wooded habitats from near sea level to approximately 2,100 m.

• Around Zihuatanejo, look for adults on foliage and flowers, particularly on trees and shrubs in warm, wooded areas.

• Night-time light sources are especially productive places to look, as adults are attracted to artificial lights during their active season.

• Fallen trees, rotting stumps and decaying branches provide habitat for the larvae.

Size

• Adult length: approximately 20–22 mm (0.8–0.9 in).

• Body robust, elongated and somewhat flattened compared with many other ruteline scarabs.

• Elytra are pale greenish, yellowish or ivory with fine longitudinal grooves and darker puncture rows.

• The head, pronotum and legs are often metallic green, yellow-green or bronze, producing a striking contrast with the paler elytra.