Shroud beetle. Escarabajo del sudario

Description:

Cetoniidae. There are at least three kinds of beetles shroud: Oxythyrea funesta, Tropinota squalida and Tropinota hirta. The one shown here is the one with hair but not as much as squalida Tropinota. Larva: Up to 20 mm. Scarabeiform, with three pairs of thoracic legs, curved and white. It lives on the ground. Adult: 8-12mm. Black with white spots on the elytra and covered with yellowish gray hairs.

Habitat:

In an area of pine trees next to the Mediterranean sea. Tropinota hirta is a widespread insect in Europe, North Africa, Asia Minor and the Middle East. In Europe it is present mainly in the Mediterranean basin and in all parts of Italy.

Notes:

In spring, the adults begin to emerge in a staggered manner until July. They begin to feed on the crop or the pollen of spontaneous herbs and then reproduce, the female laying on the ground itself, on remains of organic matter, on which the future larva will feed. From this larva, after completing its pupal cycle, adults appear at the end of summer, which will remain buried in the ground until the following spring.