# Mediterranean Spotted Chafer

*Oxythyrea funesta*

Though sometimes disliked by gardeners for nibbling rosebuds, they are important pollinators that help wild meadows flourish.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Scarabaeidae › Oxythyrea
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** grassland
- **Habitat:** Flower-rich meadows, grasslands, forest edges, gardens, and shrublands.
- **Diet:** Pollen, nectar, and buds of various flowering plants, especially light-colored blooms.
- **Range:** Europe, North Africa, Middle East
- **Size:** 8 to 12 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** 1 year
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Widespread pesticide use in agriculture and home gardens, and habitat loss from intensive mowing.
- **Safe to approach?:** This beetle is completely harmless to humans. It cannot bite or sting. You can safely observe it at close range or allow it to crawl on your hand. If you wish to move it, gently nudge it onto a nearby flower.

## About

Oxythyrea funesta is a phytophagous beetle species belonging to the family Cetoniidae, subfamily Cetoniinae.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/e6884a2b-462c-406b-989c-3855bd82720e
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/68328
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxythyrea funesta
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/77502490/medium.jpg (Ivar Leidus, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.