Cetoniinae ... Chlorobapta bestii, perhaps?
Following from our rather special sighting of Chlorobapta bestii, Paul Hutchinson and Chris Moeseneder asked us to try to collect a specimen (or 2 or 3) for their study. Adults, pupae, larvae … whatever we could find.
So we searched the round from which we had seen one emerge … no luck. But inside another round from the same tree we found this unusual grub. It was between the more intact, outer wood layer and the termite-ridden inner, rotten core.
Arrow showing the type of location where we found the grub (although this is a different section of the round, as we had broken away the rotten core in order to expose grub)
5:40pm 20th January, 2022 (4-5hours after collection)
Note that in the few hours between collection and proper rehousing, it had burrowed halfway into a piece of the rotten core wood.
I broke the soft ‘wood’ apart in order to image it (see below)
Images below: 20th January, 2022. Several of these were sent to Paul H. and Chris M. for advice.
Chris Moeseneder promptly confirmed that it is certainly a flower chafer (ie Cetoniinae) … and may indeed be Chlorobapta bestii !!
He asked if we could send it to him to raise and/or use for DNA. I’m awaiting a reply to an alternative suggestion - that we raise it here first, to avoid the risk of death/loss during postage.
23rd January, 2022
While I wait to hear back from Chris, I set up a better container for it, with chunks of rotten and semi-rotten wood from the round, plus a pile of ground fragments.
After I place it on top of the wood, it gradually made it’s way underneath and disappeared. I won’t disturb it for a few days, and I expect it might burrow into the wood.
Note, however, that Chris thinks it’s near ready to pupate, so perhaps that will happen soon.