Monkey beetles are scarab beetles, a group of around 70 genera and 850 described species within the tribe Hopliini. The placement of this tribe within the family Scarabaeidae is uncertain between Melolonthinae and Rutelinae.[1] Many species visit flowers for pollen and nectar, or browse on the petals. The beetles are important pollinators of Aizoaceae and Asteraceae in grazed and ungrazed areas, as well as many others.[2]
They tend to favor flowers of white, yellow, pink, orange, and blue pigments. They also tend to favor flowers of symmetrical, abstract patterns [3][4] Due to their pollination patterns, many plants evolved special features that attracted monkey beetles, such as the Iridaceae which now have bright colors and symmetrical, unique patterns.
^Ahrens, D.; Scott, M.; Vogler, A.P. 2011: The phylogeny of monkey beetles based on mitochondrial and ribosomal RNA genes (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Hopliini). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution, 60(3): 408-415. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2011.04.011
^Mayer, C., Soka, G. & Picker, M. The importance of monkey beetle (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini) pollination for Aizoaceae and Asteraceae in grazed and ungrazed areas at Paulshoek, Succulent Karoo, South Africa. J Insect Conserv 10, 323–333 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10841-006-9006-0
^Steven D. Johnson, Jeremy J. Midgley, Pollination by Monkey Beetles (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini): Do Color and Dark Centers of Flowers Influence Alighting Behavior?, Environmental Entomology, Volume 30, Issue 5, 1 October 2001, Pages 861868, https://doi.org/10.1603/0046-225X-30.5.861
^Shelley A Johnson, Susan W Nicolson, Pollen digestion by flower-feeding Scarabaeidae: protea beetles (Cetoniini) and monkey beetles (Hopliini), Journal of Insect Physiology, Volume 47, Issue 7, 2001, Pages 725-733, ISSN 0022-1910, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022 1910(00)00166-9.
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