Adoretus digennaroi
Meet Adoretus digennaroi, in all its polka dot splender, a standout in the large genus Adoretus, the ca. 460 species of which favour dull brownish vestiture. This may offer them some camouflaged protection against predators since most Adoretus spend a lot of time on and under the ground, the larvae feeding on roots, the adults tearing into leaves. It strains the imagination to think of what advantage A. Digennaroi’s striking spots might confer - for now an enigma as nothing is known of its biology. In Africa, the species is an eastern Africa endemic, recorded only from the drylands of Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya. Several species of Adoretus are considered agricultural pests and of biosecurity importance, for example Adoretus sinicus, the Chinese rose beetle. No such concern with A. digennaroi. In Africa only Adoretus compressus is a pest, feeding on Lychee.
According to google polka dot dresses became popular as an accoutrement to dancing the polka, which originated not in Poland but in Slovakia and/or the Czech Republic in the 19th century, both the dance and the polka dots spreading relentlessly westward. It seems to me that polka dots have all but disappeared from fashion. A shame – maybe the simple beauty of A. digennaroi can raise interest among designers.
We thank Pol Limbourg who described A. digennaroi for confirming the identify of the beetle pictured here.
Credits: Dr Robert Copeland, icipe