Mecynorrhina
savagei
( Harris, 1844 )
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Cetoniinae
Mecynorrhina savagei is native to Africa. It is found in many countries such as Cameroon, Ghana, Togo, Zaire and covers an area as far east as the Democratic Republic of Congo.
It has black and yellow stripes and spots on its elytra. Its pronotum is striped with green and yellow.
It is a fairly large species but smaller than other Mecynorrhina. Males measure 40 to 85mm and have a long, fairly slender horn.
Females are smaller, measuring 40 to 50 mm. Once fertilized, they are mostly buried to lay eggs and come to the surface to feed.
Some points to note
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For the dreams : Plastic boxes with ventilation. Provide a quantity of substrate adapted to the number of larvae.
It is necessary to raise the larvae individually (especially at stages L1 and L2, stage L3 being less risky) in boxes of at least 1 to 2 L.
For the hulls : It is best to leave the shell in the larval stage breeding box. Otherwise it can be transferred to another box. In all cases, the container must be properly ventilated.
For adults: Provide a terrarium adapted to the number of individuals. For 1 couple, provide for example a terrarium of 50x40x50 (LxWxH) with ventilation on the lid. It is important to provide at least 20cm of substrate for laying eggs. ( If the substrate is not high enough, the females will lay few or no eggs). Also provide small branches for moving around.
The ground should not be completely flat because the beetles that fall on their backs die quickly because they can no longer turn around. It is therefore very important to fill it with bark, stones or other materials and not to flatten the substrate.
Temperature: for optimal conditions 23/24°C but breeding possible between 20°C and 28°C.
Humidity:
For larvae: provide a slightly damp substrate.
During pupation: provide a slightly drier substrate.
For adults: Provide a slightly damp substrate. If the terrarium is well ventilated, provide a small spray of water every 2 to 3 days.
Lighting: Classic lighting required for adults (bulb, spotlight, tube, etc.)
For larvae: Classic flower beetle substrate: decomposed and crushed oak, beech or possibly chestnut leaves or flakesoil. The larvae are saproxylophagous and feed on decomposing materials (wood, leaves). If the larvae lack food, there is a risk of dying them or obtaining small specimens. The substrate will need to be renewed as soon as there is too much excrement.
For adults: Fruits (mainly banana) or beetle jelly. Possible supplement with pollen. To be renewed as often as possible as soon as the food begins to deteriorate.
Incubation
2 to 5 weeks
Development
From 8 to 10 months
Nymphosis
1 1/2 to 2 months
Imago lifespan
3 to 5 months
Sexing: The male has a horn. The female does not. At the larval stage it is possible to know the sex of the larvae (at the L3 stage). This can be useful to take stock of the number of males/females in your breeding. The larger the larva, the easier the identification will be. To do this, simply look at the ventral side of the last abdominal segment. The male has a black point a little larger than the hairs. This is the Herold's organ , a chitinous point, visible by transparency on the L3 larvae. Females do not have it.
Prolificacy: Low. A female can lay 10 to 20 eggs if conditions are good.
Cannibalism: Yes, especially for L1/L2. It is also possible for females to eat eggs.
