The larva of Rhinocoeta sanguinipes (Gory & Percheron 1833) (Coleoptera Scarabaeidae): Description and phylogenetic inferences

The genus Rhinocoeta Burmeister 1842 is unusual among cetoniines, as adults do not feed on flowers or fruits. The biology and ecology of the genus are still completely unknown, and only for three of the six species representi ng the group have adults of both sexes been described. No information is av ailable for the larval stages of any of the species. Here, we present the f irst discription of the third instar larvae of one of the species, Rhinocoe ta sanguinipes (Gory & Percheron 1833). Cladistic analysis of larval charac ters confirms the primitive phylogenetic position of this species relative to a small sample of other South African cetoniines, and supports the hypot hesis that the genus might belong in the subtribe Xiphoscelidina rather tha n the Cetoniina, thereby constituting part of a relict lineage derived dire ctly from the most primitive Cetoniinae.