Emerald Euphoria Beetle

Emerald Euphoria (Euphoria fulgida) are beetles in the family Scarabaeidae that are native to North America. They are not especially common east of the Rocky Mountains and can be highly variable in their coloration.
 There are 59 described species within the genus Euphoria and all are native to the Americas. Most are found in Central and South
America.

The one pictured here was found yesterday under a rock and was already dead. I'd never seen a beetle quite like it and I'm not sure what killed it. It did not appear to be harmed in anyway and was completely intact. When I first found it I thought it was a Green June Bug (Cotinis nitida) which are very common around here. The coloring wasn't quite right for a Green June Bug so I suspected it was something different and decided to keep it until I could get an ID on it. Once I figured out it was a new species for me I decided to keep it to add to my collection. It's always fun to find something new, a lifer if you will.

The range for this particular species is listed as New Mexico east to Florida, and Maine west to Colorado. There is a blue form that is found from New Mexico to Colorado. They are a medium sized beetle reaching lengths from 12 to 19 mm. Overall greenish in color with bright shiny elytra and pronotum. There may be some amber, reddish-brown or gold coloration along the edges of the wings.

Adults are often found in meadows, or fields full of flowers where they consume nectar or pollen. They may also be found in timbered areas where they will also feed on sap leaking from trees. In flight they are often mistaken for bees. They are most often encountered from May through July, but may be found as early as March or as late as November.

The larva are found a few centimeters under the surface of rich soil, and organic matter like manure, and compost. May also be found in pack rat middens, and ant nests. Larvae feed on manure. Depending upon the species, some will overwinter as adults and others spend the winter underground as larva.

If you'd like to read more on this beetle please visit my friend Eric's blog post at Bug Eric

Goes to show that you never know what you will find when you flip rocks, almost always it is sure to be interesting.