Cetoniidae

9.9

A group of bright beetles often found on flowers and fruit

noun

Specialized

: Cetoniidae

The Cetoniidae are often found feeding on nectar and pollen in gardens.

Examples

Some species of Cetoniidae display striking metallic colors on their bodies.
Goliath beetles, a part of the Cetoniidae family, are among the largest insects in the world.
Look at that Cetoniidae on the rose!
The Cetoniidae family includes many species of colorful beetles.
Some species of Cetoniidae display striking metallic colors on their bodies.
The Cetoniidae are often found feeding on nectar and pollen in gardens.
Goliath beetles, a part of the Cetoniidae family, are among the largest insects in the world.

Surface Forms

Cetoniidae singular

Cetoniids plural

Morphology

Cetoniidae = Cetonia (opaque) = cetoni + idae

The family-forming suffix '-idae' is a specialized scientific ending and the formation refers to a taxonomic genus stem, which is not transparent to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Cetoniidae comes from the beetle name Cetonia plus the family ending -idae, which shows it is a family in scientific names. The name Cetonia is linked to an old root meaning 'whale', so a helpful way to remember Cetoniidae is to imagine these bright, sometimes very large beetles as the 'whales' of the insect world, like goliath beetles.