02023nas a2200193   4500008004100000245012700041210006900168300001200237490000700249520128700256653002201543653001401565653001801579653001201597653003401609100002401643700002401667856013801691       2001                        eng d00aPollination by monkey beetles (Scarabaeidae: Hopliini): do color and dark centers of flowers influence alighting behavior?0 aPollination by monkey beetles Scarabaeidae Hopliini do color and  a861-8680 v303 aMonkey beetles (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Hopliini) visit mostly unscented ßowers with conspicuous dark center patterns that have been suggested to mimic resting beetles. Field observations in South Africa showed that monkey beetles are the primary pollen vectors of the dark-centered ßowers of Ixia dubia Vent. (Iridaceae) and Spiloxene capensis (L.) Garside (Hypoxi- daceae), and the dark-centered ßowerheads of Gazania pectinata (Thunb.) Spreng. (Asteraceae). Monkey beetles used the ßowers of these species as mating rendezvous sites and consequently showed a signiÞcant clumped distribution in ßowers. We used model ßowers approximating the study species to determine which traits are important for eliciting alighting behavior in monkey beetles. Contrary to expectations, beetles did not signiÞcantly prefer dark-centered to plain models in 7 of 8 independent experiments, nor did beetles discriminate signiÞcantly between plain models and models with male or female beetles glued to their surface. However, beetles did show a strong preference for orange over red, yellow, and blue models. The results of this study indicate that alighting behavior of monkey beetles is inßuenced primarily by ßower color rather than ßower patterning or presence of other beetles. 10aforaging behavior10aHopliinae10ainsect vision10amimicry10aplant-pollinator interactions1 aJohnson, Steven, D.1 aMidgley, Jeremy, J.  uhttps://scarabnet.myspecies.info/pollination-monkey-beetles-scarabaeidae-hopliini-do-color-and-dark-centers-flowers-influence-alighti