Cape-floristic-region
Guides
Hopliini
Monkey Beetles
Hopliini is a tribe of scarab beetles commonly known as monkey beetles, established by Latreille in 1829. The tribe's placement within Scarabaeidae remains uncertain, with some classifications placing it in Melolonthinae and others in Rutelinae. Members are characterized by their frequent association with flowers, where they feed on pollen, nectar, and floral tissues. The tribe is particularly diverse and ecologically significant in the Greater Cape Floristic Region of South Africa, where they serve as important pollinators for numerous plant families.
Nemestrinidae
tangle-veined flies
Nemestrinidae, commonly called tangle-veined flies, is a family of brachyceran flies comprising approximately 300 species in 34 genera. The family is distributed worldwide but is most diverse in the southern hemisphere. Adults are characterized by distinctive wing venation with numerous crossveins creating a tangled appearance, and many species possess exceptionally long proboscises adapted for nectar feeding from tubular flowers. Larvae are endoparasitoids, with subfamily Trichopsideinae parasitizing grasshoppers and Hirmoneurinae parasitizing scarab beetles.