Adults are approximately 15–22 mm long.
Fine-art photographic collection
Pseudepixanthis stella
A Madagascan flower chafer whose star-like spots vary enough to have once been mistaken for another species.
About this species
Pseudepixanthis stella(Gory & Percheron, 1835)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Pseudepixanthis stella is a Madagascan flower chafer marked with pale star-like spots on a dark shell. The pattern varies strongly: a four-spotted form was once described as Pseudepixanthis quadrinotata before later work recognised it as variation within P. stella.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Scarabaeidae · Cetoniinae · Pseudepixanthis
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
MadagascarBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Madagascar
Forest and forest edge with flowers, sap and ripe fruit.
Adults active in warm daylight.
Sugary plant fluids as adults; decomposing organic matter as larvae.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The pale marks appear as isolated star-like points against the dark wing cases, the feature reflected in the name stella.
A four-spotted form was once described as a separate species, Pseudepixanthis quadrinotata, before being absorbed into the variation of P. stella.
The species therefore demonstrates how strongly one beetle’s pattern can vary — enough to mislead taxonomists into naming two species from one variable form.