Calliphona palmensis Bolívar

Nutrition:
Especially herbal and presumably also animal food (small insects like aphids).

Habitat:
I met adults in a pine forest (Pinus canariensis) in the north of La Palma (December 2006). In the rich understory occurred species such as Erica arborea, Myrica faya and many other species of the laurel forest. In December 2010, I found a female on the edge of a pine forest east of Los Llanos.

Life cycle:
Probably you can find adults year-round. The animals usually sit on shrubs (probably also higher in trees).

Endangerment factors:
Probably Calliphona palmensis is endangered due to the former destroyment of parts of the laurel forest. But thanks to its ability to survive also in bushy pine forests, it should be not threatened by extinction at the moment. The affects of global warming and increased fires can not be clearly predicted yet.

Remarks:
Calliphona palmensis is endemic to La Palma, Canary Islands (Spain). Other species of the same genus are observed on the other western Canary Islands.