10/7/2021: The common name conflict of Pachnoda iskuulka

Although I’m a fan of beetles (insomuch as they’re basically more armored roaches) I’m not enamored with the extra husbandry required for some species. My efforts streamlining goliath beetle care are a good testament to lengths I will go to to fit beetle husbandry into the same box (both figuratively and literally) that I use for roaches. Fortunately, some beetles are an excellent fit for this approach, and I grow increasingly smitten with various Cetoniines.

Pachnoda iskuulka wins the award for most aesthetic color pallet out of the species I have in consistent culture, however this poses a problem as I begin to distribute them.

My internal war between catchy, quotable, memorable common names and practical, true-to-the-Latin, inconvenient ones has flared up pretty hard over these guys. Some sources have referenced their confectionery appearance and opted to call them “candy flower beetles”. This, while descriptive… could be applied to dozens of other Cetoniine species and gives us nothing to tie to their Latin species name. However… it is catchy and memorable.

On the other side of the issue, transliterating “iskuulka” has been a tiresome experience and the closest I could find was the meaning in Somali, which apparently means… student. This connection is further credited by the description for this species, referencing that it was found in a schoolyard. Thus, perhaps “schoolyard sun beetle” is the ideal common name, incorporating the common name for Pachnoda (sun beetles) with the specific epithet.

Will the world accept this more justified common name? Time will tell. Pachnoda iskuulka will be available in the near future after I have satiated a few people who have been shouting “dibs” at me since I began getting larvae. Stay tuned.

-Kyle