Australian Flower Beetle
Research Collection

The AFBRC is an independent philanthropic research initiative dedicated to the systematic study and documentation of Australian flower beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Cetoniinae). AFBRC holdings include a comprehensive voucher collection of pinned specimens and material preserved in ethanol, together with associated field data and photographic records spanning the breadth of the Australian continent and its territories.

While a handful of species are conspicuous and frequently encountered — visiting flowers in gardens and bushland across Australia — many Australian flower beetles are uncommon or rare, known from few specimens and poorly surveyed regions. Half of all described species have not a single observation recorded on iNaturalist. A particularly distinctive component of the fauna is a group of atypical flower beetles that do not visit flowers at all.

The collection supports research into the diversity, biology, and distribution of Australian flower beetles and provides verified reference material for species identification and distributional analysis. Researchers, institutions, and collectors are invited to enquire about access, collaboration, and loan arrangements.