Chapter 145 - June Beetles

Abstract

This chapter explores the June beetles. They are heavy-bodied, brownish, plant-feeding scarab beetles. Almost all species are nocturnal in their habits. The adults are voracious feeders on leaves of many deciduous trees, shrubs, and some herbaceous plants. Their larvae, called white grubs, develop in the soil, where they feed on plant roots and can be pests of turf and pasture grasses, young nursery stock, corn, small grains, potatoes, strawberries, sugarcane, and other agricultural crops. June beetles belong to the genus Phyllophaga Harris (formerly Lactosterna) in the family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Melolonthinae. They average 12 to more than 25 mm in length, with a cylindrical or oblong body shape, dense hair on the metasternum, and lamellate antennae that end in a three-segmented club that is longer in males than in females. Each tarsal claw bears a small tooth near the middle. Coloration ranges from tan to mahogany to dark chocolate brown. These bugs occur in both the New and Old Worlds. In North America, north of Mexico, about 200 species are known, with many found in the north-central and eastern United States. A species complex occurs in most areas. They also have been reported from South and Central America, the West Indies, eastern and southern Asia, and the islands of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.