Scarabaeid Pests: Subfamily Rutelinae

Abstract

This chapter looks at the Japanese beetle, in the order Coleoptera, family Scarabaeidae, subfamily Rutelinae (shiny leaf chafer), tribe Anomalini. The Japanese beetle is considered the single most important widespread turfgrass-infesting scarabaeid in the United States. Japanese beetle larvae cause significant damage to turfgrass in eastern North America and are also a major pest as adults, feeding on foliage, flowers, and fruits of more than 300 species of plants, including agricultural fruits and vegetables, ornamental plants, field and forage crops, and weeds. The chapter then considers the oriental beetle, which was first named the Asiatic beetle. The oriental beetle has become a major pest of turfgrass and occasionally is a pest of ornamentals in the northeastern United States.