Abstract
The oriental beetle Anomala orientalis (Waterhouse) is one of the most destructive pests of turfgrass in the northeastern United States. Larvae feed on the roots of a variety of hosts, including most grasses, blueberry (Vaccinium sp., section Cyanococcus), cranberry (Vaccinium sp., subgenus Oxycoccus), raspberry (Ru bus sp., subgenus Idaeobatus), strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa), and ornamental plants, as well as sugarcane in Hawaii (Alm, et al., 1999, Alm, et al., 2012). High larval populations can destroy turf and damage fully grown nursery stock and containerized plants (Alm, et al., 2012, Pierce 2012). Larvae have been inadvertently shipped to new locations in containers and in balled nursery stock and/or sod (Alm, et al., 2012). Adults feed on grass blades and the flowers of pe tunias (Petunia sp.), dahlias (Dahlia sp.), hollyhock (Alcea sp.), phlox (Phlox spp.), Japanese iris (Iris ensata), and roses (Rosa spp.), but are not considered to be serious pests (Friend 1929, Hallock 1933). The oriental beetle is probably a native of Japan that arrived on the Hawaiian Island of Oahu before 1908 (Tashiro 1987, Vittum, et al. 1999). It is believed to have arrived in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1920 as a stowaway in balled nursery stock (Tashiro 1987). The beetle’s U.S. distribution was examined by Alm, et al. (1999), who reported its presence in southeastern New Hampshire, Cape Cod and Central Massachusetts (widespread), Ohio (around Painesville on Lake Erie), New Jersey (widespread in blueberry plantings), Delaware (widespread), Maryland (widespread), Virginia (around Richmond and Arlington) and North Carolina (around Asheville). Single captures were recorded from Maine, South Carolina, Tennessee, and West Virginia (Alm, et al., 1999), though specific localities were not given and no further information could be located. Recent literature reports the oriental beetle from Maine to South Carolina, west to Wisconsin (Alm, et al., 2012). In addition to the single South Carolina capture presented by Alm, et al. (1999), Harpootlian (2001) reported a single specimen from the state, collected in June from Spartanburg. As of 1999, this record represented the southernmost 64 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS
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