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SCARABAEIDAE
 
Melolonthinae
Green Scarab Beetle
Brown Cockchafer
 
Rutelinae 
Common Christmas Beetle
Golden Brown Christmas Beetle
Black Nail Beetle
 
Dynastinae 
Rhinoceros Beetle
 
Cetoniinae
Brown Flower Beetle
Mango Flower Beetle
 

                                               

Subfamily Melolonthinae - Chafer Beetles

Beetles in this subfamily usually brown in colour, but may be black or metallic. They are commonly known as Chafers or Cockchafers. Male and female look no different. 
 
 
Their life cycle is usually more than one year. Larvae are C-shaped and soil-dwelling, feed on roots and other organic matter. They pupate in cell deep in soil. When become adults, they stay remains in the cell, wait until rain softens the soil and come out. This makes the adults come out from soil in the same time, synchronizes as the mating flight. Most of them active at night but some feed during the day. 

Green Scarab Beetles, Green Chafers 
 
Diphucephala sp., body length 8mm
Green Scarab Beetles are common in Brisbane in early summer. Whole body is metallic green in colour. In early summer, we usually find half the leaves of a tree was completely eaten by those small green beetles. More information please click here.
 
 
Brown Cockchafer, Rhopaea Cane Grub
  wpe13.jpg (19468 bytes)
Rhopaea magnicornis, body length 22mm
This beetle is brown in colour and with a hairy body. Notice its antennae is short and fan-like. We find this beetle in summer flying towards our windows. More information on this page.
 
Reference:
1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, p 630.
2. Insects of Australia and New Zealand - R. J. Tillyard, Angus & Robertson, Ltd, Sydney, 1926, p229.
3. Beetles of Australia - Trevor J Hawkeswood, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1987, p31. 

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Last updated: November 11, 2006.