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Phyllophaga is a very large genus (more than 260 species) of New World scarab beetles in the subfamily Melolonthinae. They are medium to large in size (8-25 mm) and are blackish or reddish-brown in color, without prominent markings, and often rather hairy ventrally. These beetles are nocturnal, coming to lights in great numbers. The adults are chafers, feeding on foliage of trees and shrubs. They may cause significant damage when emerging in large numbers. The larvae (called white grubs) feed on the roots of grasses and other plants. The insects pupate underground in the fall and emerge as adults the following spring. Common names for this genus and its relatives in the subfamily Melolonthinae are May beetle, June bug, and June beetle.
[edit] References
- Bartlett, Troy, et al. BugGuide
- Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence (1961). A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America. Evanston, Illinois: Row, Peterson, and Company.
- Evans, Arthur W. Generic Guide to New World Scarabs--subfamilcally published, Lincoln, Nebraska. 74 pp, available here.
- White , Richard E. (1998). Beetles : A Field Guide to the Beetles of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-91089-7.
