Christmas Beetles - Subfamily Rutelinae
- The beetles in this subfamily are usually large and stout build. They are brightly coloured and some are metallic.
- Adults feed and mate on tree during the day, lay eggs in soil or under fallen bark and logs. 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.
- Some genus in this subfamily are known as Christmas Beetles, huge number appear during Christmas days in Australia. They hang on tree just like the decorations on Christmas tree.
Family Scarabaeidae
This page contains information and pictures about Christmas Beetles in Subfamily Melolonthinae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
Anoplognathini
- Common Christmas Beetle
- Anoplognathus porosus, body length 25mm
- There are different species in the Anoplognathus genus all commonly called Christmas Beetles. As their name implies, those beetles are most numerous around Christmas, during mid-summer in Brisbane. They are metallic green in colour and with the beautiful texture on their elytra. More information and pictures in this page.
- White Christmas Beetle
- Anoplognathus pallidicollis, body length 25mm
- This Christmas Beetle was found in Karawatha Forest feeding on gum leaves. It was early December. This beetle looks like the A. porosus, above but paler in colour and smaller dots pattern. Check this page for more information.
- Golden Christmas Beetle
- Anoplognathus chloropyrus, body length 25mm
- There are different species in the Anoplognathus genus all commonly called Christmas Beetles. All of them have very large claws. Christmas Beetles feed on different eucalypt trees. Some with distinct preferences on some particular species. Please also visit this page for more information and pictures on this Golden Brown Christmas Beetle.
- Green Christmas Beetle
- Anoplognathus punctulatus, body length 25mm
- This Green Christmas Beetle flied into our room when we had the Christmas break in a resort in Lamington National Park on 2010. Please check this page for more information.
- Black Nail Beetle
- Repsimus manicatus, body length 22mm,
The beetle is dark bluish with purplish brown pronotum. The male has immensely developed hind legs with large triangular tibiae. Larvae live in sandy soils along river banks. More information and pictures can be found in this page.
- Small Brown Scarab
- ? Mimadoretus sp., Anoplognathini, body length 5mm
- We sometime found this beetle trying to dig into the soil on ground. Although this small beetle look fat, it does slowly fly away when disturbed. Please check this page for more information.
- Small Black Scarab
- ? Mimadoretus sp., Anoplognathini, body length 5mm
- Please check this Small Black Scarab page for more informtion.
- Reference and Links:
- 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, p228.
- 3. Beetles of Australia - Trevor J Hawkeswood, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1987, p31.
- 4. Christmas beetles - S. A. Lawson and J. King, DPI&F Queensland, 2006
- 5. RUTELINAE GALLERY - Marc Soula, Systematic Entomology on the Rutelini Tribe (Scarabaeidae Rutelinae).
- 6. Rutelinae - Australian Biological Resources Study, Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, 2002.
- 7. A Guide to the Beetles of Australia - George Hangay and Paul Zborowski, CSIRO PUBLISHING April 2010, p98.
