''Amphimallon solstitiale'', also known as the summer chafer or European
june beetle, is a
beetle similar to the
cockchafer but much smaller, approximately in length. They are declining in numbers now, but where found they are often seen in large numbers. At dusk they actively fly around tree tops looking for a mate and can often be found drowning in pools of water the following morning. They are also attracted to light and come in through open, lit windows and fly around lamps, making quite a racket while bumping into lights. They are found throughout the
Palearctic
The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa.
The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...
region (and North America) and, commonly seen from June to August, living in meadows, hedgerows, and gardens, and eating plants and tree foliage.
These June Beetles are also pests due to eating the roots of potatoes, rape, and legume plants. This can be a problem since not as many of these plants grow which results in them having pathogens on them, causing the food to dry and die. Because of this, chemical pesticides or certain bacteria are used to help keep these insects away.
Distribution
The species can be found in such countries as
Belgium,
Estonia,
Latvia
Latvia ( or ; lv, Latvija ; ltg, Latveja; liv, Leţmō), officially the Republic of Latvia ( lv, Latvijas Republika, links=no, ltg, Latvejas Republika, links=no, liv, Leţmō Vabāmō, links=no), is a country in the Baltic region of ...
,
Slovenia,
Czech Republic,
Slovakia,
Poland,
Croatia,
Serbia,
France,
Luxembourg,
Bulgaria,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
,
Austria,
Greece,
Italy,
Spain,
Germany, southern parts of
Russia,
Mexico and
Great Britain
References
BİRYOL, S., EFE, D., ESKİ, A., DEMİRBAĞ, Z., & DEMİR, İ. (2020). Fungal pathogens of Amphimallon solstitiale Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Turkish Journal of Entomology, 375–384. https://doi.org/10.16970/entoted.663690
Tolasch, T., Sölter, S., Tóth, M., Ruther, J., & Francke, W. (2003). (R)-Acetoin-Female Sex Pheromone of the Summer Chafer Amphimallon solstitiale (L.) Journal of Chemical Ecology, 29(4), 1045–1050. https://doi.org/10.1023/a:1022992516854
Xing-Zhuo Yang, Li Zhang, Run-Qiu Feng, Li-Jun Zhang, Fang-Zhen Luo & Ming-Long Yuan (2019) Mitochondrial genome of Amphimallon solstitiale (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) and phylogenetic analysis, Mitochondrial DNA Part B, 4:1, 110-111, DOI: 10.1080/23802359.2018.1536482
External links
*
Amphimallon solstitiale page on Encyclopedia of Life
Beetles described in 1758
solstitiale
Beetles of Europe
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
{{Melolonthinae-stub