''Melolontha'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Scarabaeidae The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several sub ...

. The

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

cockchafer The cockchafer, colloquially called Maybug, Maybeetle, or doodlebug, is the name given to any of the European beetles of the genus ''Melolontha'', in the family Scarabaeidae. Once abundant throughout Europe and a major pest in the periodical ye ...

s belong to this genus.

Taxonomy

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''.

Étienne Louis Geoffroy Étienne Louis Geoffroy (October 12, 1725 – August 12, 1810) was a French entomologist and pharmacist. He was born in Paris and died in Soissons. He followed the binomial nomenclature of Carl von Linné and devoted himself mainly to beetle ...

used ''Melolontha'' as a genus name (1762), but his book has been suppressed by the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature, and the authority for the name is the later (1775) publication by

Johan Christian Fabricius Johan Christian Fabricius (7 January 1745 – 3 March 1808) was a Danish zoologist, specialising in "Insecta", which at that time included all arthropods: insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others. He was a student of Carl Linnaeus, and is co ...

Species

The following is a list of species within the genus ''Melolontha'': *'' Melolontha aceris'' Faldermann, 1835 *''

Melolontha afflicta ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' Ballion, 1870 *''

Melolontha albida ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' Frivaldszky, 1835 *''

Melolontha anita ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

Reitter Reitter is a German occupational surname, which means a "mounted soldier" or "knight", from the Middle High German ''ritære'' (" horseman"). Notable people with the surname include: * Edmund Reitter (1845–1920), a Moravia-born Austrian-German e ...

, 1902 *''

Melolontha argus ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' Burmeister 1855 *''

Melolontha bifurcata ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' (Brenske, 1896) *''

Melolontha chinensis ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' ( Guerin, 1838) *''

Melolontha ciliciensis ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' Petrovitz *''

Melolontha flabellata ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' Sharp, 1876 *''

Melolontha frater ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' Arrow, 1913 – Indonesia *''

Melolontha fuscotestacea ''Melolontha'' is a genus of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. The European cockchafers belong to this genus. Taxonomy Linnaeus called the European cockchafer ''Scarabaeus melolontha''. Étienne Louis Geoffroy used ''Melolontha'' as a genus ...

'' Kraatz, 1887 *''Melolontha guttigera'' Sharp, 1876 *''Melolontha hippocastani'' Johan Christian Fabricius, Fabricius, 1801 – European forest cockchafer *''Melolontha incana'' Motschulsky, 1853 *''Melolontha insulana'' Burmeister, 1939 *''Melolontha japonica'' Burmeister, 1855 *''Melolontha kraatzi'' Reitter 1906 *''Melolontha melolontha'' (

, 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 1758) – common European cockchafer *''Melolontha papposa'' Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger, Illiger, 1803 *''Melolontha pectoralis'' Johann Carl Megerle von Mühlfeld, Megerle von Mühlfeld, 1812 – European large cockchafer *''Melolontha rubiginosa'' *''Melolontha rufocrassa'' Leon Fairmaire, Fairmaire, 1889 *''Melolontha satsumaenis'' Niijima & Kinoshita *''Melolontha virescens'' (Brenske, 1896)

References

Scarabaeidae genera Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius Melolonthinae {{Melolonthinae-stub