Species Macrodactylus subspinosus - Rose Chafer

8-10 mm

Golden-yellow to reddish-brown scarab, frequents flowers, long, spiny legs. M. subspinosus and M. angustatus are very similar and have to be keyed carefully.

Eastern North America

Old fields, gardens, edges with vines

May-August (eastern North Carolina), listed May-July for South Carolina.

Adult is herbivore, feeds on wide variety of flowers and foliage.

Adults emerge in early summer and feed on flowers, some leaves. They live for up to 6 weeks. Mating occurs on food sources. Eggs are laid deep (13-15 cm!) in soil and hatch in one to three weeks. Larve feed on roots and overwinter deep in soil. Pupation occurs in early spring in the soil, just under the surface.

Adults contain cantharadin, can poison chickens, other birds.

Considered a pest species, to some extent. Some sources list the species name as "subspinosa" and others as "subspinosus".

Guide TBA--PC (This material, and photos, should probably be moved to genus level due to difficulty distinguishing subspinosus from angustatus.)

Dillon, p. 540 plate LV (1)

Harpootlian, p. 95 (2)

Papp, p. 188, fig. 645 (3)

Insects of Cedar Creek

Univ. of Vermont