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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Scarab, Stag and Bess Beetles (Scarabaeoidea) » Scarab Beetles (Scarabaeidae) » May Beetles and June Bugs (Melolonthinae) » Hopliini » Monkey Beetles (Hoplia)

Genus Hoplia - Monkey Beetles

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

Need help with this beetle - Hoplia dispar

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

Superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Scarab, Stag and Bess Beetles)

Family Scarabaeidae (Scarab Beetles)

Subfamily Melolonthinae (May Beetles and June Bugs)

Tribe Hopliini

Genus Hoplia (Monkey Beetles)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Hoplia Illiger 1803

Explanation of Names

from Greek hoplon 'armor'(1)

Numbers

The largest (and only nearctic) genus of the tribe, with 12 spp. in our area, another 12 in Mexico, 37 spp. in the New World(2), and ca. 250 spp. worldwide (mostly in Eurasia and Africa)(3)

Size

7-12 mm

Identification

Medium-sized, mostly diurnal, flower-loving scarabs. Three-segmented antennal club. Mesotarsal claws distinctive(4)

key to nearctic species(3)

the New World species form three distinct and nearly disjunct groups: (i) western nearctic (5 spp.), (ii) eastern nearctic (7 spp.), and (iii) the neotropical species; the eastern spp. are relatively easy to identify, whereas the western ones are extremely variable and difficult(3)

Range

Eurasia, Africa, and the New World; in our area, 5 spp. are western, 3 are restricted to se. US, and 4 are more widely eastern(3)

Habitat

Meadow-type vegetation, orchards.

Food

Adults feed on flowers and foliage, often in groups.

Life Cycle

Larvae feed on roots of various plants during the summer, hibernate in a late instar, pupate in soil in spring; adults emerge in spring(5)

Remarks

Some are considered pests of ornamental plants and grapevines, especially H. callipyge

Internet References

Type specimen images for Hoplia from the Harvard MCZ (Museum of Comparative Zoology).

Works Cited

1.	Composition of scientific words By R.W. Brown

2.	Generic Guide to New World Scarab Beetles (by Brett Ratcliffe and Mary Liz Jameson)

3.	A revision of the Hoplia of the Nearctic Realm (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) By A.R. Hardy

4.	A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America By Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence

5.	The Common Insects of North America By Lester A. Swan, Charles S. Papp

Contributed by Cotinis on 10 April, 2004 - 9:57pm
Additional contributions by Phillip Harpootlian, Boris Bueche, Aaron Schusteff, v belov
Last updated 2 October, 2011 - 4:07am

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