Species Popillia japonica - Japanese Beetle

Classification · Explanation of Names · Size · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Internet References · Works Cited

more bug porn, Japanese beetles on my apple tree - Popillia japonica - male - female

Japanese Beetle - Dorsal - Popillia japonica

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

Superfamily Scarabaeoidea

Family Scarabaeidae (Scarab Beetles)

Subfamily Rutelinae (Shining Leaf Chafers)

Tribe Anomalini

Genus Popillia

Species japonica (Japanese Beetle)

Explanation of Names

Popillia japonica Newman 1841

Size

9–11 mm(1)

Range

native to Japan, adventive elsewhere; in NA, across the east (NS–GA, to ON–MN–SD–TX) + CA & CO(1)

Food

Larvae feed on roots of many plants. adults feed on more than 350 different plant spp., especially fond of roses, grapes, smartweed, soybeans, corn silks, flowers of all kinds, and overripe fruit

Life Cycle

eggs laid in soil June through early fall; grubs feed on roots until hibernating underground (4-8" deep) as III instar larvae

Remarks

earliest record in our area: NJ 1916(1)

Parasitized by the introduced fly Istocheta aldrichi and wasps Tiphia vernalis, Campsomeris annulata (E.Asia native), and the nearctic Scolia dubia

Internet References

Fact sheets: Shetlar & Andon (2015)(2) • Hodgson (2009) • Gyeltshen & Hodges (2010)(3)

Works Cited

1.	Synopsis of adventive species of Coleoptera (Insecta) recorded from Canada. Part 4: Scarabaeoidea... [through Cleroidea] Klimaszewski J, Langor D, Smith A, Hoebeke E, Davies A, Pelletier G, Douglas HB, Webster RP, Bourdon C, Borowiec L, Scudder GGE. 2017. Pensoft Series Faunistica 116: 1‒215.

2.	Ohio State University Extension fact sheets

3.	University of Florida: Featured Creatures

Contributed by Troy Bartlett on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by Mike Boone, Hannah Nendick-Mason, Beatriz Moisset, Bbarnd, Mike Quinn, v belov, metrioptera, Marci Hess
Last updated 4 January, 2025 - 10:56pm

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