chafer

insect
verifiedCite
While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions.
Select Citation Style
Share
Share to social media
URL
https://mainten.top/animal/chafer
Feedback
Corrections? Updates? Omissions? Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login).
Thank you for your feedback

Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.

Also known as: Melolonthinae, cockchafer
Also called:
June Beetle, May-June Beetle, or June Bug

chafer, (subfamily Melolonthinae), any of a group of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae (insect order Coleoptera). Adult leaf chafers (Macrodactylus) eat foliage, whereas grubs feed underground on plant roots. The adult female deposits her eggs in the soil, and the larvae live underground for two to three years, depending on the species. They pupate in the fall, but the adults remain underground until the following spring.

A well-known, destructive chafer is the rose chafer (M. subspinosus), a tan, long-legged beetle that feeds on the flowers and foliage of grapes, roses, and other plants. Poultry that eat rose chafer grubs may be poisoned. Other scarab subfamilies also include species called chafers (see also flower chafer; shining leaf chafer).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kara Rogers.