Amphimallon solstitiale explained

Amphimallon solstitiale, also known as the summer chafer or European june beetle, is a beetle similar to the cockchafer but much smaller, approximately in length. They are declining in numbers now, but where found they are often seen in large numbers. At dusk they actively fly around tree tops looking for a mate and can often be found drowning in pools of water the following morning. They are also attracted to light and come in through open, lit windows and fly around lamps, making quite a racket while bumping into lights. They are found throughout the Palearctic region (and North America) and, commonly seen from June to August, living in meadows, hedgerows, and gardens, and eating plants and tree foliage.

The larva of summer chafer undergo a two to three year period of development underground, feeding upon host plants.[1] Carabid beetles, such as Poecilus cupreus, hunt and consume larvae and serve as a primary predator in arable fields.[2]

These June beetles act as root pests for a number of economically important crops including potatoes, rape, legumes,[3] chestnuts,[4] and turfgrass. As generalist herbivores, they primarily feed upon secondary roots with smaller amounts of anti-herbivore chemicals across many different species.[5] Several chemical and bio-control agents have been developed to control their populations, including their endemic bacteria[6] and entomopathogenic nematodes.[7]

Distribution

The species can be found throughout Europe, extending into Turkey and even occurring in portions of East Asia.[8] A number of other species of Amphimallon have been synonymized with subspecies of A. solstitale, including A. ochraceum and A. irtishensis.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Tolasch . Till . Sölter . Susanne . Tóth . Miklós . Ruther . Joachim . Francke . Wittko . 2003-04-01 . (R)-Acetoin-Female Sex Pheromone of the Summer Chafer Amphimallon solstitiale (L.) . Journal of Chemical Ecology . en . 29 . 4 . 1045–1050 . 10.1023/A:1022992516854 . 12775160 . 1573-1561.
  2. WALDNER . THOMAS . TRAUGOTT . MICHAEL . 2012-03-23 . DNA-based analysis of regurgitates: a noninvasive approach to examine the diet of invertebrate consumers . Molecular Ecology Resources . 12 . 4 . 669–675 . 10.1111/j.1755-0998.2012.03135.x . 22443278 . 1755-098X.
  3. Yang . Xing-Zhuo . Zhang . Li . Feng . Run-Qiu . Zhang . Li-Jun . Luo . Fang-Zhen . Yuan . Ming-Long . 2019-01-02 . Mitochondrial genome of Amphimallon solstitiale (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) and phylogenetic analysis . Mitochondrial DNA Part B . en . 4 . 1 . 110–111 . 10.1080/23802359.2018.1536482 . 2380-2359. free .
  4. Kazlm . Sezen . Ismail . Demir . Hatice . Katl . Zihni . Demirbag . 2005 . Investigations on Bacteria as a Potential Biological Control Agent of Summer Chafer, Amphimallon solstitiale L. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) . Journal of Microbiology . 43 . 5 . 463–468 . 16273040 . 1225-8873.
  5. Tsunoda . Tomonori . Krosse . Sebastian . van Dam . Nicole M. . 2017-06-08 . Root and shoot glucosinolate allocation patterns follow optimal defence allocation theory . Journal of Ecology . 105 . 5 . 1256–1266 . 10.1111/1365-2745.12793 . 0022-0477. free . 2017JEcol.105.1256T .
  6. BİRYOL . Seda . EFE . Davut . ESKİ . Ardahan . DEMİRBAĞ . Zihni . DEMİR . İsmail . 2020-07-21 . Fungal pathogens of Amphimallon solstitiale Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) . Turkish Journal of Entomology . 375–384 . 10.16970/entoted.663690 . 1010-6960. free .
  7. Sajnaga . Ewa . Skowronek . Marcin . Kalwasińska . Agnieszka . Kazimierczak . Waldemar . Lis . Magdalena . Jach . Monika Elżbieta . Wiater . Adrian . 2022-03-15 . Comparative Nanopore Sequencing-Based Evaluation of the Midgut Microbiota of the Summer Chafer (Amphimallon solstitiale L.) Associated with Possible Resistance to Entomopathogenic Nematodes . International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health . 19 . 6 . 3480 . 10.3390/ijerph19063480 . 1660-4601. free . 35329164 . 8950650 .
  8. Web site: Amphimallon solstitiale (Linnaeus 1758). https://web.archive.org/web/20141011152529/http://www.faunaeur.org/full_results.php?id=257482. dead. October 11, 2014. Fauna Europaea. 2.6.1. May 24, 2013. August 3, 2013.
  9. Eckehard Rössner . Schwerin . Frank-Thorsten Krell . Denver . 2008 . Identität und taxonomischer Status von Amphimallon ochraceum (Knoch, 1801) und A. fallenii (Gyllenhal, 1817) sowie weiterer mit A. solstitiale (Linnaeus, 1758) verwandter Taxa (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) . Veröffentlichungen des Naturkundemuseums Erfurt (In Folge VERNATE) . 27 . 221–261 . ZOBODAT.

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