Cyclocephala Explained

Cyclocephala is a genus of scarab beetles from the subfamily Dynastinae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Beetles of this genus occur from southeastern Canada to Argentina, India and the West Indies.

Adults of this genus are nocturnal or crepuscular, and are usually attracted to lights.^[1]

Taxonomy

It was published by Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean in 1821.^[2] It is the type genus of the tribe Cyclocephalini.^[3]

Selected species

This is a large genus and new species continue to be added.^[1]

• Cyclocephala almitana
• Cyclocephala amazona
• Cyclocephala amblyopsis
• Cyclocephala atripes
• Cyclocephala atripes
• Cyclocephala barroensis
• Cyclocephala brittoni
• Cyclocephala borealis - Northern masked chafer
• Cyclocephala carbonaria
• Cyclocephala cartwrighti
• Cyclocephala castanea
• Cyclocephala castaniella
• Cyclocephala colasi
• Cyclocephala complanata
• Cyclocephala concolor
• Cyclocephala confusa
• Cyclocephala conspicua
• Cyclocephala discicollis
• Cyclocephala discolor
• Cyclocephala elegans
• Cyclocephala epistomalis
• Cyclocephala erotylina
• Cyclocephala fasciolata
• Cyclocephala fulgurata
• Cyclocephala gravis
• Cyclocephala gregaria
• Cyclocephala hardyi
• Cyclocephala herteli
• Cyclocephala hirta - Western masked chafer
• Cyclocephala howdeni
• Cyclocephala kaszabi
• Cyclocephala krombeini
• Cyclocephala laminata
• Cyclocephala ligyrina
• Cyclocephala lunulata
• Cyclocephala lurida
• Cyclocephala macrophylla
• Cyclocephala maffafa
• Cyclocephala melanae
• Cyclocephala melanocephala
• Cyclocephala modesta
• Cyclocephala nigerrima
• Cyclocephala nigritarsis
• Cyclocephala nigrobasalis
• Cyclocephala nodanotherwon
• Cyclocephala pan
• Cyclocephala pardolocarnoi
• Cyclocephala porioni
• Cyclocephala prolongata
• Cyclocephala puberula
• Cyclocephala pubescens
• Cyclocephala putrida
• Cyclocephala quadripunctata
• Cyclocephala rubescens
• Cyclocephala sanguinicollis
• Cyclocephala santaritae
• Cyclocephala sexpunctata
• Cyclocephala signaticollis
• Cyclocephala sparsa
• Cyclocephala spermophila
• Cyclocephala stictica
• Cyclocephala testacea
• Cyclocephala variabilis
• Cyclocephala weidneri
• Cyclocephala zodion

Etymology

The generic name Cyclocephala means "round head".^[4]

Ecology

Pollination

Flowers of Nymphaea subg. Hydrocallis are pollinated by Cyclocephala beetles.^{[5] [6]} Likewise, flowers of Victoria are pollinated by Cyclocephala.^[7]

Predation

Several species of Cyclocephala serve as hosts for the parasitic larvae of the South American robber fly Mallophora ruficauda, especially C. signaticollis.^[8]

Herbivory

The larvae are root feeders.

See also

• List of Cyclocephala species

Further reading

• Book: Casey. Thos. L.. Memoirs on the Coleoptera. 1915. The New Era Printing Company. Lancaster, PA. A review of the American species of Rutelinæ, Dynastinæ and Cetoniinæ. 6. https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/961469.
• Book: Dejean. Catalogue de la Collection de Coléoptères de M. le Baron Dejean. 1821. Crevot. Paris. 57.
• Saylor. Lawrence W.. Synoptic revision of the United States scarab beetles of the subfamily Dynastinae, No.1: Tribe Cyclocephalini. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences. 1945. 35. 12. 380–385.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ratcliffe. Brett. Cyclocephala. Generic Guide to New World Beetles. University of Nebraska State Museum - Division of Entomology. 29 August 2012.
2. Cyclocephala Dejean, 1821. (n.d.). Interim Register of Marine and Nonmarine Genera (IRMNG). Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://www.irmng.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=1306255
3. Moore, M. R., Cave, R. D., & Branham, M. A. (2018). Annotated catalog and bibliography of the cyclocephaline scarab beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae, Cyclocephalini). ZooKeys, (745), 101.
4. Iowa State University. (n.d.). Genus Cyclocephala - masked chafers. Bugguide. Retrieved December 3, 2024, from https://bugguide.net/node/view/11449
5. Maia, A. C. D., de Lima, C. T., Navarro, D. M. D. A. F., Chartier, M., Giulietti, A. M., & Machado, I. C. (2014). The floral scents of Nymphaea subg. Hydrocallis (Nymphaeaceae), the New World night-blooming water lilies, and their relation with putative pollinators. Phytochemistry, 103, 67-75.
6. M Cramer, J., Meeuse, A. D. J., & Teunissen, P. A. (1975). A note on the pollination of nocturnally flowering species of Nymphaea. Acta Botanica Neerlandica, 24(5/6), 489-490.
7. Seymour, R. S., & Matthews, P. G. (2006). The role of thermogenesis in the pollination biology of the Amazon waterlily Victoria amazonica. Annals of Botany, 98(6), 1129-1135.
8. Barrantes. M. E.. Castelo. M. K.. June 2014. Host specificity in the host-seeking larva of the dipteran parasitoid Mallophora ruficauda and the influence of age on parasitism decisions. Bulletin of Entomological Research. en. 104. 3. 295–306. 10.1017/S0007485314000029. 24548616 . 206224482 . 0007-4853. 11336/85097. free.