The Identification of Root-Feeding Cockchafer Larvae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Found in Pastures in Tasmania.

Abstract

Descriptions are provided for the final-instar larvae of the following species of Scarabaeidae, which live and feed in the root zone of pastures in Tasmania. Dynastinae: Cheiroplatys latipes (Guerin-Meneville), Pimelopus nothus Burmeister and Adoryphorus couloni (Burmeister). Rutelinae: Saulostomus villosus Waterhouse and Anoplognathus suturalis Boisduval. Melolonthinae: Phyllotocus macleayi Fischer, P. bimaculatus Erichson, P. nigripennis Lea, P. rufipennis (Boisduval), Automolus depressus (Blanchard), Colpochila obesa Boisduval, Liparetrus sp., Telura sp., T. vitticollis Erichson, Scitala sericans Erichson, Sericesthis nigra (Lea), S. nigrolineata (Boisduval), Diphucephala colaspidoides (Gyllenhal), D. smaragdula Boisduval and Heteronyx tasmanicus Blackburn. Keys are also provided which enable the species to be distinguished from each other by means of features generally visible at low magni- fication.