Common European Cockchafer - Melolontha melolontha
Also referred to as Maybug and Field Cockchafer, Melolontha melolontha (Coleoptera - Scarabaeidae) is a common inhabitant on agricultural lands throughout temperate Europe and the United States.
Males Common European Cockchafers have longer antennae than females, with a large, fan-like club protruding.
Cockchafers are among the most dreaded insect pests in many European countries, causing economic losses in agriculture, horticulture and forestry. In forests of south-western Germany, populations of the Forest Cockchafer (Melolontha hippocastani) and also the Field Cockchafer (M. melolontha) have been increasing during the past three decades and, therefore, monitoring of these populations has been intensified.
Photo credit: [Top: ©Armando Caldas | Locality: Cabreira, Vendas Novas, Portugal, 2010] - [Bottom: ©rockwolf | Locality: Venus Pool, Shropshire, West Midlands, England, 2012]
(via monere-lluvia)
Source: libutron
