Insects - Pests of Ornamental Trees, Shrubs and Flowers - page 118

Epicometis hirta (Poda)
syn. Tropinota hirtella Linnaeus
A polyphagous pest of trees, shrubs and herbaceous
plants, including ornamentals such as rose ( Rosa ).
Widespread in the warmer parts of central, eastern and
southern Europe, including the Mediterranean basin.
Eurasiatic. An introduced species in North America.

often rub off; elytra each with five longitudinal lines;
abdomen terminating in a blunt, downwardly directed
spine; antennae with six (female) or seven (male)
lamellae. Egg: oval, whitish or yellowish. Larva: up to
35 mm long; body white, with the last segment
somewhat translucent and darkened by the underlying
gut contents; head and legs brown and shiny; anal slit
transverse and wavy, surmounted by two more or less
parallel longitudinal rows of spines. Pupa: 25-35 mm
long; whitish to brown.

DESCRIPTION
Adult: 8-12 mm long; black and distinctly hairy; elytra
each with several white markings; pronotum usually
extensively punctured. Larva: up to 15 mm long;
whitish and fleshy; anal segment with two divergent
rows of small spines, each row turning abruptly
outwards posteriorly.

LIFE HISTORY
Adults occur in May or June. They are nocturnal,
feeding at night on the buds, flowers or foliage of
various trees and shrubs, and are frequently attracted to
light. After a few weeks, the females burrow into the
soil to a depth of 15-20 cm and then lay their eggs,
typically in small batches of 12-30. The eggs swell
considerably during an extended period of incubation,
usually hatching after about four weeks. The larvae then
attack plant roots, feeding for up to three years and
passing through three clearly defined instars. Pupation
takes place during the third summer in an earthen cell
60 cm or more below the surface. Adults are produced
about six weeks later, but they do not emerge from the
soil until the following spring.

LIFE HISTORY
Adults emerge in the spring, and then feed avidly on the
flowers of various plants. Eggs are deposited in the soil
during the early summer and hatch in 1-2 weeks.
Larvae feed in the soil on decaying vegetable matter,
and are fully grown in about two months. They then
pupate, each in an earthen cell. The adult stage is
reached by the autumn, but individuals usually remain
within the pupal cell until the following spring.

DAMAGE
Adults destroy the petals and other floral parts, often
causing extensive damage. They also browse on the
leaves.

DAMAGE
Adults make holes in the leaves of various trees and
shrubs. However, significant damage is usually
restricted to buds of roses, deep cavities being
excavated in the sides. The larvae destroy much of the
root system of host plants, seriously restricting growth;
in severe cases, plants wilt and die. Larval damage is
most likely to occur on plants in recently broken-up
grassland or pasture.

Hoplia philanthus (Fuessly)
Welsh chafer
A widely distributed and locally common species,
particularly in light soils, the larvae sometimes causing
damage to lawns and sports turf. The larvae are similar
to those of Serica brunnea (p. 127) but have
characteristically long, stout claws on the front tarsi.
Adults (7-11 mm long) are mainly black with reddish-
brown elytra. They occur from May to July.

244

Melolontha melolontha (Linnaeus) ( 244 )
syn. M. vulgaris Fabricius
Cockchafer
An often common pest of corms, roots, tubers and
underground parts of the stems of various plants,
including alpines, herbaceous ornamentals and nursery
trees and shrubs. Eurasiatic. Widely distributed in
Europe.

DESCRIPTION
Adult: 20-30 mm long; chestnut-brown, the head and
thorax darker, and partly coated in whitish hairs which

244 Cockchafer ( Melolontha melolontha ).