Beetles of South Central Pennsylvania

Harmonia axyridis is a large coccinellid beetle. Its colour ranges from yellow-orange to black, and the number of spots between none and 22. It is native to eastern Asia, but has been artificially introduced to North America and Europe to control aphids and scale insects. It is now common, well known, and spreading in those regions, and has also established in South Africa and widely across South America. less ↑

Photuris pensylvanica, known by the common names Pennsylvania firefly, lightning bug, and (in its larval state) glowworm, is a species of firefly from the United States and Canada. It is also widely known under the Latin name Photuris pennsylvanica, although the original spelling, with one "n", was common in Latinized names of the time and remains the valid name. less ↑

The spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) is a major agricultural pest insect of North America (see also cucumber beetle). In the adult form, it eats and damages leaves of many crops, including cucumbers, soybeans, cotton, beans, and many others. In the larval form, which is known as the southern corn rootworm, it tunnels through the roots of young plants, stunting or killing them. These native pests have a wide range of host plants, but will readily... less ↑

The beetle species Popillia japonica is commonly known as the Japanese beetle. It is about 15 millimetres (0.6 in) long and 10 millimetres (0.4 in) wide, with iridescent copper-colored elytra and green thorax and head. It is not very destructive in Japan, where it is controlled by natural predators, but in America it is a serious pest of about 200 species of plants, including rose bushes, grapes, hops, canna, crape myrtles, birch trees, linden trees and others. less ↑

Melanotus communis is a species of click beetle. The adult beetle is reddish-brown in color, and is about 13 millimetres (0.51 in) long. The egg is white in color, and is about 0.3 mm (0.012 in) long. The larva is a short-legged wireworm. It is a pale yellow to reddish-brown in color, and is 21–25 mm (0.83–0.98 in) long when mature. The pupa is white in color, and is about the same size as an adult. less ↑

The goldenrod soldier beetle or Pennsylvania leatherwing, Chauliognathus pensylvanicus, is a species of soldier beetle (Cantharidae). The specific epithet pensylvanicus is Latin for "of Pennsylvania". "The spelling with one n was in common use at the time (de Geer says in the description that the specimen was sent to him from "Pensylvanie"), so the species name based on it can't be corrected under the rules governing scientific names." The species is native to North America. less ↑

The Oriental beetle (Anomala orientalis, not to be confused with the Japanese beetle) is a beetle about 0.7 - 1.1 cm (0.3 - 0.4 inches) long, with mottled, metallic brown- and black-colored elytra and a similarly-colored thorax and head during the adult stage. During the larval stage the oriental beetle can be identified by the parallel line raster pattern. It is native to Asia and was introduced to North America and has since spread to and become... less ↑

Photinus pyralis, known by the common names common eastern firefly and big dipper firefly, is the most common species of firefly in North America.P. pyralis is a flying and light producing beetle with a light organ on the ventral side of its abdomen. This organism is sometimes incorrectly classified as Photuris pyralis, which likely results from mistaking the similar sounding genus Photuris. The Photuris female may also lure a Photinus pyralis to be eaten to obtain... less ↑

Tetraopes tetrophthalmus, commonly known as the red milkweed beetle, is a beetle in the family Cerambycidae. The binomial genus and species names are both derived from the Latin for "four eyes." As in many longhorn beetles, the antennae are situated very near the eye - in the red milkweed beetle, this adaptation has been carried to an extreme: the antennal base actually bisects the eye. (See Figure 1.) less ↑

Maladera castanea, the Asiatic garden beetle, is a beetle in the family Scarabaeidae native to Japan and China. It was introduced to North America, where it is considered a crop and deciduous leaf (tree leaf) eating pest. Adults are active in the summer, and can be seen feeding on plant leaves at night or found around porch lights. Adults range in length from 7 to 9 mm and possess a cinnamon-brown color. Larva are approximately 3/4"... less ↑