Search

Melolontha lachungensis Gupta, Keith, Bhunia, Das, Ghosh & Chandra, new species (Figs. 4, 16, 43, 33–40, 44, 56) Type locality. India, Sikkim, North Sikkim, Lachung Forest. Type material. Holotype, male, labelled: “ India, Sikkim, North Sikkim, Lachung Forest, 27°18' 10.728''N, 88°33'36.864''E, 20.iv.1992, leg. R.S. Mridha ” [NZSI]. Paratypes: 2 males with same data as holotype [NZSI]. Description of holotype. Body length 23.3 mm, maximum body width 12.62 mm. Colour (Fig. 4). Pronotum, scutellum, venter, and legs reddish - brown; elytra light olive - green. Head (Figs. 33–34). Clypeus rectangular, apical angles rounded, slightly widened at apex; apical portion perpendicularly reflexed, moderately sinuate in frontal view; slightly convex medially; lateral angles planar; surface densely and evenly punctate, punctures large, each bearing a short, robust, erect seta, setae light yellowish-brown; clypeofrontal suture complete; centre of frons strongly concave, surface sparsely setose; side of eyes densely setose, setae moderately longer and more robust than those on clypeus; sides slightly narrowed making eyes larger. Antennae 10 segmented with 7 segmented club, lamellae strongly curved outwardly, 3.65 times as long as stem, antennomere 1 distinctly swollen apically, apical segment moderately elongate; labrum symmetrically bilobed, lobes transversally developed; mentum slightly concave centrally, surface glabrous with only a few scattered setae; maxillary palpi with apical palpomere subequal in length to combination of palpomeres 2–3; ocular canthus densely covered with brownish erect and robust setae. Pronotum (Fig. 35). Transverse, wid est in middle; basomedially protuberant posteriorly; surface densely to confluently punctate along lateral margin; puncture with a tiny, brownish seta; setae longer and more robust towards the centre; centre of pronotal disc sparsely punctate, punctures moderately large; sides of midline setose with spots consisting of concentrated brownish setae at apical sides of midline; setae dense along basomedial margin; serration of lateral margin poorly developed anteriorly, basal half of margin with completed bead. Scutellar plate (Fig. 36). Oval, surface lightly, sparsely punctate, glabrous; apical margin with a row of slender hair - like setae. Elytra (Fig. 4). Broadest at base; costae 1–3 (costa one as sutural costa) glabrous and well developed; costae 2 and 3 broadly fused on apical umbone; costa 4 feebly developed and hardly visible; outer margin of costa 1 with aligned row of whitish and scale - like setae; intervals rugose, intermixed with 2 types of whitish setae, lanceolate and scale - like (slender and smaller), both moderately densely distributed; posthumeral and 3 basal patches composed of overlapping, white, scale - like setae, posthumeral patch slender in shape; apical area of elytron steeply depressed below plane of disc, densely covered with whitish-brown, but tiny setae; epipleuron entirely setose, whitish-brown setae becoming gradually denser apically, posterior one third in a band; humeral umbone moderately swollen. Pygidium (Fig. 16). 1.52 times broader in width than length; anterior half with long, hair - like setae, remainder Triangular, intermixed with yellowish - white, scale - like setae; disc on either side slightly depressed medially; surface densely covered with whitish-brown, short setae; setae denser in apical portion; apex broadly rounded; lateral sides slightly curved. Venter (Fig. 38). Mesometasternal process weakly produced beyond mesocoxae, surface smooth with few hairs; meso- and metasternum with thick and dense hairs. Abdominal sternites (Fig. 40). Sternite 1–5 with a lateral maculation consisting of yellowish-brown, scale-like setae; maculation on sternite 6 distinctly present; abdominal surface moderately setose; setae small, whitish–brown to yellowish-brown, lanceolate and becoming slender medially, transversely distributed with scattered, longer setae in line; sternites 2–5 weakly fused medially; suture well defined. Legs (Figs. 37, 39) Protibiae unidentate, apical tooth acute (Fig. 37); tarsal claws symmetrically unidentate, abruptly curved apically with a small, vertical tooth at base. Pro- and mesofemora transversely flattened, surface densely clothed with long, hair-like, brown setae, posterior femur stouter, with shorter setae; apical portion of metatarsomere 1 distinctly swollen; outer metatibial spur subequal in length to combined length of metatarsomeres 1 and 2 (Fig 39). Tibiae and tarsi moderately clothed with pale–white, scale–like, short setae at dorsal surface; meso- and metatibiae with 2 elongate apical spurs; mesotibial spurs slightly shorter than length of mesotarsomere 1. Parameres (Figs. 44, 56). Symmetrical; basal piece subequal in length to paramere; lobes of parameres nearly rounded at apex, not pointed at end in dorsal view (Fig. 44), more or less straight in lateral view (Fig. 56); ventroapical process of paramere distinctly elongate and gradually acuminate with a strong, crest-like protuberance on top of right paramere in lateral view (Fig. 56); dorsal process marked and protuberant (Fig. 44). Female unknown. Collecting circumstances. At light. Differential diagnosis. Melolontha lachungensis new species differs from the other two species in the group (M. phupanensis and M. arunachalensis new species) by the unique structure and shape of the parameres and unidentate protibiae. See species key and Table 1 to distinguish it from M. phupanensis and M. arunachalensis new species. The newly described species also shows similarities in general appearance to Melolontha costipennis Fairmaire, 1889 (= M. tricostata Brenske, 1903) and M. tenuicauda Fairmaire, 1896, both of which are known from China (Tibet). Melolontha costipennis, placed under the aeneicollis group (Li et al. 2010), differs from the new species by a narrowly elongated pygidium at the apex (pygidium rounded at apex, not elongated in M. lachungensis new species). Melolontha tenuicauda has a much shorter antennal club, as compared to M. lachungensis new species. Etymology. The name (adjective in the nominative singular) refers to the type locality, Sikkim. Distribution. So far, only known from the type locality: India, Sikkim (Fig. 72)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on pages 199-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Fairmaire, L. (1889) Coleopteres de l'interieur de la Chine. (5 e partie). Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France, Series 6, 9, 5 - 84.","Brenske, E. (1903) Drei neue Melolonthiden-Gattungen und - Arten vom Kuku-nor. Munchener Koleopterologische Zeitschrift, 1 [1902 - 1903], 333 - 335. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnd. 48019030216","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088"]}

Key to species groups of Melolontha known from India (adopted and modified from Li et al. 2010) 1. Elytral disc glabrous or setiferous; colour of elytra light olive to dark green........................................ 2 – Elytral disc with dense setae; colour of elytra dark brown to yellowish-brown...................................... 3 2. Pronotum shining dorsally, lacking metallic reflection; elytron with one post-humeral and 2 to 3 basal setiferous patches (Fig. 1); apex of interval one deeply depressed along elytral disc; parameres with ventroapical process, distinctly elongate and gradually acuminate in lateral view (Fig. 53), lateral convexity completely absent (Fig. 41)............... guttigera group – Pronotum with dorsal metallic with green reflection; elytra without patches of setae at base (Fig. 2); apex of interval one weakly depressed along elytral disc; parameres without a ventroapical process (Fig. 54), lateral convexity weakly developed (Fig. 42)........................................................................................ virescens group 3. Basal segment of antenna swollen at apex, with antennomeres 2 and 3 compressed (see Li et al. 2010, fig. 1) (Figs. 26, 34, 66); antennal club strongly to moderately curved outwardly (Figs 25, 33, 66); length of dense setae more on vertex than those of clypeus (Figs. 25, 33, 66); setae on inner surface of meso- and metatibiae stout and long (Figs. 31, 37)................ … 4 – Basal segment of antennae moderately swollen apically, antennomeres 2 and 3 elongate (see Li et al. 2010, fig. 2); antennal club weakly to moderately curved outwardly (see Li et al. 2010, figs. 4, 5, 6); length of setae on vertex same as those on clypeus; setae on inner surface of meso- and metatibiae stout and short.................................................. 5 4. Antennal club strongly curved outwardly, 3.5 times as length of basal segments (see Li et al. 2010, fig. 3) (Figs. 25, 33, 66); outer metatibial spur subequal in length to length of metatarsomeres 1 and 2 combined (Figs. 31, 37); apical portion of pygidium not narrowed, more or less rounded (Figs. 15, 16); parameres symmetrical, apical process of left paramere not raised (Figs. 43, 44, 70)....................................................................... phupanensis group – Antennal club moderately curved outwardly, three times as length of basal segments; outer metatibial spur subequal to length of metatarsomere 1; apical portion of pygidium narrowed to form an elongate process (Figs 17, 18); parameres asymmetrical, apical process of left paramere relatively raised (Figs 45, 46)...................................... aeneicollis group 5. Antennal club relatively shorter, weakly curved (see Li et al. 2010, fig. 6) (Fig. 7); pronotum with irregular serrations laterally; parameres with sharply developed pointed process at outer margin in dorsal view (Fig. 47)................ chinensis group – Antennal club usually longer and moderately curved (see Li et al. 2010, figs. 4, 5) (Figs. 8–12); pronotum with serrations developed anteriorly with basal one–half to one–third of margin smooth (see Li et al. 2010, fig. 8); parameres without pointed process (Figs. 48–52).................................................................................. 6 6. Central disc of pronotum evenly and densely punctate; midline of pygidium ridged completely or incompletely (Figs. 20–22); apical and dorsal process (Figs. 48–50) and lateral convexity of paramere well developed (Figs. 60–62)....... carinata group – Central disc of pronotum unevenly punctured; midline of pygidium smooth (Figs 23–24); apical process of paramere distinctly enlarged posteriorly, fusing with dorsal process (Figs. 51–52), lateral convexity broadly swollen laterally (Figs. 63–64)............................................................................................... incana group, Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 192, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088"]}

Key to the species of phupanensis species group 1. Protibiae unidentate (Fig. 39); serration on lateral margins of pronotum poorly developed (Fig. 35); mesometasternal process weakly produced beyond mesocoxae (Fig. 38); lobes of parameres nearly rounded at apex not sharply pointed at ends in dorsal view (Fig. 44)............................ M. lachungensis Gupta, Keith, Bhunia, Das, Ghosh & Chandra, new species – Protibiae bidentate (Figs. 29, 69); serration on lateral margins of pronotum distinctly developed (Figs. 27, 65); mesometasternal process produced beyond mesocoxae (Figs. 30, 67); lobes of parameres nearly straight at apex, slightly pointed at ends in dorsal view (Figs. 43, 70).................................................................................... 2 2. Pronotal surface sparsely setose (Fig. 65); antennal club more than 3.5 times longer than of basal segments; mesometasternal process produced beyond mesocoxae, surface with long and dense hairs posteriorly (Fig. 67); ventroapical process of parameres indistinct without protuberance on top of right paramere in lateral view (Fig. 71); parameres as in Figs 70, 71 and Keith (2008, figs. 15–16)................................................................... M. phupanensis Keith, 2008 – Pronotal surface densely and uniformly setose (Fig. 27); antennal club more than 3.6 times longer than of basal segments; mesometasternal process produced beyond mesocoxae, surface smooth with few hairs (Fig. 30); ventroapical process of parameres distinctly elongate and gradually acuminate apically with a small, crest - like protuberance on top of right paramere in lateral view (Fig. 55); parameres as in Figs. 43, 55............................................................................................... M. arunachalensis Gupta, Keith, Bhunia, Das, Ghosh & Chandra, new species, Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 198, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Keith, D. (2008) Nouveaux Melolonthini du Sud-Est asiatique (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea). Nouvelle Revue d'Entomologie, 24 (4), 335 - 349."]}

Melolontha chinensis Guérin-Méneville, 1838 (Figs. 7, 19, 47, 59) Melolontha (Oplosternus) chinensis Guérin-Méneville 1838: 63, pl. 232, fig. 3 (type locality: China). Hoplosternus chinensis: Blanchard 1851: 158; Barlow 1899: 269 (catalogue); Dalla Torre 1912: 264 (catalogue). Melolontha chinensis: Hope 1845: 13; Burmeister 1855: 410; Li et al. 2010: 344 (checklist), 343 (key), 345, figs. 2, 6, 9, 15 (dorsal view of parameres, additional material), 19 (caudal view of male genitalia, additional material); Bezdĕk 2016: 230 (catalogue). Hoplosternus heydeni Moser 1913: 288 (type locality: China, Kiukiang); Li et al. 2010: 344 (as a junior synonym of M. chinensis Guérin-Méneville 1838). Material examined. India, Arunachal Pradesh: Namdapha National Park, Miao, 3.xii.1982, 1♁, leg. S. Biswas [NZSI]. 1♁, without locality data, labelled, Hoplosternus chinensis, det. Brenske [NZSI]. Diagnosis. Refer to the key to species groups. Distribution. India: Arunachal Pradesh (new record); China (Guérin-Méneville 1838) and Vietnam (Dalla Torre 1912). Remarks: Guérin-Méneville (1838) described this species from China with the following characteristics: body more or less flattened, elytra dark yellow with striae less marked, ventral portion black with dense and long whitish hairs, mesometasternal process straight, directed forward and rounded at the end, and antennae black, similar in both sexes. Dalla Torre (1912) reported this species from Tonkin (Vietnam). Li et al. (2010, fig. 15) noted that the parameres in the chinensis group have sharply pointed dorsal processes, surpassing the outer margin. Our record of M. chinensis from Arunachal Pradesh, India, is quite distant from the known distribution range of this species. However, the parameres in the specimen we observed (Figs. 47, 59) are indistinguishable from the figures from Li et al. (2010, Figs. 15, 19), and the general characteristics are similar to the original description., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 210, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Guerin-Meneville, F. E. (1838) Insectes du voyage de la Favorite. Magasin de Zoologie, Classe IX. Insectes, 8 (1), 3 [1832 - 1838], 1 - 80, pls. 225 - 238.","Blanchard, C. E. (1851) Ier Famille - Scarabaeidae. In: Milne-Edwards, H., Blanchard, C. E. & Lucas, H. (Eds.), Catalogue de la collection entomologique du Museum d ' Histoire Naturelle de Paris. Classe des insectes. Ordre des coleopteres. I, Deuxieme livraison. Gide et Baudry, Paris, pp. 129 - 240.","Barlow, E. (1899) List of the Melolonthini contained in the collection of the Indian Museum. Indian Museum Notes, 4 (5), 234 - 273.","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Hope, F. W. (1845) On the entomology of China, with description of the new species sent to England by Dr. Cantor from Chusan and Canton. Transactions of the Entomological Society London, 4 [1845 - 1847], 4 - 17. https: // doi. org / 10.1111 / j. 1365 - 2311.1845. tb 01326. x","Burmeister, H. C. C. (1855) Handbuch der Entomologie. Vierter Band. Besondere Entomologie. Fortsetzung. Zweite Abtheilung. Coleoptera Lamellicornia Phyllophaga chaenochela. Berlin: Theod. Chr. Friedr, Enslin, x + 569 pp.","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236.","Moser, J. (1913) Beitrag zur kenntnis der Melolonthiden. (Col.). Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, 1913, 271 - 297."]}

Melolontha indica Hope, 1831 (Figs. 10, 22, 50, 62) Melolontha indica Hope 1831: 23 (type locality: Nepal); Arrow 1913a: 192; Arrow 1946: 31 (distribution); Mittal 1981: 35 – 40 (distribution); Sabatinelli 1992: 616 (catalogue); Mittal 2000: 266 (checklist); Li & Yang 2003: 218 (redescription, lectotype designation), figs. 1 – 13; Bhat et al. 2005: 14 – 15 (distribution); Bezdĕk 2006: 195 (catalogue); Sushil et al. 2006: 338 – 339 (distribution); Chandra & Uniyal 2007: 2821 (distribution); Ahrens et al. 2007: 12 (distribution); Li et al. 2010: 344, fig. 21; Krajčík 2012: 158; Keith & Stalin 2012: 20, pl. 1, figs., 293A–J, pl. 2, 296A–J, pl. 3, (new record, distribution); Pathania ET al. 2015a: 53 (distribution); Pathania et al. 2015b: 131 (distribution); Chandel et al. 2015: 150 (host, distribution); Bezdĕk 2016: 231 (catalogue); Lal & Sharma 2017: 447 – 452 (distribution); Ghosh et al. 2020: 249 (checklist); Rana et al. 2022a: 281–305 (description of grubs and adults); Rana et al. 2022b: 71–82. Hoplosternus nitidicollis Blanchard 1851: 158 (type locality: Northern India); Dalla Torre 1912: 264 (catalogue); Sabatinelli 1992: 613 (catalogue). Melolontha nitidicollis: Burmeister 1855: 411; Bezdĕk 2006: 196 (catalogue); Li et al. 2010: 345 (as a junior synonym of M. indica). Material examined. India, Sikkim: Kopethang, 95 km. from Gangtok, 24.iii.1977, 1♀, leg. T.D. Shoot [NZSI]; Gangtok, Power, 10.ii.1993, 1♀, leg. S.K. Chatterjee [NZSI]. India, Meghalaya: Jantia Hilla, Jowai, 16.ix.1988, 1♀, leg. B.D. Srivastava [NZSI]. India, Arunachal Pradesh: Changlang, Namdhapa National Park, 29.x.2015, 2♀, 31.x.2015, 2♁, leg. A. Majumder [NZSI]. India, West Bengal: Alipurdwar, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Rajabhatkhawa, 26.x.2017, 2♁, 27.x.2017, 2♀, 28.x.2017, 2♁ 1♀, 30.x.2017, 1♁ 1♀, leg. Ram Singh [NZSI]. India, Assam: Cacher, Silchar, Poliya Tea Estate, 01.iv.2018, 1♁, leg. Joyjit Ghosh [NZSI]. Diagnosis. Refer to species key. Distribution. India: Arunachal Pradesh (new record), Assam (new record), Jammu and Kashmir (Bhat et al. 2005), Haryana (Mittal 1981), Himachal Pradesh (Chandra & Uniyal 2007; Pathania et al. 2015a, 2015b; Rana et al. 2022 a, 2022b), Meghalaya (new record), Sikkim (new record), and Uttarakhand (Sushil et al. 2006; Lal & Sharma, 2017); Myanmar (Arrow 1946), Pakistan (Keith & Stalin 2012), Nepal (Ahrens et al. 2007), and China (Bezdĕk 2006). Host. Potato (Chandel et al. 2015)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 212, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Hope, F. W. (1831) Synopsis of the new species of Nepaul insects in the collection of Major - General Hardwicke. In: Gray, J. E. (Ed.), The Zoological Miscellany 1. Treuttel, Wuurtz & Co., London, pp. 21 - 32.","Arrow, G. J. (1913 a) Coleoptera IV: Lamellicornia. Records of the Indian Museum, 8, 191 - 196. https: // doi. org / 10.26515 / rzsi / v 8 / i 3 / 1913 / 163144","Arrow, G. J. (1946) Entomological results from the Swedish Expedition 1934 to Burma and British India. Coleoptera: Melolonthidae. Collected by Rene Malaise. Arkiv for Zoologi A, 36 (9), 1 - 33.","Mittal, I. C. (1981) Scarabaeids of Haryana and surrounding areas. Bulletin of Entomology, 22, 35 - 40.","Sabatinelli, G. (1992) Catalogue of the Scarabaeoidea Melolonthidae from Himalaya and North India: Macrodactylini, Hopliini, Diplotaxini, Melolonthini and Sericini (Coleoptera). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 71 (2), 593 - 636.","Mittal, I. C. (2000) Survey of Scarabaeid (Coleoptera) fauna of Himachal Pradesh (India). Journal of Entomological Research, 24 (3), 259 - 269.","Li, C. - L. & Yang, P. - S. (2003) Notes on the Oriental Melolontha (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae). Special Bulletin of Japan Society of Coleopterology, 6, 217 - 225.","Bhat, O. K., Bhat, A. A. & Kaul, V. K. (2005) Faunistic studies of white grubs in Kashmir. Insect Environment, 11, 14 - 15.","Bezdek, A. (2006) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae. In: Lobl, I. & Smetana, S. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3. Apollo Books, Stenstrup and Denmark, pp. 181 - 228.","Sushil, S. N., Mohan, M., Selvakumar, G. & Bhatt, J. C. (2006) Relative abundance and host preference of white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in Kumaon hills of Indian Himalayas. Indian Journal of Agriculture Science, 76, 338 - 339.","Chandra, K. & Uniyal, V. P. (2007) On a collection of Pleurostict Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera) from Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh. Zoos' Print Journal, 22 (9), 2821 - 2823. https: // doi. org / 10.11609 / JoTT. ZPJ. 1458.2821 - 3","Ahrens, D., Zorn, C., Yubak Bhoj, G. C., Keller, S. & Nagel, P. (2007) Illustrated key to phytophagous scarabs of Nepal A guide to white grubs and chafers f the lower central regions (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Opuscula Biogeographica Basiliensia, 5, 1 - 44. https: // doi. org / 10.1016 / j. ympev. 2007.02.024","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Krajcik, M. (2012) Checklist of the World Scarabaeoidea. Animma. x, Supplement 5, 1 - 278.","Pathania, M., Chandel, R. S., Verma, K. S. & Mehta, P. K. (2015 b) Studies on the preliminary ecology of invasive phytophagous Indian Scarabaeidae of North Western Himalaya. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal, 4 (2), 127 - 138. https: // doi. org / 10.4314 / star. v 4 i 2.16","Chandel, R. S., Pathania, M., Verma, K. S., Bhattacharya, B., Vashith, S. & Kumar, V. (2015) The ecology ad control of potato white grubs of India. Potato Research, 58, 147 - 164. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 11540 - 015 - 9295 - 3","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236.","Lal, M. & Sharma, P. K. (2017) Species composition and abundance of white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in agricultural ecosystem of district Dehradun (Uttarakhand), India. Journal of Environment and Bio-sciences, 31 (2), 301 - 305.","Ghosh, J., Das, P., Ghosh, S. K., Bhunia, D., Kushwaha, R. K., Gupta, D. & Chandra, K. (2020) Insecta: Coleoptera. In: Director (ed.), Fauna of Haryana, State Fauna Series, 24 (1), 221 - 275.","Rana, A., Chandel, R. S. & Verma, K. S. (2022 a) Morphological description and identification of Melolontha cuprescens, Melolontha furcicauda and Melolontha indica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): serious root feeding and defoliating pests in India. Phytoparasitica, 50, 281 - 305. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 12600 - 021 - 00961 - 5","Rana, A., Chandel, R. S., Sharma, K. D., Chandel, S. S. & Verma, K. S. (2022 b) Phylogeneticanalysisof Melolontha and Polyphylla beetles (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) from north - western Himalaya, India. Phytoparasitica, 50, 71 - 82. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 12600 - 021 - 00945 - 5","Blanchard, C. E. (1851) Ier Famille - Scarabaeidae. In: Milne-Edwards, H., Blanchard, C. E. & Lucas, H. (Eds.), Catalogue de la collection entomologique du Museum d ' Histoire Naturelle de Paris. Classe des insectes. Ordre des coleopteres. I, Deuxieme livraison. Gide et Baudry, Paris, pp. 129 - 240.","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Burmeister, H. C. C. (1855) Handbuch der Entomologie. Vierter Band. Besondere Entomologie. Fortsetzung. Zweite Abtheilung. Coleoptera Lamellicornia Phyllophaga chaenochela. Berlin: Theod. Chr. Friedr, Enslin, x + 569 pp.","Pathania, M., Chandel, R. S., Verma, K. S. & Mehta, P. K. (2015 a) Diversity and population dynamics of phytophagous scarabaeid beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in different landscapes of Himachal Pradesh, India. Arthropods, 4 (2), 46 - 68."]}

Melolontha guttigera Sharp, 1876 (Figs. 1, 13, 41, 53) Melolontha guttigera Sharp 1876: 87 (type locality: India); Barlow 1899: 270 (catalogue); Arrow 1913a: 192 (comment on placement of genus and sexual dimorphism); Arrow 1913b: 401 (comment on placement of genus and sexual dimorphism); Bezděk 2006: 195 (catalogue); Li et al. 2010: 351, figs., 24, 24, 25, 32, 37, 42, 47, 52, 57, 61 (lectotype designation); Chandra & Gupta 2012: 890, fig. 2A (distribution); Bezděk 2016: 231 (catalogue). Hoplosternus guttigera: Nonfried 1892: 285 (checklist); Brenske 1900: 154 (diagnosis). Hoplosternus guttiger: Dalla Torre 1912: 264 (catalogue, misspelling); Sabatinelli 1992: 613 (catalogue, misspelling). Material examined. India, West Bengal: Darjeeling, Ghum, 750ft. 09.ix.1908, 1♀, Mus. Coll. [NZSI]; Darjeeling, Ghum, 750ft. 18.ix.1908, 1♁, 2♀, leg. Major Bennett [NZSI]; Kurseong, 5,000 ft., 1♁, leg. N.B. Jahans [NZSI]; Darjeeling, Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Latpanchar Beat Office, 26.53.463N, 88.23.958E, 3662ft, 08.xi.2017, 3♁, 2♀, leg. D. Suresh Chand [NZSI]; Darjeeling, Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Latpanchar Beat Office, 26.53.463N, 88.23.958E, 3662 ft., 3.xi.2018, 2♁, 3♀, leg. D. Suresh Chand [NZSI]; Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Karli Line, Antipoaching Tower 1, 741ft. 31.x.2018, 1♁, leg. D. Suresh Chand [NZSI]; Neora Valley National Park, Ashaley Camp, Samsing Beat, 22.ix.2018, 1♁, leg. P.C. Pathania [NZSI]. India, Arunachal Pradesh: Itanagar, ZSI Complex, 1 ex., leg. P.T. Bhutia [NZSI]; Kameng, Bhalulpong, 7.ix.1998, 1♁, leg. A.R. Lahiri [NZSI]; Dibang Valley, Roing, Jia, 26.i.2000, 1♁, leg. S.K. Mandal [NZSI]; Bhalukpong Circuit House, 216m, 30.ix.2001, 1♁, leg. Dhriti Banerjee [NZSI]; Domrah, 480m, 27.ix.2002, 1♀, leg. M. Sil [NZSI]; Lower Dibang Valley Patrolling Route, 21.x.2015, 1♁, leg. S.D. Gurumayum [NZSI]. Diagnosis. Refer to the key to the species groups. Distribution. India: Arunachal Pradesh (Chandra & Gupta 2012), Sikkim (Li et al. 2010), and West Bengal (Barlow 1899); Nepal (Li et al. 2010)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 193, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Sharp, D. (1876) Descriptions of some new species of Scarabaeidae from tropical Asia and Malaysia. Coleopterologische Hefte, 15, 65 - 90.","Barlow, E. (1899) List of the Melolonthini contained in the collection of the Indian Museum. Indian Museum Notes, 4 (5), 234 - 273.","Arrow, G. J. (1913 a) Coleoptera IV: Lamellicornia. Records of the Indian Museum, 8, 191 - 196. https: // doi. org / 10.26515 / rzsi / v 8 / i 3 / 1913 / 163144","Arrow, G. J. (1913 b) Notes on the Lamellicorn Coleoptera of Japan and descriptions of a few new species. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 8, 12 (70), 394 - 408. https: // doi. org / 10.1080 / 00222931308693416","Bezdek, A. (2006) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae. In: Lobl, I. & Smetana, S. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3. Apollo Books, Stenstrup and Denmark, pp. 181 - 228.","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236.","Nonfried, A. F. (1892) Verzeichniss der seit 1871 neu beschriebenen Glaphyriden, Melolonthiden und Euchiriden. Berliner entomologische Zeitschrift, 37 (3), 249 - 290. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnd. 18920370302","Brenske, E. (1900) Contribution a letude de la faune de Sumatra (Cote ouest-Vice-residence de Painan) VIII Melolonthiden gesammelt von J-L Weyers. Memoires de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique, 7, 141 - 155.","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Sabatinelli, G. (1992) Catalogue of the Scarabaeoidea Melolonthidae from Himalaya and North India: Macrodactylini, Hopliini, Diplotaxini, Melolonthini and Sericini (Coleoptera). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 71 (2), 593 - 636."]}

Melolontha cuprescens Blanchard, 1871 (Figs. 6, 18, 46, 58) Melolontha cuprescens Blanchard 1871: 811 (type locality: Tibet); Fairmaire, 1889: 19 (description); Bates 1891: 16 (diagnosis); Nonfried 1892: 286 (checklist); Dalla Torre 1912: 267 (catalogue); Arrow 1921: 13, fig. 5 (habitus, distribution); Mittal 1981: 35 – 40 (distribution); Chandra 1986: 88, figs., 52 – 54, 288 (distribution); Sabatinelli 1992: 615 (catalogue); Mittal 2000: 266 (distribution); Chandra 2005: 152 (distribution); Bezděk 2006: 194 (catalogue); Li et al. 2010: 344; Chandra ET al. 2012: 51 (distribution); Pathania et al. 2015a: 53, 54 (distribution); Pathania et al. 2015b: 131 (distribution); Bezděk 2016: 231 (catalogue); Sreedevi et al. 2017: 324 (checklist); Ghosh et al. 2020: 248 (checklist); Rana et al. 2022a: 281– 305 (description of grubs and adults); Rana et al. 2022b: 71–82. Material examined. India, Uttarakhand: Garhwal, Govind Wildlife Sanctuary, 10.xii.2009, 1♁, leg. Manish Bhardwaj [NZSI]. 1♁, without locality data, leg. Brenske [NZSI]. Diagnosis. Refer to species key. Distribution. India: Himachal Pradesh (Mittal 2000; Pathania et al. 2015a, b; Sreedevi et al. 2017; Rana et al. 2022 a, 2022b), Haryana (Ghosh et al. 2020), Jammu & Kashmir (Arrow 1921), and Uttarakhand (Chandra et al. 2012); China (Tibet) (Blanchard 1871). Host plant. Potato (Chandel et al. 2015)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 210, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Blanchard, C. E. (1871) Remarques sur la faune de la principaute thibetaine du Mou-pin. Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Seances de l ' Academie des Sciences, 72, 807 - 813.","Fairmaire, L. (1889) Coleopteres de l'interieur de la Chine. (5 e partie). Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France, Series 6, 9, 5 - 84.","Bates, H. W. (1891) Coleoptera from Kulu in N. W. India. The Entomologist, 24 (Supplement), 7 - 23.","Nonfried, A. F. (1892) Verzeichniss der seit 1871 neu beschriebenen Glaphyriden, Melolonthiden und Euchiriden. Berliner entomologische Zeitschrift, 37 (3), 249 - 290. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnd. 18920370302","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Arrow, G. J. (1921) Scarabaeidae. Melolonthinae, Rutelinae et Dynastinae. In: Babault, G. (Ed.), Mission dans les Provinces centrales de l'Inde et dans la region occidentale de l'Himalaya. s. n., Paris, pp. 1 - 16.","Mittal, I. C. (1981) Scarabaeids of Haryana and surrounding areas. Bulletin of Entomology, 22, 35 - 40.","Chandra, K. (1986) Taxonomic studies on Pleurostict Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera) of North-West India. Ph. D. Thesis, Faculty of Science, Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, 251 pp.","Sabatinelli, G. (1992) Catalogue of the Scarabaeoidea Melolonthidae from Himalaya and North India: Macrodactylini, Hopliini, Diplotaxini, Melolonthini and Sericini (Coleoptera). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 71 (2), 593 - 636.","Mittal, I. C. (2000) Survey of Scarabaeid (Coleoptera) fauna of Himachal Pradesh (India). Journal of Entomological Research, 24 (3), 259 - 269.","Chandra, K. (2005) Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae. In: Director (Ed.), Fauna of Western Himalaya. Part 2. Himachal Pradesh. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, pp. 141 - 155.","Bezdek, A. (2006) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae. In: Lobl, I. & Smetana, S. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3. Apollo Books, Stenstrup and Denmark, pp. 181 - 228.","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Pathania, M., Chandel, R. S., Verma, K. S. & Mehta, P. K. (2015 a) Diversity and population dynamics of phytophagous scarabaeid beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in different landscapes of Himachal Pradesh, India. Arthropods, 4 (2), 46 - 68.","Pathania, M., Chandel, R. S., Verma, K. S. & Mehta, P. K. (2015 b) Studies on the preliminary ecology of invasive phytophagous Indian Scarabaeidae of North Western Himalaya. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal, 4 (2), 127 - 138. https: // doi. org / 10.4314 / star. v 4 i 2.16","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236.","Sreedevi, K., Tyagi, S. & Sharma, V. (2017) Species diversity of white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the sub - Himalayan and northern plains of India. Current Science, 113 (2), 322 - 329. https: // doi. org / 10.18520 / cs / v 113 / i 02 / 322 - 329","Ghosh, J., Das, P., Ghosh, S. K., Bhunia, D., Kushwaha, R. K., Gupta, D. & Chandra, K. (2020) Insecta: Coleoptera. In: Director (ed.), Fauna of Haryana, State Fauna Series, 24 (1), 221 - 275.","Rana, A., Chandel, R. S. & Verma, K. S. (2022 a) Morphological description and identification of Melolontha cuprescens, Melolontha furcicauda and Melolontha indica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): serious root feeding and defoliating pests in India. Phytoparasitica, 50, 281 - 305. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 12600 - 021 - 00961 - 5","Rana, A., Chandel, R. S., Sharma, K. D., Chandel, S. S. & Verma, K. S. (2022 b) Phylogeneticanalysisof Melolontha and Polyphylla beetles (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) from north - western Himalaya, India. Phytoparasitica, 50, 71 - 82. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 12600 - 021 - 00945 - 5","Chandel, R. S., Pathania, M., Verma, K. S., Bhattacharya, B., Vashith, S. & Kumar, V. (2015) The ecology ad control of potato white grubs of India. Potato Research, 58, 147 - 164. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 11540 - 015 - 9295 - 3"]}

Melolontha arunachalensis Gupta, Keith, Bhunia, Das, Ghosh & Chandra, new species (Figs. 3, 15, 25–32, 43, 55) Type locality. India, Arunachal Pradesh, Pange Valley. Type material. Holotype, male, labelled: “ India, Arunachal Pradesh, Pange Valley, 27°13'15.024''N, 93°10'40.6128''E, 11.iv.2015, leg. K.A. Subramaniam ” [NZSI]. Paratypes: 3 males with the same data as holotype [NZSI]. Description of the holotype. Body length: 28.15 mm; maximum body width 15.35 mm. Colour. Pronotum, scutellum, venter, and legs dark brownish-black. Elytra reddish - brown. Setae whitishyellow. Head (Figs. 25–26). Clypeus rectangular, apical angles rounded, slightly widened apically, apex perpendicularly reflexed, moderately sinuate in frontal view, surface concave medially, lateral angles planar, surface densely and evenly punctate, punctures large, each bearing a short, robust, erect seta, setae light yellowish-brown; clypeofrontal suture complete; centre of frons concave, surface densely setose, side of eyes densely setose, setae moderately longer and more robust than those on clypeus; sides slightly narrowed making eyes larger. Antennae 10 segmented with 7 segmented club, lamellae strongly curved outwardly, 3.62 times as long as stem; antennomere 1 distinctly swollen apically, apical segment moderately elongate; labrum symmetrically bilobed, each lobe transversally developed; mentum slightly concave centrally, surface almost glabrous with only a few scattered setae; maxillary palpus with apical palpomere subequal in length to combination of palpomeres 2–3; ocular canthus heavily covered with brownish erect robust setae. Pronotum (Fig. 27). Transverse, widest at middle, basomedially slightly protuberant posteriorly; surface densely to confluently punctate along lateral margin; punctures moderately large with a tiny, brownish seta, setae longer and more robust towards centre; centre of pronotal disc sparsely punctate; sides of midline setose with spot consisting of concentrated brownish setae on each apical side of midline; setae denser along basomedial margin; serration of lateral margin distinctly developed, basal half of margin with completed bead. Scutellar plate (Fig. 28). Oval, surface lightly, sparsely punctate, two longitudinal rows of setae fused at point making a triangle, apical margin has a row of slender hair-like setae. Elytra (Fig. 3). Broadest at base. Costae 1–3 (costa one as sutural costa) glabrous and well developed, costae 2 and 3 broadly fused on apical umbone, costa 4 feebly developed and hardly observable; outer margin of costa 1 with aligned row of whitish, scale - like setae; intervals rugose, intermixed with two kinds of whitish setae, one lanceolate and scale - like and other slender and smaller, both moderately dense in distribution; posthumeral and 3 basal patches composed of overlapping, white, scale - like setae, posthumeral patch slender in shape; apical area of elytron steeply depressed below plane of disc, densely covered with whitish brown, tiny setae; epipleuron entirely setose, whitish brown setae evenly distributed; humeral umbone moderately swollen. Pygidium (Fig. 15). Triangular, 1.6 times wider than long; anterior half with long; disc either side slightly depressed medially; surface densely covered with whitish brown setae; setae short evenly distributed or moderately scattered along midline; apex rounded; lateral margin straight. Venter (Fig. 30). Mesometasternal process produced beyond mesocoxae, surface smooth with few hairs; meso- and metasternum with thick, dense hairs. Abdominal sternites (Fig. 32). Abdominal segments 1–5 with a lateral maculation of yellowish-brown, scalelike setae; maculation on sternite 6 light; abdominal surface densely setose; setae whitish brown to yellowish–brown, lanceolate, slender medially, transversely distributed with scattered, longer setae in line; sternites 2–5 weakly fused medially; suture well defined. Legs (Figs. 29, 31). Protibiae bidentate laterally, apical tooth acute (Fig. 29); tarsal claws symmetrically unidentate, abruptly curved apically with a small, vertical tooth at base. Pro- and mesofemora transversely flattened, surface densely clothed with long, hair-like, brown setae; metafemur stout, with shorter setae; apical portion of first metatarsus distinctly swollen; outer metatibial spur subequal in length to combined length of metatarsomeres 1 and 2 (Fig. 31); dorsal surface of tibiae and tarsi moderately clothed with pale white, scale-like, short robust setae; meso- and metatibiae with two elongate apical spurs; mesotibial spurs slightly shorter than length of mesotarsomere 1. Parameres (Figs. 43, 55). Symmetrical; basal piece subequal in length to paramere; lobes of parameres nearly straight at apex, slightly pointed at ends in dorsal view (Fig. 43), strongly curved, bent backwards at apex in lateral view (Fig. 55); dorsal process, clearly marked, slightly produced (Fig. 43), ventroapical process distinctly elongate and gradually acuminate apically with a small, crest-like protuberance on top of right paramere in lateral view (Fig. 55). Female unknown. Collecting circumstances. At light. Differential diagnosis. Melolontha arunachalensis new species differs from the other two species in the group (M. phupanensis and M. lachungensis new species) by its unique structure and shape of the parameres. See species key and Table 1 to distinguish the newly described species from M. phupanensis and M. lachungensis new species. The newly described species is similar in general appearance to Melolontha costipennis Fairmaire, 1889 (= M. tricostata Brenske, 1903) and M. tenuicauda Fairmaire, 1896, both of which are known from China (Tibet). Melolontha costipennis, placed under the aeneicollis group (Li et al. 2010), differs from the new species by a narrowly elongated pygidium at the apex (pygidium rounded at apex, not elongated in M. arunachalensis new species). Melolontha tenuicauda has a much shorter antennal club, as compared to M. arunachalensis new species. Etymology. The name (adjective in the nominative singular) refers to the Arunachal Pradesh state of India. Distribution. So far, only known from the type locality: India, Arunachal Pradesh, Pange Valley (Fig. 72)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on pages 198-199, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Fairmaire, L. (1889) Coleopteres de l'interieur de la Chine. (5 e partie). Annales de la Societe Entomologique de France, Series 6, 9, 5 - 84.","Brenske, E. (1903) Drei neue Melolonthiden-Gattungen und - Arten vom Kuku-nor. Munchener Koleopterologische Zeitschrift, 1 [1902 - 1903], 333 - 335. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnd. 48019030216","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088"]}

Melolontha nepalensis (Blanchard, 1851) (Figs. 8, 20, 48, 60) Hoplosternus nepalensis Blanchard 1851: 158 (type locality: Nepal); Brenske 1896a: 164; Dalla Torre 1912: 264 (catalogue); Zhang 1988: 244 (new record); Sabatinelli 1992: 616 (catalogue). Melolontha nepalensis: Burmeister 1855: 411; Bates 1891: 16; Kumar et al. 2005: 15 – 20 (distribution, host record); Bezdĕk 2006: 196 (catalogue); Kumar et al. 2007: 103 – 109 (distribution); Li et al. 2010: 345, fig. 22; Krajčík 2012: 158; Bezdĕk 2016: 232 (catalogue). Material examined. India, Himachal Pradesh (now Uttarakhand): Almorah, Kumaon, 5,500 ft., 14.iii.1901, 1♁, leg. C. Paiva, det. G.J. Arrow [NZSI]. Expedition of Himalayas, 1954, 1♁, leg. M.S. Mani. India, Uttarakhand: Garhwal, Piplakote, 15.viii.1958, 2♁, leg. B.S. Lamba [NZSI]; Garhwal, Joshimath, 7,000 ft., 31.viii.1958, 1♀, leg. B.S. Lamba [NZSI]; Nainital, 6.ix.2005, 1♁, leg. S.K. Chatterjee [NZSI]; Bageswar, 2.ix.2005, 1♁, leg. S.K. Chatterjee; Chamoli, 07.vii.2004, 1♁, leg. SK Chakraborty [NZSI]. Diagnosis. Refer to species key. Distribution. India: Himachal Pradesh (Bates 1891; Kumar et al. 2005) and Uttarakhand; Bangladesh (Dalla Torre 1912), China (Zhang 1988), and Nepal (Blanchard 1851). Host plants. As per Kumar et al. (2005), M. nepalensis cause variable extents of damage to maise and paddy crop and infests upland paddy., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 211, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Blanchard, C. E. (1851) Ier Famille - Scarabaeidae. In: Milne-Edwards, H., Blanchard, C. E. & Lucas, H. (Eds.), Catalogue de la collection entomologique du Museum d ' Histoire Naturelle de Paris. Classe des insectes. Ordre des coleopteres. I, Deuxieme livraison. Gide et Baudry, Paris, pp. 129 - 240.","Brenske, E. (1896 a) Insectes du Bengale. (37 e Memoire.) Melolonthidae. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique, 40, 150 - 164.","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Zhang, Y. W. (1988) Scarabaeidae. In: Huang, F. S., Wang, P. Y., Yin, W. Y., Yu, P. Y., Lee, T. S., Yang, C. K. & Wang, X. J. (Eds.), Insects of Mt. Namjagbarwa region of Xizang. Beijing Science Press, Beijing, pp. 227 - 248. [in Chinese with English translation]","Sabatinelli, G. (1992) Catalogue of the Scarabaeoidea Melolonthidae from Himalaya and North India: Macrodactylini, Hopliini, Diplotaxini, Melolonthini and Sericini (Coleoptera). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 71 (2), 593 - 636.","Burmeister, H. C. C. (1855) Handbuch der Entomologie. Vierter Band. Besondere Entomologie. Fortsetzung. Zweite Abtheilung. Coleoptera Lamellicornia Phyllophaga chaenochela. Berlin: Theod. Chr. Friedr, Enslin, x + 569 pp.","Bates, H. W. (1891) Coleoptera from Kulu in N. W. India. The Entomologist, 24 (Supplement), 7 - 23.","Kumar, J., Sharma, S. D., Lal, R. & Deor, B. S. (2005) White grubs damaging maise and paddy crops in Kullu and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh. Pest Management and Economic Zoology, 13 (1), 15 - 20.","Bezdek, A. (2006) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae. In: Lobl, I. & Smetana, S. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3. Apollo Books, Stenstrup and Denmark, pp. 181 - 228.","Kumar, J., Sharma, S. D. & Lal, R. (2007) Scarabaeid beetles of Kullu valley, Himachal Pradesh. Entomon, 32 (2), 103 - 110.","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Krajcik, M. (2012) Checklist of the World Scarabaeoidea. Animma. x, Supplement 5, 1 - 278.","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236."]}

Melolontha aeneicollis Bates, 1891 (Figs. 5, 17, 45, 57) Melolontha aeneicollis Bates 1891: 16 (type locality: India, Kulu); Dalla Torre 1912: 267 (catalogue); Arrow 1921: 13; Chandra 2005: 152 (checklist); Bezděk 2006: 194 (catalogue); Li et al. 2010: 343 (key), 344 (checklist), fig. 12; Krajčík 2012: 158 (checklist); Keith & Saltin 2012: 35 (distribution); Bezděk 2016: 230 (catalogue). Material examined. India, Himachal Pradesh: Kulu, Great Himalayan National Park, 1,953m, 4.iv.2018, 1♁, leg. S.K. Sajan [NZSI]. India, Uttarakhand: Chamoli, Valley of Flower National Park, 3,103m, 15.vi.2017, 1♁, leg. S.K. Sajan [NZSI]. Diagnosis. Refer to species key. Distribution. India: Himachal Pradesh (Bates 1891) and Uttarakhand (new record); Pakistan (Keith & Saltin 2012)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 208, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Bates, H. W. (1891) Coleoptera from Kulu in N. W. India. The Entomologist, 24 (Supplement), 7 - 23.","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Arrow, G. J. (1921) Scarabaeidae. Melolonthinae, Rutelinae et Dynastinae. In: Babault, G. (Ed.), Mission dans les Provinces centrales de l'Inde et dans la region occidentale de l'Himalaya. s. n., Paris, pp. 1 - 16.","Chandra, K. (2005) Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae. In: Director (Ed.), Fauna of Western Himalaya. Part 2. Himachal Pradesh. Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, pp. 141 - 155.","Bezdek, A. (2006) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae. In: Lobl, I. & Smetana, S. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3. Apollo Books, Stenstrup and Denmark, pp. 181 - 228.","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Krajcik, M. (2012) Checklist of the World Scarabaeoidea. Animma. x, Supplement 5, 1 - 278.","Keith, D. & Saltin, J. P. (2012) Premiere contribution a la connaissance des Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 du Pakistan (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Melolonthidae). Revue de l'Association Roussillonaise d'Entomologie, 21 (1), 20 - 35.","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236."]}

Key to the Indian species of incana group 1. Setae on elytra sparse; costae not demarcated (Fig. 11); pygidium bifurcate at apex, apical edges straight at outer margin (Fig. 23); parameres broader medially, outer edge semi–circular, apex straight (in dorsal view) (Fig. 51), apex pointed (in lateral view) (Fig. 63)................................................................... M. flabellata Sharp, 1876 – Setae on elytra dense; costae demarcated (Fig. 12); pygidium bifurcate at apex, apical edges curved outwardly at outer margin (Fig. 24); parameres relatively narrow medially, outer edge and apex nearly curved (in dorsal view) (Fig. 52), apex broad (in lateral view) (Fig. 64)............................................................ M. furcicauda Ancey, 1881, Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 212, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Sharp, D. (1876) Descriptions of some new species of Scarabaeidae from tropical Asia and Malaysia. Coleopterologische Hefte, 15, 65 - 90.","Ancey, F. (1881) Descriptions des Coleopteres nouveaux. Le Naturaliste, 1, 412 - 413."]}

Melolontha virescens (Brenske, 1896) (Figs. 2, 14, 42, 54) Hoplosternus virescens Brenske 1896b: 202 (type locality: Darjeeling, Sikkim); Brenske 1900: 154; Dalla Torre 1912: 265 (catalogue); Zhang 1988: 243 (new record, description in Chinese); Li & Yang 2003: 223 (diagnosis, lectotype designation). Melolontha virescens: Bezděk 2006: 196 (catalogue); Li et al. 2010: 342 (key), 344 (checklist), fig. 11 [misspelt as Melolontha virescena]; Keith & Saltin 2012: 23 (distribution); Pathania et al. 2015a: 53, 54 (distribution); Pathania et al. 2015b: 131 (distribution); Bezděk 2016: 233 (catalogue). Melolontha amplipennis Frey 1975: 238 (type locality: Bhutan, Thimpu); Sabatinelli & Migliaccio 1982: 109 (diagnosis), figs. 10, 11; Sabatinelli 1992: 615 (catalogue); Li & Yang 2003: 223 (as a junior synonym of H. virescens). Material examined. India, West Bengal: Darjeeling, v.1912, 03.v.1912, 1♁, leg. Carmichael (NZSI); Kurseong, 5,000ft. 1♁, leg. Lynch C. [NZSI]; Darjeeling, Sukhipokhari, 18.xi.1994, 1♁, leg. B.C. Nandi [NZSI]. India, Sikkim: Ranipool, 15.iv.1994, 1♀, on grass, leg. P.H. Roy [NZSI]. India, Arunachal Pradesh: district Papumpare, Itanagar, ZSI Complex, 08.ii.2002, 1♁, at light, leg. P.B. Thapa [NZSI]; district Papumpare, Itanagar, ZSI Complex, 19.v.2002, 1♁, leg. P.T. Bhutia [NZSI]; district Tawang, Namtsering, 27.5337N, 91.6736E, 1,428m, 15.iv.2018, 3♀, 17.iv.2018, 1♀, leg. Jagdish Saini [NZSI]. Diagnosis. Refer to the key to the species groups. Distribution. India: Arunachal Pradesh (new record), Himachal Pradesh (Pathania et al. 2015a, 2015b), Sikkim (Brenske 1896b), and West Bengal (Darjeeling) (Brenske 1896b); Bhutan (Frey 1975), China (Dalla & Torre 1912; Zhang 1988), Nepal (Sabatinelli & Migliaccio 1982), and Pakistan (Keith & Saltin 2012)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 193, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Brenske, E. (1896 b) Neue Melolonthiden aus Africa und Asien. Stettiner Entomologische Zeitschrift, 57, 178 - 205. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnd. 48018960708","Brenske, E. (1900) Contribution a letude de la faune de Sumatra (Cote ouest-Vice-residence de Painan) VIII Melolonthiden gesammelt von J-L Weyers. Memoires de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique, 7, 141 - 155.","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Zhang, Y. W. (1988) Scarabaeidae. In: Huang, F. S., Wang, P. Y., Yin, W. Y., Yu, P. Y., Lee, T. S., Yang, C. K. & Wang, X. J. (Eds.), Insects of Mt. Namjagbarwa region of Xizang. Beijing Science Press, Beijing, pp. 227 - 248. [in Chinese with English translation]","Li, C. - L. & Yang, P. - S. (2003) Notes on the Oriental Melolontha (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae). Special Bulletin of Japan Society of Coleopterology, 6, 217 - 225.","Bezdek, A. (2006) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae. In: Lobl, I. & Smetana, S. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3. Apollo Books, Stenstrup and Denmark, pp. 181 - 228.","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Keith, D. & Saltin, J. P. (2012) Premiere contribution a la connaissance des Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 du Pakistan (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Melolonthidae). Revue de l'Association Roussillonaise d'Entomologie, 21 (1), 20 - 35.","Pathania, M., Chandel, R. S., Verma, K. S. & Mehta, P. K. (2015 a) Diversity and population dynamics of phytophagous scarabaeid beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in different landscapes of Himachal Pradesh, India. Arthropods, 4 (2), 46 - 68.","Pathania, M., Chandel, R. S., Verma, K. S. & Mehta, P. K. (2015 b) Studies on the preliminary ecology of invasive phytophagous Indian Scarabaeidae of North Western Himalaya. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal, 4 (2), 127 - 138. https: // doi. org / 10.4314 / star. v 4 i 2.16","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236.","Frey, G. (1975) Ergebnisse der Bhutan-Expedition 1972 der Naturhistorischen Museums in Basel Coleoptera: Fam. Scarabaeidae subf. Melolonthinae. Entomologica Basiliensia, 1, 223 - 241.","Sabatinelli, G. & Migliaccio, E. (1982) Scarabaeidae floricole raccolti nel Nepal orientale con descrizione di due nuove specie. Bollettino della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 114 (4 - 7), 103 - 112.","Sabatinelli, G. (1992) Catalogue of the Scarabaeoidea Melolonthidae from Himalaya and North India: Macrodactylini, Hopliini, Diplotaxini, Melolonthini and Sericini (Coleoptera). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 71 (2), 593 - 636."]}

Melolontha flabellata Sharp, 1876 (Figs. 11, 23, 51, 63) Melolontha (Oplosternus) flabellata Sharp 1876: 86 (type locality: Bengal). Melolontha flabellata: Sabatinelli 1992: 615 (catalogue); Bezdĕk 2006: 194 (catalogue); Krajčík 2012: 158 (checklist); Bezdĕk 2016: 231 (catalogue). Melolontha flabelata: Li et al. 2010: 344, fig. 10 (misspelling). Hoplosternus flabellata: Nonfried 1892: 285 (checklist); Brenske 1896a: 164 (brief description, H. flabellatus); Barlow 1899: 269 (checklist); Dalla Torre 1912: 264 (catalogue as H. flabellatus); Zhang 1988: 243 (new record, brief description as H. flabellatus). Material examined. India, West Bengal: Govt. House Compound, Darjeeling, 2♁, May – June, 1912, leg. Lord Garmichael Collection [NZSI]; Darjeeling, 7000 ft, E. Himalayas, 1♁, 20.iv.2014, leg. F.H. Gravely [NZSI]; Kurseong, E. Himalayas, 5000 ft., 1♁, leg. Jahans [NZSI]; Darjeeling, Ghumti, 4000 ft., vi.1912, leg. unknown [NZSI]; Darjeeling, East Himalaya, 1 – 3000ft. v.1912, 1♁, leg. unknown [NZSI]. Diagnosis. Refer to species key. Distribution. India: Sikkim (Brenske 1896a) and West Bengal (Darjeeling); Bangladesh (Sharp 1876) and China (Zhang 1988)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on pages 212-213, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Sharp, D. (1876) Descriptions of some new species of Scarabaeidae from tropical Asia and Malaysia. Coleopterologische Hefte, 15, 65 - 90.","Sabatinelli, G. (1992) Catalogue of the Scarabaeoidea Melolonthidae from Himalaya and North India: Macrodactylini, Hopliini, Diplotaxini, Melolonthini and Sericini (Coleoptera). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 71 (2), 593 - 636.","Bezdek, A. (2006) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae. In: Lobl, I. & Smetana, S. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3. Apollo Books, Stenstrup and Denmark, pp. 181 - 228.","Krajcik, M. (2012) Checklist of the World Scarabaeoidea. Animma. x, Supplement 5, 1 - 278.","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236.","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Nonfried, A. F. (1892) Verzeichniss der seit 1871 neu beschriebenen Glaphyriden, Melolonthiden und Euchiriden. Berliner entomologische Zeitschrift, 37 (3), 249 - 290. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnd. 18920370302","Brenske, E. (1896 a) Insectes du Bengale. (37 e Memoire.) Melolonthidae. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique, 40, 150 - 164.","Barlow, E. (1899) List of the Melolonthini contained in the collection of the Indian Museum. Indian Museum Notes, 4 (5), 234 - 273.","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Zhang, Y. W. (1988) Scarabaeidae. In: Huang, F. S., Wang, P. Y., Yin, W. Y., Yu, P. Y., Lee, T. S., Yang, C. K. & Wang, X. J. (Eds.), Insects of Mt. Namjagbarwa region of Xizang. Beijing Science Press, Beijing, pp. 227 - 248. [in Chinese with English translation]"]}

Melolontha furcicauda Ancey, 1881 (Figs. 12, 24, 52, 64) Melolontha furcicauda Ancey 1881: 412 (type locality: Ladak, Thibet); Nonfried 1892: 286 (checklist); Dalla Torre 1912: 268 (catalogue); Arrow 1921: 13 (distribution); Mittal 1981: 35 – 40 (distribution); Mittal 2000: 266 (checklist); Bezdĕk 2006: 195 (catalogue); Chandra & Uniyal 2007: 2821 (distribution); Sood et al. 2009: 370 – 376 (distribution); Kumar et al. 2005: 15 – 20 (distribution, host record); Kumar et al. 2007: 103 – 109 (distribution); Keith & Saltin 2012: 21, pl. 5A–J, 7A–I, 8A–J, pl. 9, 10 (illustration of type material); Krajčík 2012: 158 (checklist); Singh & Banyal 2013: 1059 (distribution); Roy et al. 2014: 13 (host); Pathania et al. 2015a: 53 (distribution); Pathania et al. 2015b: 131 (distribution); Feroz et al. 2015: 175, figs. 2a – d (distribution); Bezdĕk 2016: 231 (catalogue); Lal & Sharma 2017: 447 – 452 (distribution); Kumar et al. 2018: 534 (distribution); Ghosh et al. 2020: 249 (checklist); Rana et al. 2022a: 281–305 (description of grubs and adults); Rana et al. 2022b: 71–82. Hoplosternus furcicauda: Dalla & Torre 1912: 264 (catalogue); Sabatinelli 1992: 613 (catalogue); Zhang 1988: 244 (new record, description). Hoplosternus bifurcatus Brenske 1896a: 164 (type locality: Kashmir, Nepal); Barlow 1899: 269 (N – E Frontier); Dalla Torre 1912: 264 (catalogue); Sabatinelli 1992: 613 (catalogue); Li et al. 2010: 345 (as a junior synonym of M. furcicauda). Melolontha furcienanda: Li et al. 2010: 345 (checklist, misspelling). Hoplosternus furcicandus Brenske 1896a: 163 (description, misspelling); Barlow 1899: 270 (misspelling). Melolontha insignis Semenov 1890: 197 (Kundshut, Ljub-dshangal); Fairmaire 1891: LXXXVII (diagnosis); Reitter 1902: 259; Dalla Torre 1912: 270 (catalogue); Bezdĕk 2006: 196 (catalogue); Keith & Saltin 2012: 22, pl. 6 (habitus, holotype male, aedeagus) (as a junior synonym of M. furcicauda). Hoplosternus insignis: Dalla Torre 1912: 264 (catalogue); Balthasar 1936: 205 (distribution); Medvedev 1951: 115 (description); Sabatinelli 1992: 613 (catalogue). Material examined. India, Himachal Pradesh: Great Himalayan National Park, Dhagra, 17.v.1996, 2 exs., leg. V.P. Uniyal [NZSI]; Solan, 30.vi.1968, 1♁, leg. O.B. Chhotani; Kulu Manali, 03.vii.1956, 1♀, leg. M.S. Mani; Chamba, Kalatop Khajjiar Wildelife Snctuary, Pithoragorh, Sangolihat, 24.v.2010, 1♀, leg. A.K. Sindhu (NZSI). India, Ladakh: Hunder Forest Guest House, 28.viii.2008, 3♁, 29.viii.2008, 1♀, leg. K. Chandra [NZSI]; Ladakh, Leh, Phey, 18.viii.2019, 10♀, leg. A.K. Sidhu (NZSI). India, Uttarakhand: Bageshwar, 30.ix.2004, 1♁, 1♀, leg. D.R. Moulik (NZSI); Bageshwar, Chanoda, 29.viii.2005, 1♀, leg. S.K. Chatterjee (NZSI); Nainital, 06.ix.2005, 3♁, leg. S.K. Chhatterjee (NZSI); Nainital, Shila Lake, 07.viii.2004, 1♁, leg. M. Ghosh (NZSI); Nainital, Naukoshiya, 05.viii.2004, 1♀, leg. M. Ghosh (NZSI); Nainital, Bhowali, 08.ix.2005, 4♁, leg. S.K. Chatterjee; Dehradun, Balowgunj, 14.viii.1965, 2♁, leg. R.K. Bhatnagar (NZSI); Pithoragarh, Gangolihat, 05.ix.2005, 2♀, leg. S.K. Chatterjee; Almora, near Almorah Circuit House, 11.ix.2002, 1♁, leg. P.H. Roy (NZSI); Garhwal, Dhakwani, 14.viii.1958, 1♀, leg. B.S. Lamba (NZSI). Diagnosis. Refer to species key. Distribution. India: Haryana (Mittal 1981), Himachal Pradesh (Mittal 2000; Chandra & Uniyal 2007; Sood et al. 2009; Kumar et al. 2005; Kumar et al. 2007; Singh & Banyal 2013; Pathania et al. 2015a, 2015b; Rana et al. 2022 a, 2022b), Jammu and Kashmir (Brenske 1896a; Barlow 1899; Kumar et al. 2018), Ladakh (Ancey 1881; Arrow 1921; Feroz et al. 2015), Sikkim (Barlow 1899), Uttarakhand (Lal & Sharma 2017), and West Bengal (Darjeeling) (Barlow 1899); Afghanistan (Bezdĕk 2016), Bangladesh, China (Zhang 1988), Nepal (Brenske 1896a), Pakistan (Keith & Saltin 2012), and Tajikistan (Bezdĕk 2016). Host records. Melolontha furcicauda cause variable extents of damage to maize crop and infests upland paddy, tea plantations and conifers (Kumar et al. 2005)., Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 213, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Ancey, F. (1881) Descriptions des Coleopteres nouveaux. Le Naturaliste, 1, 412 - 413.","Nonfried, A. F. (1892) Verzeichniss der seit 1871 neu beschriebenen Glaphyriden, Melolonthiden und Euchiriden. Berliner entomologische Zeitschrift, 37 (3), 249 - 290. https: // doi. org / 10.1002 / mmnd. 18920370302","Dalla Torre, K. W. von (1912) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae I. In: Junk, W. & Schenkling, S. (Eds.), Coleopterorum Catalogus. Pars 49. W. Junk, Berlin, pp. 1 - 290.","Arrow, G. J. (1921) Scarabaeidae. Melolonthinae, Rutelinae et Dynastinae. In: Babault, G. (Ed.), Mission dans les Provinces centrales de l'Inde et dans la region occidentale de l'Himalaya. s. n., Paris, pp. 1 - 16.","Mittal, I. C. (1981) Scarabaeids of Haryana and surrounding areas. Bulletin of Entomology, 22, 35 - 40.","Mittal, I. C. (2000) Survey of Scarabaeid (Coleoptera) fauna of Himachal Pradesh (India). Journal of Entomological Research, 24 (3), 259 - 269.","Bezdek, A. (2006) Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae. In: Lobl, I. & Smetana, S. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3. Apollo Books, Stenstrup and Denmark, pp. 181 - 228.","Chandra, K. & Uniyal, V. P. (2007) On a collection of Pleurostict Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera) from Great Himalayan National Park, Himachal Pradesh. Zoos' Print Journal, 22 (9), 2821 - 2823. https: // doi. org / 10.11609 / JoTT. ZPJ. 1458.2821 - 3","Sood, P., Mehta, P. K., Chandel, R. S. & Chandel, Y. S. (2009) Population dynamics of whitegrubs in the offseason pea ecosystem and their management under temperate region of North - Western Himalaya. Journal of Insect Science, 22 (4), 370 - 376.","Kumar, J., Sharma, S. D., Lal, R. & Deor, B. S. (2005) White grubs damaging maise and paddy crops in Kullu and Mandi districts of Himachal Pradesh. Pest Management and Economic Zoology, 13 (1), 15 - 20.","Kumar, J., Sharma, S. D. & Lal, R. (2007) Scarabaeid beetles of Kullu valley, Himachal Pradesh. Entomon, 32 (2), 103 - 110.","Keith, D. & Saltin, J. P. (2012) Premiere contribution a la connaissance des Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 du Pakistan (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea, Melolonthidae). Revue de l'Association Roussillonaise d'Entomologie, 21 (1), 20 - 35.","Krajcik, M. (2012) Checklist of the World Scarabaeoidea. Animma. x, Supplement 5, 1 - 278.","Singh, V. & Banyal, H. S. (2013) Insect fauna of Khajjiar Lake of Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, India. Pakistan Journal of Zoology, 45 (4), 1053 - 1061.","Roy, S., Muraleedharan, N. & Pujari, D. (2014) Acatalogue of arthropod pests and their natural enemies in the tea ecosystem of India. Two and a Bud, 61 (1 & 2), 11 - 39.","Pathania, M., Chandel, R. S., Verma, K. S. & Mehta, P. K. (2015 a) Diversity and population dynamics of phytophagous scarabaeid beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in different landscapes of Himachal Pradesh, India. Arthropods, 4 (2), 46 - 68.","Pathania, M., Chandel, R. S., Verma, K. S. & Mehta, P. K. (2015 b) Studies on the preliminary ecology of invasive phytophagous Indian Scarabaeidae of North Western Himalaya. Science, Technology and Arts Research Journal, 4 (2), 127 - 138. https: // doi. org / 10.4314 / star. v 4 i 2.16","Feroz, M., Tara, J. S., Azam, M. & Ramamurthy, V. V. (2015) Staphylinidae, Scarabaeidae, Dermestidae and Curculionidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) first record, from Kargil (Ladakh), J & K - India. Munis Entomology and Zoology, 10 (1), 172 - 182.","Bezdek, A. (2016) Melolonthini. In: Lobl, I. & Lobl, D. (Eds.), Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera 3 Scarabaeoidea - Scirtoidea - Dascilloidea - Buprestoidea - Byrrhoidea. Revised and updated edition. Brill, Leiden and Boston, pp. 226 - 236.","Lal, M. & Sharma, P. K. (2017) Species composition and abundance of white grubs (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in agricultural ecosystem of district Dehradun (Uttarakhand), India. Journal of Environment and Bio-sciences, 31 (2), 301 - 305.","Kumar, R., Ahad, I., Rehman, S. A. & Dorjey, S. (2018) Impact of weather parameters on population dynamics of soil borne insect pests infesting oats (Avena sativa L.) in North Kashmir. Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies, 6 (3), 533 - 537.","Ghosh, J., Das, P., Ghosh, S. K., Bhunia, D., Kushwaha, R. K., Gupta, D. & Chandra, K. (2020) Insecta: Coleoptera. In: Director (ed.), Fauna of Haryana, State Fauna Series, 24 (1), 221 - 275.","Rana, A., Chandel, R. S. & Verma, K. S. (2022 a) Morphological description and identification of Melolontha cuprescens, Melolontha furcicauda and Melolontha indica (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): serious root feeding and defoliating pests in India. Phytoparasitica, 50, 281 - 305. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 12600 - 021 - 00961 - 5","Rana, A., Chandel, R. S., Sharma, K. D., Chandel, S. S. & Verma, K. S. (2022 b) Phylogeneticanalysisof Melolontha and Polyphylla beetles (Scarabaeidae: Coleoptera) from north - western Himalaya, India. Phytoparasitica, 50, 71 - 82. https: // doi. org / 10.1007 / s 12600 - 021 - 00945 - 5","Sabatinelli, G. (1992) Catalogue of the Scarabaeoidea Melolonthidae from Himalaya and North India: Macrodactylini, Hopliini, Diplotaxini, Melolonthini and Sericini (Coleoptera). Memorie della Societa Entomologica Italiana, 71 (2), 593 - 636.","Zhang, Y. W. (1988) Scarabaeidae. In: Huang, F. S., Wang, P. Y., Yin, W. Y., Yu, P. Y., Lee, T. S., Yang, C. K. & Wang, X. J. (Eds.), Insects of Mt. Namjagbarwa region of Xizang. Beijing Science Press, Beijing, pp. 227 - 248. [in Chinese with English translation]","Brenske, E. (1896 a) Insectes du Bengale. (37 e Memoire.) Melolonthidae. Annales de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique, 40, 150 - 164.","Barlow, E. (1899) List of the Melolonthini contained in the collection of the Indian Museum. Indian Museum Notes, 4 (5), 234 - 273.","Li, C. - L., Yang, P. - S. & Wang, C. - C. (2010) Revision of the Melolontha guttigera group with a key and an annotated checklist of the East and South-East Asian Melolontha groups. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 103 (3), 341 - 359. https: // doi. org / 10.1603 / AN 09088","Semenov, A. P. (1890) Diagnoses Coleopterorum novorun ex Asia Centrali et Orientali. II. Horae Societatis Entomologicae Rossicae, 24 [1989 - 1890], 193 - 226. https: // doi. org / 10.1086 / 275085","Fairmaire, L. (1891) Descriptions de coleopteres des montagnes de Kashmir (Suite). Bulletin ou Comptes-Rendus des Seances de la Societe Entomologique de Belgique, 1891, LXXXVIII - CIII.","Reitter, E. (1902) Bestimmungs-Tabelle der Melolonthidae aus der europaischen fauna und angrenzenden landern, enthaltend die gruppen der Pachydemini, Sericini und Melolonthini. Verhandlungen des Naturforschenden Vereins in Brunn, XL [1901], 93 - 303.","Balthasar, V. (1936) Entomologische Sammelergebnisse der Deutschen Hindukush-Expedition 1935 der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft. Scarabaeidae: Sericinae, Melolonthinae, Rutelinae und Hopliinae. Arbeiten uber Morphologische und Taxonomische Entomologie aus Berlin-Dahlem, 3, 202 - 208.","Medvedev, S. I. (1951) Fauna USSR: Coleoptera. 10 No. 1. Lamellicornia (Scarabaeidae), subfam. Melolonthinae. Part 1. Izdatelstvo Akademii Nauk SSSR, Moskva, Leningrad, 514 pp. [in Russian]"]}

Key to the Indian species of carinata group 1. Elytra densely and evenly covered with setae throughout, without smooth area near basal portion (Fig. 8); pygidial ridge incomplete (Fig. 20), parameres with lateral edges, nearly straight anteromedially in dorsal view (Fig. 48).......................................................................................... M. nepalensis (Blanchard, 1851) – Elytra sparsely covered with setae with area near basal portion smooth (Figs. 9, 10); pygidial ridge complete (Figs. 21, 22); parameres with lateral edges, curved anteromedially in dorsal view (Figs. 49, 50).................................. 2 2. Costae on elytra relatively evidently demarcated (Fig. 9); pronotum sparsely setose with medial surface smooth (Fig. 9); parameres in dorsal and lateral views as in Figs. 49, 61................................. M. carinata (Brenske, 1896) – Costae on elytra relatively less demarcated (Fig. 10); pronotum densely setose throughout (Fig. 10); parameres in dorsal and lateral views as in Figs 50, 62.......................................................... M. indica Hope, 1831, Published as part of Gupta, Devanshu, Keith, Denis, Bhunia, Debika, Das, Priyanka, Ghosh, Joyjit & Chandra, Kailash, 2023, Review of Melolontha Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 191-216 in Zootaxa 5263 (2) on page 211, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5263.2.2, http://zenodo.org/record/7800978, {"references":["Blanchard, C. E. (1851) Ier Famille - Scarabaeidae. In: Milne-Edwards, H., Blanchard, C. E. & Lucas, H. (Eds.), Catalogue de la collection entomologique du Museum d ' Histoire Naturelle de Paris. Classe des insectes. Ordre des coleopteres. I, Deuxieme livraison. Gide et Baudry, Paris, pp. 129 - 240.","Hope, F. W. (1831) Synopsis of the new species of Nepaul insects in the collection of Major - General Hardwicke. In: Gray, J. E. (Ed.), The Zoological Miscellany 1. Treuttel, Wuurtz & Co., London, pp. 21 - 32."]}

Melolontha is an important genus of the subfamily Melolonthinae and the tribe Melolonthini. It is a major polyphagous pest of different agricultural crops and forest trees. The adults of this species are defoliators and grubs are root feeders. It is essential to acquire a better understanding of the correct identity of these species to implement the most suitable pest management options. In this study, three Melolontha species viz., Melolontha cuprescens, Melolontha furcicauda and Melolontha indica were investigated using light microscopy, in order to generate detailed information on morphological characters for the pest identification. A detailed comparative description of the larval characters (mouthparts, raster, spiracles and thoracic legs); pupal characters (antennae and caudal appendages); adult characters (antennae, pronotum, scutellum, meso-metasternal process, legs, pygidium and male genitalia) is given with the help of suitable microscopic pictures and line diagrams. The larvae of these species can easily be distinguished based on mandibles, epipharynx, raster pattern and shape of anal opening. The caudal extremity of pupae also allows differentiation among Melolontha species. In beetles, shape and size of antennae, pronotum and pygidium can be used to separate sexes and to differentiate Melolontha species. Male genitalia is the most stable character for differentiation of species in the adult stage.

White grub species, Melolontha cuprescens, Melolontha furcicauda, Melolontha indica and Polyphylla fullo are serious pests of different crops in north-western Himalaya. None of these species are, however, characterized at molecular level including DNA barcodes. Here we provide DNA barcodes for these species. The adults of these species were collected from different locations of Himachal Pradesh and described by molecular characterization. The mitochondrial Cytochrome c oxidase 1 (COX1) and 28S ribosomal RNA (28S rRNA) genes of these species were amplified and sequenced for molecular identification and phylogenetic analysis. The sequences of these genes from other species of these genera and other related genera were also retrieved from DNA databases and included in the analysis. The COX1 sequences of M. cuprescens were 99.88% similar to P. fullo, whereas those of M. furcicauda were 84.91% similar to M. indica. Among retrieved COX1 sequences, Melolontha hippocastani (HM120757 & KX087316) were closer to M. furcicauda (86.14–86.50%) and M. indica (85.74–86.04%) as compared to M. cuprescens (81.44–81.47%) and P. fullo (81.32–81.47%). Based on 28S rRNA gene sequences, M. indica showed 99.42% similarity to Melolontha melolontha (EU084231) as compared to M. cuprescens and M. furcicauda which were distantly related. The COX1 was a better DNA barcode for the identification of Melolontha and Polyphylla species. The 28S rRNA has a limited utility in DNA barcoding of Melolontha species.

A chamber, named SOIL-INSECT toolbox, was developed to analyse the effect of various factors on the behaviour of soil-dwelling insects. It is equipped with sensors that continuously monitor the concentration of CO2 in the different compartments of the chamber without disturbing the air balance in the soil. The chamber can be adapted to study different stimuli, including volatile compounds, both in the presence and absence of plants. The chamber was tested using the larvae of Melolontha spp., which confi rmed its suitability for carrying out complex studies on insect-insect and insect-plant-microbiome interactions in a complex environment such as soil. The results of behavioural experiments using L3 larvae of Melolontha spp. in sterilized and natural soils revealed that the soil condition affected the behaviour of the larvae, likely due to its effect on the soil microbiome and physicochemical characteristics.

The European (Melolontha melolontha L.) and Forest (M. hippocastani F.) cockchafer are widespread pests throughout Central Europe. Both species exhibit a 3-5-year life cycle and occur in temporally shifted populations, which have been monitored and documented for more than 100 years. Visual identification of adults and larvae belonging to these morphologically similar species requires expertise and, particularly in the case of larvae, is challenging and equivocal. The goal of the study was the development of an efficient and fast molecular genetic tool for the identification and discrimination of M. melolontha and M. hippocastani. We established a collection of both species from Switzerland, Austria and Northern Italy in 2016, 2017 and 2018. An approximately 1550 bp long fragment of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (CO1) mitochondrial gene was amplified and sequenced in 13 M. melolontha and 13 M. hippocastani beetles. Alignment of the new sequences with reference sequences (NCBI GenBank and BOLDSYSTEMS databases) and subsequent phylogenetic analysis revealed consistent clustering of the two species. After the identification of M. melolontha and M. hippocastani species-specific single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the CO1 alignment, we developed an effective SNP tool based on the ABI PRISM (R) SNaPshot (TM) Multiplex Kit for the rapid and accurate species discrimination of adults and larvae., Bulletin of Entomological Research, 111 (5), ISSN:0007-4853, ISSN:1475-2670

To achieve an effective reduction of the damage by root feeding grubs of Melolontha spp. in organic strawberry plantations, we have tested an approach targeting different stages of the insect’s biological cycle. Adult beetles were caught by using light traps or by manual shaking off trees associated to the monitoring of cockchafer swarm flights supported by forecasts models. Phytosanitary pre-crops and the application of biological control agents were tested against the larvae. The three predictive models utilized to forecast the period of emergence of the cockchafer were suitable to support the deployment of the light traps before the adults’ swarm flights. Traps positioned at 4-m height were more effective in attracting the beetles than those kept at 2-m height. Buckwheat in mixtures with either a mustard or leguminous species used as pre-crops was able to reduce the population of grubs, and considering also its capacity in solubilizing recalcitrant phosphorous sources should enter in a rotation with strawberry or any other crop susceptible to grubs damage. The distribution of two different strains of entomopathogenic fungi resulted in a reduction of the damage to plants due to the cockchafer grubs’ activity, even though the efficacy resulted to be dependent on environmental and agronomic factors, including the kind of formulation used. It is concluded that to assure a sufficient level of control of Melolontha spp. in organic strawberry plantations, it is necessary to integrate several methods that are targeting the different biological stages of the insect and are based on different kinds of practices.

Gut enzymes can metabolize plant defense compounds and thereby affect the growth and fitness of insect herbivores. Whether these enzymes also influence feeding preference is largely unknown. We studied the metabolization of taraxinic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester (TA-G), a sesquiterpene lactone of the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) that deters its major root herbivore, the common cockchafer larva (Melolontha melolontha). We have demonstrated that TA-G is rapidly deglucosylated and conjugated to glutathione in the insect gut. A broad-spectrum M. melolontha β-glucosidase, Mm_bGlc17, is sufficient and necessary for TA-G deglucosylation. Using cross-species RNA interference, we have shown that Mm_bGlc17 reduces TA-G toxicity. Furthermore, Mm_bGlc17 is required for the preference of M. melolontha larvae for TA-G-deficient plants. Thus, herbivore metabolism modulates both the toxicity and deterrence of a plant defense compound. Our work illustrates the multifaceted roles of insect digestive enzymes as mediators of plant-herbivore interactions., eLife digest Plants produce certain substances to fend off attackers like plant-feeding insects. To stop these compounds from damaging their own cells, plants often attach sugar molecules to them. When an insect tries to eat the plant, the plant removes the stabilizing sugar, ‘activating’ the compounds and making them toxic or foul-tasting. Curiously, some insects remove the sugar themselves, but it is unclear what consequences this has, especially for insect behavior. Dandelions, Taraxacum officinale, make high concentrations of a sugar-containing defense compound in their roots called taraxinic acid β-D-glucopyranosyl ester, or TA-G for short. TA-G deters the larvae of the Maybug – a pest also known as the common cockchafer or the doodlebug – from eating dandelion roots. When Maybug larvae do eat TA-G, it is found in their systems without its sugar. However, it is unclear whether it is the plant or the larva that removes the sugar. A second open question is how the sugar removal process affects the behavior of the Maybug larvae. Using chemical analysis and genetic manipulation, Huber et al. investigated what happens when Maybug larvae eat TA-G. This revealed that the acidity levels in the larvae’s digestive system deactivate the proteins from the dandelion that would normally remove the sugar from TA-G. However, rather than leaving the compound intact, larvae remove the sugar from TA-G themselves. They do this using a digestive enzyme, known as a beta-glucosidase, that cuts through sugar. Removing the sugar from TA-G made the compound less toxic, allowing the larvae to grow bigger, but it also increased TA-G’s deterrent effects, making the larvae less likely to eat the roots. Any organism that eats plants, including humans, must deal with chemicals like TA-G in their food. Once inside the body, enzymes can change these chemicals, altering their effects. This happens with many medicines, too. In the future, it might be possible to design compounds that activate only in certain species, or under certain conditions. Further studies in different systems may aid the development of new methods of pest control, or new drug treatments.

The biodiversity of northern South American and Central American Liogenys Guérin-Méneville, 1831 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Diplotaxini) is reviewed. Four new species are described: L. clipeosetosa Cherman, new species; L. genieri Smith & Cherman, new species; L. granadina Cherman, new species; and L. schneiderae Cherman, new species. The male of L. quadridens (Fabricius, 1798) and the female of L. quadridentata Blanchard, 1851 are described for the first time. Liogenys gebieni Moser, 1921 is a new junior subjective synonym of L. macropelma Bates, 1887. The northernmost record of Liogenys is emended to Trinidad and Tobago for L. granadina Cherman, new species and L. schneiderae new species. Diplotaxis puberea cuprascens (Bates, 1887) new combination, Diplotaxis puberea puberea (Bates, 1887) new combination, and Diplotaxis pubisternis (Bates, 1887) new combination are all transferred from Liogenys to Diplotaxis Kirby, 1837. Lectotypes are designated for Liogenys gebieni Moser, 1921; Melolontha quadridens Fabricius, 1798; and Liogenys quadridentatus Blanchard, 1851. An identification key to northern South American Liogenys is presented.

Root-feeding insect herbivores are of substantial evolutionary, ecological and economical importance. Plants can resist insect herbivores through a variety of tolerance and resistance strategies. To date, few studies have systematically assessed the prevalence and importance of these strategies for root-herbivore interactions across different plant species.Here, we characterize the defense strategies used by three different grassland species to cope with a generalist root herbivore, the larvae of the European cockchafer Melolontha melolontha.Our results reveal that the different plant species rely on distinct sets of defense strategies. The spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) resists attack by dissuading the larvae through the release of repellent chemicals. White clover (Trifolium repens) does not repel the herbivore, but reduces feeding, most likely through structural defenses and low nutritional quality. Finally, the common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) allows M. melolontha to feed abundantly but compensates for tissue loss through induced regrowth.Synthesis: Three co-occurring plant species have evolved different solutions to defend themselves against attack by a generalist root herbivore. The different root defense strategies may reflect distinct defense syndromes.

We investigated the occurrence and pathogenicity of Beauveria spp. (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) in forest soils in Poland, in outbreak areas of cockchafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): Melolontha melolontha L. and M. hippocastani F. We also examined the occurrence of Beauveria in relation to soil pH. Beauveria spp. isolates were characterised at species and genotype levels using ITS and microsatellite markers. Beauveria spp., which were detected at over 80% of sites, were sensitive to pH, preferring neutral or alkaline soils. This suggests that the acidity of forest soils in Poland can affect their efficacy as biological control agents (BCAs). B. brongniartii (Sacc.) Petch as a pathogen of cockchafers occurred at 41% of sites, but often at densities below the threshold values for infection, and it infected only 1.3% of cockchafer grubs. Our results suggest that B. brongniartii genotype isolated from cockchafers in forest soils can potentially expand the pool of BCAs in this environment.

This study focused on the potential relationships between midgut microbiota of the common cockchafer Melolontha melolontha larvae and their resistance to entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) infection. We investigated the bacterial community associated with control and unsusceptible EPN-exposed insects through nanopore sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Bacteroidetes were the most abundant bacterial phyla within the complex and variable midgut microbiota of the wild M. melolontha larvae. The core microbiota was found to include 82 genera, which accounted for 3.4% of the total number of identified genera. The EPN-resistant larvae differed significantly from the control ones in the abundance of many genera belonging to the Actinomycetales, Rhizobiales, and Clostridiales orders. Additionally, the analysis of the microbiome networks revealed different sets of keystone midgut bacterial genera between these two groups of insects, indicating differences in the mutual interactions between bacteria. Finally, we detected Xenorhabdus and Photorhabdus as gut residents and various bacterial species exhibiting antagonistic activity against these entomopathogens. This study paves the way to further research aimed at unravelling the role of the host gut microbiota on the output of EPN infection, which may contribute to enhancement of the efficiency of nematodes used in eco-friendly pest management. W badaniach skupiono się na potencjalnych związkach pomiędzy mikroflorą jelita środkowego larw chrabąszcza majowego Melolontha melolontha a ich opornością na infekcję przez nicienie entomopatogeniczne (EPN). Za pomocą sekwencjonowania nanoporowego genu 16S rRNA zbadaliśmy zgrupowania bakterii związane z owadami kontrolnymi oraz owadami niewrażliwymi na infekcję przez EPN. W złożonej i zmiennej mikroflorze jelita środkowego dzikich larw M. melolontha najliczniejszymi gatunkami bakterii były Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria i Bacteroidetes. Stwierdzono, że podstawowa mikroflora obejmuje 82 rodzaje, które stanowiły 3,4% ogólnej liczby zidentyfikowanych rodzajów. Larwy owadów oporne na EPN różniły się znacznie od larw kontrolnych liczebnością wielu rodzajów należących do rzędu Actinomycetales, Rhizobiales i Clostridiales. Larwy oporne na EPN różniły się znacznie od larw kontrolnych liczebnością wielu rodzajów należących do rzędu Actinomycetales, Rhizobiales i Clostridiales. Analiza sieci mikroflory bakteryjnej wykazała ponadto różnice w zgrupowaniach kluczowych gatunków pomiędzy tymi dwiema grupami owadów, co wskazuje na różnice we wzajemnych interakcjach między bakteriami. Wśród bakterii zasiedlających jelito owadów wykryliśmy Xenorhabdus i Photorhabdus oraz różne gatunki bakterii wykazujące oddziaływania antagonistyczne względem tych entomopatogenów. Przeprowadzone badania torują drogę kolejnym, mającym na celu wyjaśnienie wpływu mikroflory jelitowej żywiciela na infekcję przez EPN, co może przyczynić się do zwiększenia skuteczności nicieni wykorzystywanych w biologicznych metodach ochrony roślin przed szkodnikami. NCN

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate and document the characteristic electron microscopic features of the oocyst of Adelina melolonthae, a coccidian pathogen of the European cockchafer, Melolontha melolontha (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Methods Larvae of M. melolontha were collected at Ordu, Turkey. Each larva was dissected in insect Ringer solution. Adeleid oocysts from the tissue that is suspected to Contain coccidian infections were examined under a light microscope (Zeiss), a scanning electron microscope (FEI Quanta 200) and transmission electron Microscope (Philips EM 208). Results Spherical to ellipsoidal oocysts measure ca. 24-44.5 mu m (mean 35.6 mu m) in diameter (n = 50) and include up to twelve sporocysts. The oocyst wall has double layers; the outer layer measured 400-500 nm in thickness and the inner one 10-25 nm. Sporocysts including two sporozoites are rounded ca. 11-12.5 mu m (mean 11.7 mu m) in diameter. The sporocyst wall consisted of only one 70-80-nm-thick layer. The sporozoites are ellipsoidal and measured 9-11 mu m length and 3-4 mu m in width. Sporocysts include residual bodies. Conclusion In the present paper, the morphology and ultrastructure of the oocyst of A. melolonthae is documented for the first time and compared with other Adelina and coccidian species infecting insects. The results in this study confirm his identification and justify the classification as a separate species A. melolonthae, which differs from other Adelina species.

The type material of Australian Anoplognathini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) housed in Swedish natural history collections is reviewed, concerning three genera: Anoplognathus Leach, 1815, Amblyterus MacLeay, 1819, and Repsimus MacLeay, 1819. The species were described by G.J. Billberg, J.W. Dalman, L. Gyllenhal, C.J. Schönherr, O. Swartz, and C.P. Thunberg. The contemporary type material of W.S. MacLeay in the Macleay Museum, Sydney, is also examined as it has been overlooked by previous researchers. In total, type specimens for 12 species described between 1817 and 1822 were found in the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet in Stockholm the Evolutionsmuseet in Uppsala and the Macleay Museum. Five of these species are valid: Anoplognathus brunnipennis, (Gyllenhal, 1817); A. olivieri (Schönherr & Dalman, 1817); A. porosus (Dalman, 1817); Amblyterus cicatricosus (Gyllenhal, 1817); and Repsimus manicatus (Swartz, 1817). The other seven species are junior synonyms, as follows (senior synonym first): A. brunnipennis = Rutela chloropyga Thunberg, 1822 (new synonym); A. olivieri = Rutela lacunosa Thunberg, 1822 (new synonym); A. viridiaeneus (Donovan, 1805) = A. latreillei (Schönherr & Gyllenhal, 1817); A. viriditarsus Leach, 1815 = Rutela analis Dalman, 1817; and R. manicatus = Anoplognathus brownii W.J. MacLeay, 1819 = A. dytiscoides W. J. MacLeay, 1819 = Rutela ruficollis Thunberg, 1822 (new synonym). Authorship of A. latreillei and A. olivieri is corrected, as noted above. Anoplognathus brunnipennis has been misidentified for the last 60 years at least, leading to the synonymy noted above. Anoplognathus flavipennis Boisduval, 1835 (revised status), is reinstated as the oldest available name for the misidentified A. brunnipennis and the types of A. flavipennis in the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, are illustrated. Lectotypes are designated for: Anoplognathus brownii, A. flavipennis, A. dytiscoides, Melolontha cicatricosa, Rutela analis, R. brunnipennis, R. lacunosa, R. latreillei, R. manicata, R. olivieri, R. porosa, R. ruficollis, and R. chloropyga. Photographs of all type specimens examined are presented for the first time.

Melolonthinae are the largest subfamily of Scarabaeidae, considered as serious pests for their larvae attacking plant roots and tubers. The edaphic larvae are difficult to be identified because the study on larval taxonomy is far from satisfactory. In this study, multivoltine white grubs Melolontha incana (Motschulsky, 1853) were investigated using light and scanning electron microscopy, in order to provide more morphological characters for the pest identification. The white grubs are atypical for the epipharynx bearing 14 heli arranged in two rows; the mandible is furnished with a patch of minute granules; the maxilla is equipped with 18 acute stridulatory teeth arranged in line; each femur and tibiotarsus is furnished ventrally with a cluster of fossorial setae. The morphological comparisons with the other melolonthine species were provided. The adaptative relationship between the morphological feature and the multivoltine life history were briefly discussed.

Motschulsky (1859), a Russian Imperial Army Colonel and entomologist, established the genus Exopholis, described E. birmannica and transferred Melolontha hypoleuca Wiedemann, 1819 to it. Brenske (1896) described Exopholis philippinica from the “Philippinen” from a single female specimen. Dalla Torre (1912), listed eight species under the genus Exopholis Motschulsky, 1859 from South East Asia: E. hypoleuca (Weidemann, 1819) (Myanmar, Malaysia, Borneo, Java, Sumatra, Nias, Ambon), E. costata (Burmeister, 1855) (Java, Nias), E. birmanica Motschulsky, 1859 (Myanmar), E. lacordairei Waterhouse, 1867 (Borneo), E. pinguis Lansberge, 1879 (Sumatra), E. brenskei Nonfried, 1891, E. borneensis Brenske, 1894 (both from Borneo) and E. philippinica Brenske, 1896 (Philippines). This paper aims to review the taxonomy of Exopholis from the Philippines. Specifically, to focus on the diagnosis of Exopholis philippinica and its geographic distribution.

The effect of fungal entomopathogen M. anisopliae strain NCAIM 362 against M. melolontha larvae in sweet potato was tested under open field conditions when crop management included compost supply and soil cover (agro-foil or agro-textile). Additionally, the effect of M. anisopliae same strain against M. melolontha was compared with the effect of &alpha, cypermethrin under greenhouse conditions. Soil microbial community using Illumina sequencing and soil biological activity were tested as possible parameter influencing M. anisopliae effect. According to the results, compost supply and textile cover may enhance the effectiveness of M. anisopliae under open field conditions, while no effect of fungal treatment was detected under greenhouse conditions. Even if soil parameters (chemical composition, bacterial, and biological activity) were identical, the effect of &alpha, cypermethrin against M. melolontha larvae was significant: lower ratio of larval survival and less damaged tubers were detected after the chemical treatment. Our results suggest that M. anisopliae strain NCAIM 362 is not effective to control M. melolontha larvae, further pieces of research are needed to test other species of the Metarhizium genus to find an effective agent for sustainable pest control in sweet potato.

Arthropods are a major soil fauna group, and have the potential to substantially influence the spatial and temporal variability of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks and sources. The overall effect of soil-inhabiting arthropods on soil GHG fluxes still remains poorly quantified since the majority of the available data comes from laboratory experiments, is often controversial, and has been limited to a few species. The main objective of this study was to provide first insights into field-level carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions of soil-inhabiting larvae of the Scarabaeidae family. Larvae of the genus Melolontha were excavated at various grassland and forest sites in west-central and southern Germany, covering a wide range of different larval developmental stages, and larval activity levels. Excavated larvae were immediately incubated in the field to measure their GHG emissions. Gaseous carbon emissions of individual larvae showed a large inter- and intra-site variability which was strongly correlated to larval biomass. This correlation persisted when upscaling CO2 and CH4 emissions to the plot scale. Field emission estimates for Melolontha spp. were subsequently upscaled to the European level to derive the first regional GHG emission estimates for members of the Scarabaeidae family. Estimates ranged between 10.42 and 409.53 kt CO2 yr-1, and 0.01 and 1.36 kt CH4 yr-1. Larval N2O emissions were only sporadically observed and not upscaled. For one site, a comparison of field- and laboratory-based GHG emission measurements was conducted to assess potential biases introduced by transferring Scarabaeidae larvae to artificial environments. Emission strength and variability of captive larvae decreased significantly within two weeks and the correlation between larval biomass and gaseous carbon emissions disappeared, highlighting the importance of field measurements. Overall, our data show that Scarabaeidae larvae can be significant soil GHG sources and should not be neglected in soil GHG flux research.

Arthropods are a major soil fauna group, and have the potential to substantially influence the spatial and temporal variability of soil greenhouse gas (GHG) sinks and sources. The overall effect of soil-inhabiting arthropods on soil GHG fluxes still remains poorly quantified since the majority of the available data comes from laboratory experiments, is often controversial, and has been limited to a few species. The main objective of this study was to provide first insights into field-level carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) release of soil-inhabiting larvae of the Scarabaeidae family. Larvae of the genus Melolontha were excavated at various sites in west-central and southern Germany, covering a wide range of different larval developmental stages, larval activity levels, and vegetation types. Excavated larvae were immediately incubated in the field to measure their GHG production. Gaseous carbon release of individual larvae showed a large inter- and intra-site variability which was strongly correlated to larval biomass. This correlation persisted when upscaling individual CO2 and CH4 production to the plot scale. Field release estimates for Melolontha spp. were subsequently upscaled to the European level to derive the first regional GHG release estimates for members of the Scarabaeidae family. Estimates ranged between 10.42 and 409.53 kt CO2 yr-1, and 0.01 and 1.36 kt CH4 yr-1. Larval N2O release was only sporadically observed and not upscaled. For one site, a comparison of field- and laboratory-based GHG production measurements was conducted to assess potential biases introduced by transferring Scarabaeidae larvae to artificial environments. Release strength and variability of captive larvae decreased significantly within two weeks and the correlation between larval biomass and gaseous carbon production disappeared, highlighting the importance of field measurements. Overall, our data show that Scarabaeidae larvae can be significant soil GHG sources and should not be neglected in soil GHG flux research.

Plants experience seasonal fluctuations in abiotic and biotic factors such as herbivore attack rates. If and how root defense expression co-varies with seasonal fluctuations in abiotic factors and root herbivore attack rates is not well understood. Here, we evaluated seasonal changes in defensive root latex chemistry of Taraxacum officinale plants in the field and correlated the changes with seasonal fluctuations in abiotic factors and damage potential by Melolontha melolontha, a major natural enemy of T. officinale. We then explored the causality and consequences of these relationships under controlled conditions. The concentration of the defensive sesquiterpene lactone taraxinic acid β-D glucopyranosyl ester (TA-G) varied substantially over the year and was most strongly correlated to mean monthly temperature. Both temperature and TA-G levels were correlated with annual fluctuations in potential M. melolontha damage. Under controlled conditions, plants grown under high temperature produced more TA-G and were less attractive for M. melolontha. However, temperature-dependent M. melolontha feeding preferences were not significantly altered in TA-G deficient transgenic lines. Our results suggest that fluctuations in temperature leads to variation in the production of a root defensive metabolites that co-varies with expected attack of a major root herbivore. Temperature-dependent herbivore preference, however, is likely to be modulated by other phenotypic alterations.

Between 2012 and 2014, we tested the efficacy of different synthetic attractants for the purpose of massive trapping of common European cockchafer adults (Melolontha melolontha). The research took place in three different locations in Slovenia (Otlica, Crni Vrh nad Idrijo, Cesta nad Ajdovscino) during flight periods of adult beetles. In the period 2013–2014, we used, on the basis of the preliminary test results (2012), the following chemicals: toluquinone, cis–3–hexen–1-ol, ethyl acetate, toluquinone + cis–3 hexen–1-ol, and ethanol as a control. M. melolontha adults were most abundant in the location Crni Vrh nad Idrijo; the traps in this location caught 18 times more of them than those in the first location and more than six times more than those in the third location. Male insects accounted for 73 to 87% of the trapped specimens. We confirmed the highest efficiency of cis–3–hexen–1-ol in 2013 (43.25 ± 0.08 males/trap), as well as in 2014 (15.00 ± 0.14 males/trap). On the basis of the trapped adu...

The paper presets the results of the study on the life span, survival, body weight and fecundity of cockchafer (Melolontha spp.) adults feeding on the leaves of Betula pendula Roth., Quercus robur L., Q. rubra L., Acer platanoides L., Tilia cordata Mill. and Pinus silvestris L. inflorescences. The life span and body weight of adults, as well as female fertility were examined in the years 2015, 2016 and 2017. In 2015, the tested common cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha L.) adults and forest cockchafer (Melololntha hippocastani F.) adults were fed on B. pendula., Q. robur and P. silvestris. In 2016, forest cockchafer adults were fed on B. pendula, Q. robur, Q. rubra, T. cordata, and in 2017 – on B. pendula., Q. robur T. cordata and A. platanoides. Adults of both species feeding on Q. robur were treated as the control. Adult specimens observed under laboratory conditions were collected in the field, shortly after leaving their overwintering sites in the soil. Our results showed that feeding on the leaves of Q. robur and Q. rubra had the greatest positive effects on the life span, body weight and fecundity of the studied cockchafer adults. M. melolontha females reared on the leaves of B. pendula laid no eggs. The leaves of A. platanoides constituted an adequate food source for the development of M. hippocastani. P. silvestris inflorescences proved to be the right food only for M. melolontha females. M. hippocastani adults feeding on T. cordata and B. pendula were characterized by a short life, decreasing body weight in the first days of observation and low fertility.

Cockchafers of the genus Melolontha (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) seem to have a strong effect on forest management by inducing significant losses in the forest stands. Monitoring of the occurrence of Melolontha is carried out in many European countries, and the detailed data are available. But there is still a lack of data of the genetic population structure of Melolontha species as well as appropriate genetic markers. Amplification of microsatellite loci, developed for Melolontha melolontha, was performed in the closely related species Melolontha hippocastani. We successfully amplified the same eight polymorphic markers in both species of Melolontha. Generally, more alleles (from 5 to 15) were obtained for M. melolontha markers, and considerably fewer alleles (from 2 to 7) were observed for M. hippocastani. The mean observed heterozygosities were 0.676 and 0.192 respectively. The microsatellite markers tested in this study could be successfully used to study the population genetics of M. hippocastani.

Current meta-analysis has identified the shortage of information on responses of woody plants to root damage as the most critical gap in studies of belowground insect herbivory. We explored the impacts of natural and simulated root herbivory on seedlings of three boreal forest-forming trees, Pinus sylvestris , Picea abies and Betula pendula . We compared the effects of natural herbivory and mechanical damage by placing one larva of the common cockchafer, Melolontha melolontha, of different instars (to manipulate root loss) into a pot with a one-year-old seedling or we excised a portion of the roots by inserting a 13-mm diameter cork borer into the soil. During the experiment, which lasted from 2 to 8 weeks, the larvae consumed 53–73% of root biomass, whereas the mechanical damage treatment removed 30–40% of roots. Seedling mortality was low (5%) across all treatments, but the aboveground biomass decreased by 3–43% due to natural herbivory and by 6–30% due to mechanical damage. The M. melolontha larvae consumed a larger amount of roots from B. pendula than from either P. sylvestris or P. abies, but the larvae showed similar relative growth rates and mass gains, indicating a different efficiency of conversion of ingested food (ECI). The values of ECI calculated for larvae of M. melolontha (2.3–3.5%) appeared much lower than the 17% reported earlier for larvae of foliage-feeding beetles, presumably due to the high energetic cost of locomotion in the soil. Consequently, root-feeding insects consume much more plant biomass than leaf-feeding insects do to gain similar body mass, and therefore they inflict relatively more damage to plants per unit of mass gained. Based on the biomass of insect herbivores in European forests, we estimate that they consume 0.5% of the available fine root biomass. The effects of low levels of root damage on growth and reproduction of woody plants remain virtually unknown, emphasising the need for studies of plant- and ecosystem-level effects of minor but chronic root herbivory.

All new genus-group names included in Gistel’s list of Coleoptera from the collection of Count Rudolph von Jenison Walwort, published in 1834, are recorded. For each of these names, the originally included available species are listed and for those with at least one available species included, the type species and current status are provided. The following new synonymies are proposed [valid names in brackets]: Auxora [Nebria Latreille, 1806; Carabidae], Necrotroctes [Velleius Leach, 1819; Staphylinidae], Epimachus [Ochthephilum Stephens, 1829; Staphylinidae], Ocys [Anaulacaspis Ganglbauer, 1895; Staphylinidae], Hydatobia [Autalia Samouelle, 1819; Staphylinidae], Hedonius [Pyrophorus Billberg, 1820; Elateridae], Charmionus [Chalcolepidius Eschscholtz, 1829; Elateridae], Lamprias [Alaus Eschscholtz, 1829; Elateridae], Trypheus [Aeolus Eschscholtz, 1829; Elateridae], Antiphus [Cardiorhinus Eschscholtz, 1829; Elateridae], Phyletus [Lygistopterus Dejean, 1833; Lycidae], Phyllogaster [Lucidota Laporte, 1833; Lampyridae], Pyrrhigius [Phosphaenus Laporte, 1833; Lampyridae], Erota [Luciola Laporte, 1833; Lampyridae], Oxypterus [Aspisoma Laporte, 1833; Lampyridae], Phyllophagus [Chauliognathus Hentz, 1830; Cantharidae], Epaphius [Astylus Laporte, 1836; Melyridae], Isomerus [Choleva Latreille, 1797; Leiodidae], Berecyntha [Aulacochilus Chevrolat, 1836; Erotylidae], Geophilus [Psammodius Fallén, 1807; Scarabaeidae], Ceraunus [Golofa Hope, 1837; Scarabaeidae], Atrimedeus [Pentodon Hope, 1837; Scarabaeidae], Eupalus [Temnorhynchus Hope, 1837; Scarabaeidae], Polycarmes [Anoxia Laporte, 1832; Scarabaeidae], Acidota [Amphicoma Latreille, 1807; Glaphyridae], Cecrops [Mylaris Pallas, 1781; Tenebrionidae], Pythonissus [Zophobas Dejean, 1834; Tenebrionidae], Physignathus [Cymatothes Dejean, 1834; Tenebrionidae], Pelops [Prionychus Solier, 1835; Tenebrionidae], Accantosomus [Semiotus Eschscholtz, 1829; Elateridae]. The type species of the following genus-group taxa are proposed: Ocys [Aleochara nigra Gravenhorst, 1802; Staphylinidae], Hydatobia [Staphylinus impressus Olivier, 1795; Staphylinidae], Hedonius [Elater noctilucus Linnaeus, 1758; Elateridae], Charmionus [Elater porcatus Linnaeus, 1767; Elateridae], Epaphius [Dasytes variegatus Germar, 1823; Melyridae], Geophilus [Scarabeus asper Fabricius, 1775; Scarabaeidae], Atrimedeus [Scarabaeus punctatus Villers, 1789; Scarabaeidae], Polycarmes [Melolontha villosa Fabricius, 1781; Scarabaeidae], Cecrops [Tenebrio gigas Linnaeus, 1763; Tenebrionidae], Pythonissus [Helops morio Fabricius, 1777; Tenebrionidae], Ceratades [Cerambyx sutor Linnaeus, 1758; Cerambycidae]. The following genus-group names are declared nomina oblita [nomina protecta in square brackets]: Berecyntha [Aulacochilus Chevrolat, 1836; Erotylidae], Ceraunus [Golofa Hope, 1837; Scarabaeidae], Atrimedeus [Pentodon Hope, 1837; Scarabaeidae], Eupalus [Temnorhynchus Hope, 1837; Scarabaeidae], Pelops [Prionychus Solier, 1835; Tenebrionidae].

International audience; 1. Plant neighbours can strongly influence the interactions between herbivores and focal plants, for instance by providing food of different quality (consumptive effects) or by changing the behaviour and metabolism of the herbivore and the focal plant without being consumed (non-consumptive effects). Determining the species-specific contributions of consumptive and non-consumptive effects is important to understand the ecophysiological mechanisms which underlie neighbourhood effects. 2. We quantified the impact of nine different grassland plant species on the interaction between Taraxacum officinale and the root-feeding insect Melolontha melolontha. We investigated the contribution of consumptive and non-consumptive effects to the observed patterns, and evaluated the impact of neighbouring plants on the growth and physiology of T.officinale upon M.melolontha attack. 3. Melolontha melolontha growth was strongly affected by the presence of different neighbouring species. The three grass species increased larval growth when growing with T.officinale, with Poa pratensis having a synergistic effect in the mixture compared to both monocultures. The forb Centaurea stoebe reduced larval growth when growing with T.officinale or alone. The other five species had no measurable impact on larval performance. Based on these results, P.pratensis and C.stoebe were selected for further experiments. 4. Diet-mixing experiments showed that P.pratensis increased M.melolontha growth when offered together with T.officinale, while C.stoebe suppressed it. When feeding was restricted to artificial diet, larval growth was not changed by the presence of P.pratensis or C.stoebe. However, when feeding was restricted to T.officinale, larval growth was increased by both heterospecific neighbours. Biomass and primary metabolism of T.officinale under attack by M.melolontha was also altered by the presence of C.stoebe and P.pratensis. Together, these results show that consumptive and non-consumptive effects can explain the positive effect of P.pratensis. In contrast, the negative effect of C.stoebe is likely driven exclusively by intoxication. 5. Synthesis. The performed experiments suggest that different combinations of consumptive and non-consumptive effects are likely to contribute to the diversity of neighbourhood effects in nature. Furthermore, they show that neighbourhood effects are important factors in below-ground plant-insect interactions.