Insect · GBIF taxon 4425774
Popillia japonica
popillia japonicaJapanese beetles display a brilliant metallic green thorax and copper-brown wing covers, fringed with distinctive white tufts of hair along their abdomen. These highly social pests gather in large numbers to skeletonize foliage, leaving behind lace-like remains of leaves on roses, grapes, and lindens. While their underground larvae devastate turfgrass by chewing roots, the adults use powerful pheromones to summon hundreds of companions to a single feeding site.
InvasiveMetallicAgricultural Pest
—observations
—countries
—peak records
Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Diet & prey
- Rose petals
- Grape leaves
- Linden foliage
Predators
- Starlings
- Moles
- Parasitic wasps
ThreatsPesticides, parasitic wasps, and soil-dwelling nematodes
HabitatsGardens, agricultural fields, orchards, and turf lawns
Life span1 year
Size / weightNot available
Classification
- OrderColeoptera
- FamilyScarabaeidae
- GenusPopillia
- Speciespopillia japonica
Range data is not available yet.
Interaction riskLow
- Low
- Moderate
- High
- Very high
- Why interaction risk is low
- Safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
- Hand-picking: Shake them into soapy water during cool mornings when they are sluggish.
- Pheromone trap caution: Avoid retail traps as they attract far more beetles than they catch.
- Damage recognition: Look for skeletonized leaves where only the tough veins remain.
Competitor (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Thomas Koffel, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Thomas Koffel · cc-by
Close Relative (c) Daughter Dad, some rights reserved (CC BY) · cc-by
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