Fauna
Insect

Northern Masked Chafer

Cyclocephala borealis

Also known as Masked Chafer Beetle, Northern White Grub

Northern masked chafers spend the vast majority of their life cycle underground as c-shaped white grubs that chew through the root systems of turfgrasses and pasture plants. Adult beetles emerge on warm summer evenings, flying actively at dusk and crowding around porch lights in search of mates. Unlike many related scarabs, the adults do not actively feed on foliage or flowers, relying entirely on fat reserves stored during their larval stage.

NocturnalBurrowingSubterranean
Northern Masked Chafer reference1 / 3
(c) Mike Reding & Betsy Anderson, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · cc-by-sa
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Not EvaluatedConservation statusIUCN Red List categoriesLCNTVUENCREWEXNot Evaluated — not placed on the risk ladderRed List categories, explained →
Key facts
Diet & preyTurfgrass Roots, Soil Organic Matter, Pasture Roots
Predators
  • Striped Skunk
  • American Crow
  • European Starling
ThreatsChemical pesticides, turf management practices, and severe soil drought
HabitatsLawns, pastures, golf courses, meadows, and agricultural fields
Life span1 year (10–11 months as a subterranean grub)
Classification
  1. OrderColeoptera
  2. FamilyScarabaeidae
  3. GenusCyclocephala
  4. SpeciesCyclocephala borealis
Range & activity
Range data is not available yet.
Safe observation
Interaction riskLow
  1. Low
  2. Moderate
  3. High
  4. Very high
Why interaction risk is low
Harmless to humans; safe to observe at a normal distance.
Responsible observation
  • Night Lighting: Check outdoor light fixtures and window screens on humid midsummer nights to view adults.
  • Lawn Assessment: Gently pull back spongy patches of dying turf in late summer to locate feeding grubs beneath.
Related species
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