Melolontha (Beetle)

The genus Melolontha belongs to the Scarabaeidae family of beetles. This genus includes the European cockchafers. Insects classified as beetles belong to the superorder Holometabola and the order Coleoptera. They differ from most other insects in that their first pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, or elytra. With over 400,000 recognized species, the Coleoptera is the largest of all orders, accounting for nearly 40% of reported arthropods and 25% of all known animal species. New species are often found, and estimates place the total number of species between 0.9 and 2.1 million.

Contents hide

1) Classification of Melolontha (Beetle)

2) Habit and habitat

3) Distribution

4) Comments on Melolontha (Beetle)

5) Economic status

6) Identification

Classification of Melolontha (Beetle)

Phylum – Arthropoda (Jointed Appendages)

Class – Insecta (3 pairs of legs.)

Sub-class – Pterygota (Winged insects.)

Division – Endopterygota(Wings develop internally.)

Order – Lepidoptera (Scale wing.)

Genus – Melolontha (Beetle)

Habit and habitat

Melolontha is a terrestrial and burrowings insect.

Distribution

It has wide distribution but specially occurs in India, Malaysia, Myanmar, Srilanka.

Comments on Melolontha (Beetle)

Commonly called as beetle.
Body is black coloured having leathery and horny integument.
Body division consists of head, thorax and abdomen.
Head is bent or flexed ventrally, containing large compound eyes and a pairs of long antennae having a series of overlapping plates at distal ends.
Mouth parts are of chewing type.
Thorax has strong chitinised pronotum and pleural sclerites.
Prothorax is large, firmly attached to the head, but articulated with the mesothorax.
Abdomen has 10 segments but only 7 sternal and 8 tergal plates are visible.
The posterior abdominal segment is reduced and it contains chitinous aedeagus (penis).
Wings are two pairs.
Forewings are modified into horny or leathery elytra and when at rest almost always meet to form a straight, mid-dorsal structure.
The venation of the wings is reduced.
Hind wings are membranous and are usually folded beneath the elytra.
No cerci and no true ovipositor

Economic status

Some beetle, like buffalo carpet beetle, is a common household pest, which feeds on wool, fur, rugs and other clothes. Various species of the beetles act as intermediate host for nematode parasites of domesticated animals.

Identification

Since the insect has peculiar elytra and all above features, hence it is Melolontha.

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