Top Tweets for #JuneBeetle

about 2 months ago

I can't tell if this bug is a June beetle or a flower chafer, but it's clinging to my finger and won't let go! #JuneBeetle #FlowerChafer #BugLife

ak17nov's tweet photo. I can't tell if this bug is a June beetle or a flower chafer, but it's clinging to my finger and won't let go! #JuneBeetle #FlowerChafer #BugLife https://t.co/1cWu4zbDAC

Stefan F. Wirth

@wirthstef

about 1 year ago

The #Mediterranean #Junebeetle #Mimela #junii (#Scarabeidae) occurs in #Berlin, but is not native to Central Europe and rather a #neozoan. About its #biology, native #distribution, human made distribution and its #thanatosis #behavior. Other originally #Mediterraneanspecies in Berlin are named. When species appear outside their original range, this is usually due either to spontaneous spread beyond the original distribution boundaries or to introduction by humans. If the species succeeds in establishing itself permanently in a new area in the latter case, it is referred to as a #neobiota, in this case specifically as a neozoan. This version seemingly also applies to the Mediterranean June beetle. The beetle is originally distributed in southern #France and northern #Italy up to the Swiss border. In #Germany, the species can be found primarily in the north, for example, in Berlin. I was originally unfamiliar with this strikingly colorful, iridescent neozoan. Therefore I was surprised to find a specimen on my bicycle saddle one evening in the Schöneberg district of Berlin. I was immediately convinced that this couldn't be a native scarab. And rightly so. Adult beetles of Mimela junii are warmth loving and #feed on various grass species, but are not specialized on specific plant hosts and will also feed on the foliage of various shrubs. The beetles can also be found on elderflowers. The larvae unfurl in #sandy #soil, where they feed on the roots of herbaceous plants. This makes them members of #psammophilous species communities. Psammophilous species are organisms adapted to life in sandy environments. M. junii exhibits conspicuous #thanatosisbehavior when it feels threatened. Thanatosis describes a behavior in which an animal pretends to be dead to mislead predators, as many predators disdain dead prey. Thanatosis behavior, in which the #hindlegs are usually splayed upward while the abdomen is slightly erect, is quite common in Scarabaeidae. It may be an original character trait within this beetle family. The Mediterranean June beetle I observed exhibited a particularly frequent and conspicuous thanatosis behavior, which it repeatedly performed with continued stimulation, not only clearly splaying its hind legs but also raising its #abdomen so high that it almost performed a headstand (see photos). But can we really generalize that this is the typical thanatosis behavior of the species? It may be necessary to observe more individuals, as the authors G. Natta et al. (2023) demonstrated, using the scarabaeid dung beetle #Copris #umbilicatus, that #individualism occurs not only in vertebrates but also in #insects. The Italian researchers were able to distinguish between #bolder and #fearful #individuals that practiced shorter or longer thanatosis and showed more or less #locomotionactivity, respectively. Various species that originally occur in the Mediterranean region have spread to Berlin either independently or through human intervention. I have documented several such species: *The striped bug #Graphosoma #italicum (distributed itself northwards: biological colonization) https://t.co/kKX8EBN0p8 *The Italian locust #Calliptamus #italicus (originally distributed throughout Europe, common in Southern Europe) https://t.co/Noqx7yDatm *The hoary footman moth #Eilema #caniola (biological colonization, known from Berlin since 2017) https://t.co/Ej4s9F4Ebg * The snail #Monacha #cartusiana (neozoon) https://t.co/YtECHVvvJz * The white-spotted rose beetle #Oxythyrea #funesta (biological colonization, recently) https://t.co/dSXyzyuXWL Thomaes, A. et al. (2022) demonstrated, using Belgium, that Mimelia junii spread to Central/Western #Europe likely due to #humantransport, making the species a neozoon. © #StefanFWirth Berlin July 2025 References: G. Natta et al. (2023): https://t.co/buxRUj7Kuh Thomaes, A. et al. (2022): https://t.co/AakNqon03S #Photos: Mimelia junii in Berlin, found district Schöneberg © S.F. Wirth, July 2025

wirthstef's tweet photo. The #Mediterranean #Junebeetle #Mimela #junii (#Scarabeidae) occurs in #Berlin, but is not native to Central Europe and rather a #neozoan. About its #biology, native #distribution, human made distribution and its #thanatosis #behavior. Other originally #Mediterraneanspecies in Berlin are named.

When species appear outside their original range, this is usually due either to spontaneous spread beyond the original distribution boundaries or to introduction by humans. If the species succeeds in establishing itself permanently in a new area in the latter case, it is referred to as a #neobiota, in this case specifically as a neozoan.
This version seemingly also applies to the Mediterranean June beetle. The beetle is originally distributed in southern #France and northern #Italy up to the Swiss border. In #Germany, the species can be found primarily in the north, for example, in Berlin. I was originally unfamiliar with this strikingly colorful, iridescent neozoan. Therefore I was surprised to find a specimen on my bicycle saddle one evening in the Schöneberg district of Berlin. I was immediately convinced that this couldn't be a native scarab. And rightly so.

Adult beetles of Mimela junii are warmth loving and #feed on various grass species, but are not specialized on specific plant hosts and will also feed on the foliage of various shrubs. The beetles can also be found on elderflowers.
The larvae unfurl in #sandy #soil, where they feed on the roots of herbaceous plants. This makes them members of #psammophilous species communities. Psammophilous species are organisms adapted to life in sandy environments.

M. junii exhibits conspicuous #thanatosisbehavior when it feels threatened. Thanatosis describes a behavior in which an animal pretends to be dead to mislead predators, as many predators disdain dead prey.

Thanatosis behavior, in which the #hindlegs are usually splayed upward while the abdomen is slightly erect, is quite common in Scarabaeidae. It may be an original character trait within this beetle family. The Mediterranean June beetle I observed exhibited a particularly frequent and conspicuous thanatosis behavior, which it repeatedly performed with continued stimulation, not only clearly splaying its hind legs but also raising its #abdomen so high that it almost performed a headstand (see photos).
But can we really generalize that this is the typical thanatosis behavior of the species? It may be necessary to observe more individuals, as the authors G. Natta et al. (2023) demonstrated, using the scarabaeid dung beetle #Copris #umbilicatus, that #individualism occurs not only in vertebrates but also in #insects. The Italian researchers were able to distinguish between #bolder and #fearful #individuals that practiced shorter or longer thanatosis and showed more or less #locomotionactivity, respectively.

Various species that originally occur in the Mediterranean region have spread to Berlin either independently or through human intervention. I have documented several such species:
*The striped bug #Graphosoma #italicum (distributed itself northwards: biological colonization) https://t.co/kKX8EBN0p8
*The Italian locust #Calliptamus #italicus (originally distributed throughout Europe, common in Southern Europe) https://t.co/Noqx7yDatm
*The hoary footman moth #Eilema #caniola (biological colonization, known from Berlin since 2017) https://t.co/Ej4s9F4Ebg
* The snail #Monacha #cartusiana (neozoon) https://t.co/YtECHVvvJz
* The white-spotted rose beetle #Oxythyrea #funesta (biological colonization, recently) https://t.co/dSXyzyuXWL

Thomaes, A. et al. (2022) demonstrated, using Belgium, that Mimelia junii spread to Central/Western #Europe likely due to #humantransport, making the species a neozoon.

© #StefanFWirth Berlin July 2025

References:

G. Natta et al. (2023):
https://t.co/buxRUj7Kuh

Thomaes, A. et al. (2022):
https://t.co/AakNqon03S

#Photos:
Mimelia junii in Berlin, found district Schöneberg © S.F. Wirth, July 2025

Stefan F. Wirth

@wirthstef

over 1 year ago

The #whitespotted #rosebeetle #Oxythyrea #funesta (#Cetoniinae, #Scarabaeidae) is a heat-loving beetle #species that was originally found only sporadically in southern #Germany, but has now expanded its range to northern Germany, apparently due to increasing global warming. The species also occurs in #Berlin (see attached photos). This rose beetle was originally widespread in North Africa and the Mediterranean region and, until a few years ago, was considered a rarity in Germany, where it only occurred in warmer areas of southern Germany. Like several other #warmthloving #insect species (e.g., the hoary footman moth Eilema caniola or the Italian striped bug Graphosoma italicum), Oxythyrea funesta has recently found increasingly suitable living conditions in more northern regions. The species needs the following #livingconditions: The rose chafer feeds on pollen and other floral organs. It is therefore considered a pest in some regions. In Germany, however, its wide spread is a relatively new phenomenon, which is why the question "How do I control this pest?" is not an a priori question, but rather whether the beetle should be classified as endangered or not endangered according to the Red List. In 2003, for example, the beetle was considered critically endangered in the state of Bavaria, while today the species is considered not endangered nationwide. The eggs are laid singly in the #soil, where the #larvae also develop and feed on plant roots. In Central Europe, there is one generation annually. The previous year's adults are active from May to July, and the larvae pupate by autumn. The #adults #overwinter and may remain in the pupal cocoon until the following spring. In their paper, the authors H. Hoffmann et al. (2021) examined the occurrence and #spread of O. funesta in the form of a #citizenscience study. They point out that the species has spread particularly in #CentralEurope over the last 30 years and therefore assume that it is benefiting from #globalwarming. Due to its #lifecycle, the #rosechafer is suitable as a transporter for microfauna that cannot independently disperse to new suitable habitats due to a lack of evaporation protection and limited mobility (#phoresy or #phoresis). According to the authors H. Siepel et al. (2016), who compiled a #checklist for #mites of the #Astigmata (Acariformes) for the #Netherlands in their paper, O. funesta can be a phoretic carrier for the mite species #Canestrinia #dorcicola, which, however, typically occurs on Dorcus parallelipipedus. The authors found only one mite individual on the whitespotted rose chafer. Other phoretic mites detected on it are mites of the #Uropodinae (Parasitiformes). According to Wikimedia Commons https://t.co/lUXZ3EGlu6, the uropod species Uropoda orbicularis was found on a whitespotted rose chafer in Trentino (Italy). In Berlin I found numerous individuals of the white spotted rose beetle in the middle of the huge #urbanpark Rehberge on a #sunexposed #drymeadow on #flowerheads of #Centaurea #scabiosa (Asteraceae). I took two excursions there. During the first excursion, the flower heads had all just opened; during the second, a heat wave hung over the city. Large areas of the flower heads had wilted. Many of the rose beetles were now sitting on the still-closed #buds of new flower heads, where they were surrounded by numerous #antworkers (seemingly #Lasius emarginatus) that repeatedly climbed onto the beetles, but were not bothered by them. They may have been defending aphids that were also waiting inside the buds for them to open. © #StefanFWirth Berlin June/July 2025, urban park Rehberge References: H. Hoffmann et al.(2021): https://t.co/bN4hKor2vI H. Siepel et al. (2016): https://t.co/5kwDrcYICL Photos: Oxythyrea funesta on flower heads and flower budd of Centaurea scabiosa in urban park Rehberge, Berlin, June/July 2025, © S.F. Wirth

wirthstef's tweet photo. The #whitespotted #rosebeetle #Oxythyrea #funesta (#Cetoniinae, #Scarabaeidae) is a heat-loving beetle #species that was originally found only sporadically in southern #Germany, but has now expanded its range to northern Germany, apparently due to increasing global warming. The species also occurs in #Berlin (see attached photos).

This rose beetle was originally widespread in North Africa and the Mediterranean region and, until a few years ago, was considered a rarity in Germany, where it only occurred in warmer areas of southern Germany. Like several other #warmthloving #insect species (e.g., the hoary footman moth Eilema caniola or the Italian striped bug Graphosoma italicum), Oxythyrea funesta has recently found increasingly suitable living conditions in more northern regions. The species needs the following #livingconditions:

The rose chafer feeds on pollen and other floral organs. It is therefore considered a pest in some regions. In Germany, however, its wide spread is a relatively new phenomenon, which is why the question "How do I control this pest?" is not an a priori question, but rather whether the beetle should be classified as endangered or not endangered according to the Red List. In 2003, for example, the beetle was considered critically endangered in the state of Bavaria, while today the species is considered not endangered nationwide.
The eggs are laid singly in the #soil, where the #larvae also develop and feed on plant roots. In Central Europe, there is one generation annually. The previous year's adults are active from May to July, and the larvae pupate by autumn. The #adults #overwinter and may remain in the pupal cocoon until the following spring.

In their paper, the authors H. Hoffmann et al. (2021) examined the occurrence and #spread of O. funesta in the form of a #citizenscience study. They point out that the species has spread particularly in #CentralEurope over the last 30 years and therefore assume that it is benefiting from #globalwarming.

Due to its #lifecycle, the #rosechafer is suitable as a transporter for microfauna that cannot independently disperse to new suitable habitats due to a lack of evaporation protection and limited mobility (#phoresy or #phoresis).

According to the authors H. Siepel et al. (2016), who compiled a #checklist for #mites of the #Astigmata (Acariformes) for the #Netherlands in their paper, O. funesta can be a phoretic carrier for the mite species #Canestrinia #dorcicola, which, however, typically occurs on Dorcus parallelipipedus. The authors found only one mite individual on the whitespotted rose chafer.

Other phoretic mites detected on it are mites of the #Uropodinae (Parasitiformes). According to Wikimedia Commons https://t.co/lUXZ3EGlu6, the uropod species Uropoda orbicularis was found on a whitespotted rose chafer in Trentino (Italy).

In Berlin I found numerous individuals of the white spotted rose beetle in the middle of the huge #urbanpark Rehberge on a #sunexposed #drymeadow on #flowerheads of #Centaurea #scabiosa (Asteraceae). I took two excursions there.
During the first excursion, the flower heads had all just opened; during the second, a heat wave hung over the city. Large areas of the flower heads had wilted. Many of the rose beetles were now sitting on the still-closed #buds of new flower heads, where they were surrounded by numerous #antworkers (seemingly #Lasius emarginatus) that repeatedly climbed onto the beetles, but were not bothered by them. They may have been defending aphids that were also waiting inside the buds for them to open.

© #StefanFWirth Berlin June/July 2025, urban park Rehberge

References:

H. Hoffmann et al.(2021):
https://t.co/bN4hKor2vI

H. Siepel et al. (2016):
https://t.co/5kwDrcYICL

Photos:

Oxythyrea funesta on flower heads and flower budd of Centaurea scabiosa in urban park Rehberge, Berlin, June/July 2025, © S.F. Wirth

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Pawprints of Love @pawsLove18

over 1 year ago

Clumsy. Loud. Drawn to light. The June beetle isn’t graceful, but it’s unapologetically itself — and that’s the charm. Not every creature is elegant, but every one has a purpose. ✨ #PawprintsOfLove #JuneBeetle #BugLife #InsectVibes #NatureOddballs #BeetleTruth

pawsLove18's tweet photo. Clumsy. Loud. Drawn to light.
The June beetle isn’t graceful, but it’s unapologetically itself — and that’s the charm.
Not every creature is elegant, but every one has a purpose. ✨

#PawprintsOfLove #JuneBeetle #BugLife #InsectVibes #NatureOddballs #BeetleTruth https://t.co/GRPpoNpzIm

Ketrina Draws A Lot @KetrinaYim

about 2 years ago

J is for June Beetle June beetles are often garden pests because they eat leaves, flowers, and fruit. They are usually seen in summer. #insectember #insect #bug #junebug #junebeetle #alphabet #art

KetrinaYim's tweet photo. J is for June Beetle
June beetles are often garden pests because they eat leaves, flowers, and fruit. They are usually seen in summer.
#insectember #insect #bug #junebug #junebeetle #alphabet #art https://t.co/il5KkCeli1

Wilhelmina Marie 🇺🇦 🌈 @MinaMarieVA

about 2 years ago

Had a little shiny friend on my shoulder at the craft fair. These beetles are so pretty! They're also harmless, clumsy little guys lol. Returned em' safely to a nice big bush 💚 #junebeetle #beetle #greenjunebeetle

MinaMarieVA's tweet photo. Had a little shiny friend on my shoulder at the craft fair. These beetles are so pretty! They're also harmless, clumsy little guys lol. Returned em' safely to a nice big bush 💚 #junebeetle #beetle #greenjunebeetle https://t.co/gRluTAcGtn

874

The Theory and Practice of Demonology 🍌📟 @Demonoligious

about 2 years ago

#SanDiego #Oceanside The Seattlites are here w our exposed pale skin. Do as thou whilst! Luca & I already found a crow family. Soon after this, Luca found a #JuneBeetle. Beautiful metallic green carapace. This is how naturalists travel Cc @msbimia @moalusi_victor

Demonoligious's tweet photo. #SanDiego #Oceanside
The Seattlites are here w our exposed pale skin. Do as thou whilst!

Luca & I already found a crow family. Soon after this, Luca found a #JuneBeetle. Beautiful metallic green carapace.

This is how naturalists travel
Cc @msbimia @moalusi_victor https://t.co/GgXtzhpT3r

121

Sylvia Norman, PhD @SylviaNorman11

about 3 years ago

Insects in the #garden this week #InsectThursday #bees #junebeetle #katydid

113

Christopher Laird Simmons

@tophersimmons

over 3 years ago

June bugs (Ten-lined June beetle) finally showed up, month late this year due to weather. Whew. Was worried they got lost! #junebugs #climatechange #juneBeetle

tophersimmons's tweet photo. June bugs (Ten-lined June beetle) finally showed up, month late this year due to weather. Whew. Was worried they got lost! #junebugs #climatechange #juneBeetle https://t.co/GMBST5Hizo

Stefan F. Wirth

@wirthstef

over 3 years ago

The 10-lined #Junebeetle #Polyphylla #decemlineata (#Scarabaeidae), which can grow up to 3 cm long, is common in western parts of the USA and also in Canada. The brightly colored #adult #beetle feeds on foliage, but its larvae are the ones that can cause #agricultural #damage as they attach to the roots of trees, e.g. in orchards, and sometimes mature trees can also cause them to die. Larval development can take 3-4 years. According to an old study by CE Lilly, JD Shorthouse (1971), males react to the female sex #pheromone at heights of between about 2m to about 5m. Unfortunately, I have no information about the range of the pheromone. Scarabaeidae beetles are often involved in #phoretic associations with phoretic #mites and phoretic #nematodes. Unfortunately, I was not able to find any data on this in the limited time frame of this short research. I would be very happy about the sending of possibly existing literature citations.

Jack C. Schultz @jackcschultz

over 3 years ago

The glorious 10-lined June #beetle, Polyphylla decemlineata ( Say) #insects

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278

Nussay @NussayArt

almost 4 years ago · San Cristóbal de las Casas

Ten lined #junebeetle. This is a print of my original #Watercolor #Illustration. Available in different sizes. Printed on Archival cold press cotton paper. Each #painting is designed to provide a death-free alternative to having your favorite #insects on your wall.

NussayArt's tweet photo. Ten lined #junebeetle.
This is a print of my original #Watercolor #Illustration.
Available in different sizes.
Printed on Archival cold press cotton paper.
Each #painting is designed to provide a death-free alternative to having your favorite #insects on your wall. https://t.co/rlBMhaHCN1

Move On Dude @Imagemaker1961

about 4 years ago

It’s full on summer Temps are excellent, night and day Insects are taking part in the #hashtag of #fornicationFriday #Whosyourdaddy #questionmark #junebeetle #insectporn

Imagemaker1961's tweet photo. It’s full on summer
Temps are excellent, night and day
Insects are taking part in the #hashtag of #fornicationFriday
#Whosyourdaddy #questionmark
#junebeetle
#insectporn https://t.co/IK9u4zbsvm

Miss Britain Kitten @MsBritainKitten

over 4 years ago

Magical June Beetle visitor ❤ Be kind to our giant beetle friends, you might see a lot of them now as it's their sexy time. They are harmless and their lives are short and precious ❤️ #junebeetle #beetle #bugsarefriends #entomology #summer #insects #kindness

Move On Dude @Imagemaker1961

over 4 years ago

Take me to your leader. #macro #lumix #junebeetle

John Reed Pavan @JohnReedPavan

over 5 years ago

Did anyone know june beetles have eye lashes? #junebeetle #beetles #greenbeetle #eyelashes #macro #closeup #metalic #shotoncanon #venusoptics #insects #bugs #carlschurz #nycparks #nature #wildlife #naturephoto #wildlifephoto #macrophoto #insectphoto

JohnReedPavan's tweet photo. Did anyone know june beetles have eye lashes?

#junebeetle #beetles #greenbeetle #eyelashes #macro #closeup #metalic #shotoncanon #venusoptics #insects #bugs #carlschurz #nycparks #nature #wildlife #naturephoto #wildlifephoto #macrophoto #insectphoto https://t.co/bHRVUkfcAZ

JLphotography @lphotography_j

over 6 years ago

Overrun with iridescent green Figeater / June Beetles at the moment so here they are for #WexMondays #fsprintmonday #figeaterbeetle #junebeetle #bugs #beetles #fujifilm_xseries #fujixt30

lphotography_j's tweet photo. Overrun with iridescent green Figeater / June Beetles at the moment so here they are for #WexMondays #fsprintmonday

#figeaterbeetle
#junebeetle
#bugs
#beetles
#fujifilm_xseries
#fujixt30 https://t.co/RUjbUvC1o2

Skillinski 🌀 @Skillinski

almost 7 years ago

Wie gestern schon in dem dezenten # angekündigt, heute noch ein Bild vom kleinen #JuneBeetle 😅 auch wenn Oktober ist, ist es doch ein Junikäfer oder? 🙈😂🔥 . . . #portrait #photography #portraitphotography #art… https://t.co/pqq0U5bNFQ

🏴‍☠️ 🏳️‍🌈Niti Who🏴‍☠️🏳️‍🌈 @Niti_Who

over 7 years ago

June beetle attack .. buzzing around wildly.. #summer #JuneBeetle

LandTrustSantaCruz @landtrustscc

over 7 years ago

This ten-lined June beetle, also known as the watermelon beetle, made a surprise visit to the Land Trust office this morning. 🍉⁠ .⁠ .⁠ .⁠ #tenlinedjunebeetle #junebeetle #insectsofinstagram #insectsofinsta #santacruzcounty #iheartsantacruz #myspa… https://t.co/gayVOkjNmh

landtrustscc's tweet photo. This ten-lined June beetle, also known as the watermelon beetle, made a surprise visit to the Land Trust office this morning. 🍉⁠
.⁠
.⁠
.⁠
#tenlinedjunebeetle #junebeetle #insectsofinstagram #insectsofinsta #santacruzcounty #iheartsantacruz #myspa… https://t.co/gayVOkjNmh https://t.co/vhcalnQX9y

Arkansas Entomology and Plant Pathology @ArkansasEPP

over 8 years ago

Curious about those brown beetles you keep finding lying on their backs on your patio or porch? No, they're not drunk. #junebeetle #beetle #insectoftheweek #UARKentomology #AginArkansas #bumperscollege #UArkansas

ArkansasEPP's tweet photo. Curious about those brown beetles you keep finding lying on their backs on your patio or porch? No, they're not drunk. #junebeetle #beetle #insectoftheweek #UARKentomology #AginArkansas #bumperscollege #UArkansas https://t.co/FqTG5baKH8

Barbara Stock @BarbaraStock13

over 9 years ago

First this #Junebeetle ran into me and then there was no time for a #photoshooting 😊 #BarbaraStockPhoto

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