Masked-chafers

Guides

• Cyclocephala

  Masked Chafers

  Cyclocephala is a large genus of scarab beetles in the subfamily Dynastinae, commonly known as masked chafers. Adults are small brown beetles (10–15 mm) with a distinctive black facial mask across the eyes. The genus is endemic to the Americas, ranging from southeastern Canada to Argentina, India, and the West Indies. Adults are nocturnal or crepuscular and attracted to lights. Larvae develop in soil, feeding on organic matter and plant roots, and are significant pests of turfgrass.

  scarab-beetlesmasked-chafersturfgrass-pestswhite-grubsnocturnal-beetlesDynastinaesoil-dwelling-larvaeroot-feederssex-pheromonespollinatorsagricultural-pestsentomopathogenic-fungi-research

• Cyclocephalini

  Masked Chafers and Rice Beetles

  Cyclocephalini is a tribe of scarab beetles within the subfamily Dynastinae, comprising 14 genera and over 500 species. The tribe includes the most speciose genus of dynastines, Cyclocephala, with more than 350 species. Members are primarily Neotropical in distribution and are commonly known as masked chafers and rice beetles. These beetles are strongly associated with flowers, serving as pollinators and florivores, with many species exhibiting specialized relationships with palm inflorescences and other flowering plants.

  scarab-beetlesDynastinaepollinatorsflorivoresNeotropicalchemical-ecologyagricultural-pestspalm-associatednocturnalmasked-chafersrice-beetles