Christmas beetle is a name commonly applied to the Australian beetle genus Anoplognathus, which belongs to the subfamily Rutelinae. They are known as Christmas beetles because they are abundant in both urban and rural areas close to Christmas. Christmas beetles are large (20–30 mm long) members of the scarab family that are noisy and clumsy fliers, similar to the cockchafers of Europe. They typically have elytra that are dark or light brown, or green, while some species have a green-yellow iridescence.
The genus includes 35 species, several of which have been implicated in dieback of eucalypts. Anoplognathus pallidicollis is the species most commonly observed and associated with the name of Christmas beetle. However, there is a tendency for the name Christmas beetle to be used more ambiguously to refer to other metallic beetles not in this family, such as the stag beetle genus Lamprima."Christmas Beetles" in Tasmania The smaller Argentine lawn beetle, Cyclocephala signaticollis, is prevalent in December and may also be referred to as a "Christmas beetle", labelled by the Australian Museum as an "impostor".Australian Museum, Bushblitz, Mike HB Illustration. Xmas Beetle ID Guide mobile app. Via
Species
Anoplognathus abnormis MacLeay, 1873 Anoplognathus aeneus Waterhouse, 1868 Anoplognathus aureus Waterhouse, 1889 Anoplognathus aurora Arrow, 1919 Anoplognathus blackdownensis Carne, 1981 Anoplognathus boisduvalii Boisduval, 1835 Anoplognathus brevicollis Blackburn, 1892 Anoplognathus brunnipennis (Gyllenhal, 1817) Anoplognathus concolor Burmeister, 1855 Anoplognathus daemeli Ohaus, 1898 Anoplognathus debaari Allsopp, 2010 Anoplognathus explanatus Arrow, 1901 Anoplognathus flavipennis Boisduval, 1835 Anoplognathus flindersensis Carne, 1981 Anoplognathus hilleri Allsopp, 1990 Anoplognathus macalpinei Carne, 1981 Anoplognathus macleayi Blackburn, 1892 Anoplognathus montanus MacLeay, 1873 Anoplognathus multiseriatus Lea, 1919 Anoplognathus nebulosus MacLeay, 1864 Anoplognathus olivieri (Schönherr & Dalman, 1817) Anoplognathus pallidicollis Blanchard, 1851 Anoplognathus parvulus Waterhouse, 1873 Anoplognathus pindarus Carne, 1957 Anoplognathus porosus (Dalman, 1817) Anoplognathus prasinus (Laporte, 1840) Anoplognathus punctulatus Olliff, 1890 Anoplognathus rhinastus Blanchard, 1851 Anoplognathus rothschildi Ohaus, 1898 Anoplognathus rubiginosus MacLeay, 1873 Anoplognathus rugosus Kirby, 1818 Anoplognathus smaragdinus Ohaus, 1904 Anoplognathus storeyi Allsopp, 2010 Anoplognathus suturalis Boisduval, 1835 Anoplognathus velutinus Boisduval, 1835 Anoplognathus vietor Allsopp & Carne, 1986 Anoplognathus viridiaeneus (Donovan, 1805) Anoplognathus viriditarsis (Leach, 1815)
Selected former species Anoplognathus chloropyrus Anoplognathus hirsutus Anoplognathus narmarus
References
Anoplognathus, ANIC Specimen Database. Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Entomology