Appearance

Appearance

Oval and glossy, with variable pale spots scattered over the wing covers. In much of Asia it is green; beetles in Hawaii are described as shiny brown with lighter brown markings.

Look-alikes

Where it lives

Typical habitats

• Fruit trees
• Compost and soil (grubs)

Range

Native to East and South Asia, from Japan, Korea, and China to India. In the US it lives only in Hawaii: first spotted there in 1952, it was established statewide by 2002 and is now widespread on Oahu, Maui, and the Big Island. It also occurs on Guam.

Behavior

Diet

Adults feed on pollen, nectar, sap, and overripe or damaged fruit of many plants. Grubs eat decaying organic matter in compost and soil.

Activity

It flies with its hard wing covers closed, opening only the hind wings through a gap at the sides.

Overwintering

In its native range it mostly spends the winter as a grub in the soil.

Life cycle

Larva

Adults lay eggs in soil or compost. Grubs are fat and pale with a brown head, and they have the odd habit of flipping onto their backs and wiggling along upside down.

Conservation

IUCN Red List

NENot Evaluated·Not yet assessed

Threats

In Hawaii it damages fruit and flowers and can lower fruit yields, though it does far less harm than the coconut rhinoceros beetle. It has been found hitchhiking on aircraft from Japan and Guam.