279. Long-haired June Beetle

The Long-haired  June Beetle is a large (up to 3 cm) beetle that I associate with very warm summer nights.  This beetle spends most of its life as an underground grub feeding on roots.  In sandy soils they can be a pest on orchards, and here they can do some damage to strawberry patches.  Adults are leaf feeders, although they seldom consume enough to become pests. The genus  name (Polyphylla ) means many-leaf , referring to the peculiar antennae of the male.  When stressed the male folds the separate "leaves" of the antennae together, as shown in this picture.  When relaxed (he didn't get to the relaxed state during the photography session), they separate into a series of leaves, like the slats of a venetian blind.  These structures are used to detect female pheromones.  Larvae can take as long as four years to reach the adult form.  This species (P. crinita) looks very similar to the Ten-striped June Beetle (P. decemlineata), but that species is rarely, if ever,  found on Vancouver Island.

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