Cotalpa Burmeister, 1844
syn. Ciocotalpa Saylor, 1940

Cotalpa lanigera photo by Matthew R. Moore

distribution of Cotalpa species

Cotalpa lanigera
photo by Matthew R. Moore

 

Diagnosis: Cotalpa is distinguished from the other Rutelinae and Areodina by the following combination of characters: (1) 10-segmented antennae, (2) labrum three times wider than long and projecting slightly beyond clypeus, (3) mesosternum with at most very small, rounded projection between coxae or no projection (Saylor 1940).

Distribution: Cotalpa occurs from Maine to the Carolinas west to Louisiana and Texas, south to Sonora, Mexico and north to Saskatchewan, Canada (Saylor 1940; Young 2002).

Revision or Synopsis:

Saylor, L.W. 1940. Synoptic revision of the beetle genera Cotalpa and Paracotalpa of the United States with descriptions of a new subgenus. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 42: 190-200.

Composition: The genus Cotalpa contains six species: C. ashleyae La Rue, 1986; C. conclamara Young, 2002; C. consobrina (Horn, 1871); C. flavida Horn, 1878; C. lanigera (Linnaeus, 1764); C. subcribrata Wickham 1905.

Biological Data: Saunders (1879) recorded adult Cotalpa feeding on pear, oak, poplar, hickory, silver maple, and sweet gum trees. Ritcher (1966) established that adult Cotalpa remained inactive during the day on food plants such as willow and cottonwood. Davis (1916) recorded larvae in sandy soil causing root injury in raspberries, strawberries, corn, and grasses (Young 2002).

References:

Davis, J.J. 1916. A progress report on white grub infestations. Journal of Economic Entomology 9: 261-281.

La Rue, D.A. 1986. A new species of Cotalpa from western Arizona (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). Coleopterists Bulletin 40(2): 145-147.

Ritcher, P.O. 1966. White Grubs and their Allies. Oregon State University Press. 219 pp.

Saunders, W. 1879. The goldsmith beetle (Cotalpa lanigera). Canadian Entomologist 11: 21-22.

Saylor, L.W. 1940. Synoptic revision of the beetle genera Cotalpa and Paracotalpa of the United States with descriptions of a new subgenus. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 42: 190-200.

Young, R.M. 2002. A new Cotalpa Burmeister taken on post oak in eastern Texas with notes and a key to the species in the genus (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). Coleopterists Bulletin 56(4): 473-479.