Lepidiota

Lepidiota stigma, copyright U. Schmidt.

Belongs within: Melolonthini.

Lepidiota is a genus of chafers found in southern Asia and northern Australasia, many of which have a dorsal covering of white scales. Some species are notable pests with their larvae feeding on crops such as sugarcane (Britton 1978).

Characters (from Britton 1978): Anterior face of clypeus shallow (ratio of greatest width:mid >8.0:1), usually smooth and unpunctured in middle; anterior edge of clypeus as seen from above usually broadly bilobed; antenna 10- (rarely 9-)segmented, with a 3-lamellate club; lamellae usually shorter than antennal segments 1–7 together; surface of body usually bearing few or many broad adpressed white scales, scales sometimes minute and wholly contained within their punctures; tarsal claws each with strong tooth in middle of concave side; anterior edge of posterior femora not concave near base; mandibles not curved downwards at apices.

Lepidiota Kirby in Kirby & Spence 1828 HW92
    |--*L. stigma (Fabricius 1798) [=Melolontha stigma] HW92
    |--L. aenigma Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. alticalceus Allsopp 1989 HW92
    |--L. amitina Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. argentea Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. arnhemensis Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. aspera Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. bidentata Allsopp 1989 HW92
    |--L. cabala Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. caudata Blackburn 1890 HW92
    |--L. centralis Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. ciliata Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. clypealis Moser 1913 HW92
    |--L. comes Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. condita Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. consobrina Girault 1918 HW92
    |--L. contigua Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. crinita Brenske 1900 [incl. L. trichosterna Lea 1924] HW92
    |--L. degener Blackburn 1888 HW92
    |--L. delicatula Blackburn 1888 [incl. L. suavior Blackburn 1912] HW92
    |--L. draconis Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. flavipennis Lea 1926 HW92
    |--L. frenchi Blackburn 1912 HW92
    |--L. froggatti Macleay 1887 HW92
    |--L. gibbifrons Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. gilesi Blackburn 1912 HW92
    |--L. grata Blackburn 1890 HW92
    |--L. grisea Britton 1959 HW92
    |--L. helleri Moser 1913 HW92
    |--L. hilli Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. hylaea Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. laciniata Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. laevis Arrow 1932 HW92
    |--L. lepidosterna Lea 1926 HW92
    |--L. lewisae Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. minuta Moser 1913 HW92
    |--L. negatoria Blackburn 1912 [incl. L. deceptrix Blackburn 1912, L. mungomeryi Britton 1963] HW92
    |--L. noxia Britton 1985 HW92
    |--L. oblonga Brenske 1900 HW92
    |--L. oryx Britton 1959 HW92
    |--L. perkinsi Blackburn 1912 HW92
    |--L. picticollis Lea 1916 HW92
    |--L. podicalis Moser 1913 [incl. L. platyura Lea 1924] HW92
    |--L. quinaria Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. quinquelineata M86
    |--L. rothei Blackburn 1888 [incl. L. bovilli Blackburn 1912, L. koebelei Blackburn 1912, L. parva Moser 1913] HW92
    |--L. rubrior Blackburn 1912 [incl. L. rugicollis Moser 1913] HW92
    |--L. rufa Blackburn 1888 HW92
    |--L. salax Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. sororia Moser 1913 [incl. L. wilsoni Britton 1959] HW92
    |--L. sparsa Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. squalida Macleay 1886 M86
    |--L. squamulata Waterhouse 1875 (see below for synonymy) HW92
    |--L. sticta Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. stradbrokensis Lea 1919 [=L. froggatti stradbrokensis] HW92
    |--L. townsvillensis Blackburn 1912 HW92
    |--L. trihomines Allsopp 1990 HW92
    |--L. ultima Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. uptoni Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. verna Britton 1978 HW92
    |--L. weiri Britton 1978 HW92
    `--L. yorkensis Britton 1978 HW92

Lepidiota squamulata Waterhouse 1875 [incl. L. darwini Blackburn 1888, L. leai Blackburn 1912, L. rugosipennis Lea 1924] HW92

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

Britton, E. B. 1978. A revision of the Australian chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) vol. 2. Tribe Melolonthini. Australian Journal of Zoology, Supplementary Series 60: 1–150.

[HW92] Houston, W. W. K., & T. A. Weir. 1992. Melolonthinae. In: Houston, W. W. K. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 9. Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea pp. 174–358. AGPS Press: Canberra.

[M86] Macleay, W. 1886. The insects of the Fly River, New Guinea, "Coleoptera". Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (1): 136–157.

Last updated: 27 April 2021.