THE INSECTLIBRARY FIELD GUIDES
Scarab BeetleIdentification, facts & practical guidance
Scarab beetles form the large family Scarabaeidae. The group includes dung beetles, flower visitors and many beetles with soil-dwelling grubs.
Compiled by the InsectLibrary Team · Updated · Editorial policy
Identification and lookalikes
Look for the characteristic plate-like segments at the antenna tip. Body shape, horns and coloring vary. A pale C-shaped grub needs more details for identification than that posture alone.
Not all scarabs are lawn pests
Feeding habits differ considerably: some consume dung or decaying material, while others feed on plants. A Hercules beetle larva in decaying wood is not equivalent to a root-feeding lawn grub.
What to do next
Record where the beetle or grub was found and any observed damage. Identify the species or relevant group before choosing a control measure.
Scarab Beetle: species profiles
Explore 896 species profiles covered by this guide, with recorded names and available photos.
Japanese Beetle
Popillia japonica
(c) Robert Stegmann, some rights reserved (CC BY)Rose Chafer
Cetonia aurata
Green June Beetle
Cotinis nitida
Oriental Beetle
Exomala orientalis
Grapevine Beetle
Pelidnota punctata
European Rhinoceros Beetle
Oryctes nasicornis
Common Cockchafer
Melolontha melolontha
Green Fig Beetle
Cotinis mutabilis
Summer Chafer
Amphimallon solstitiale
Copper Chafer
Protaetia cuprea
Valgus hemipterus
Valgus hemipterus
Southern Masked Chafer
Cyclocephala lurida
Showing 12 of 896 species. Browse all in Coleoptera →
Sources and further reading
- mdc.mo.gov - scarab beetles scarabaeidshttps://mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/scarab-beetles-scarabaeids
References support the subject discussed here; they do not certify every imported directory record. Regional sources describe their own locations. Read our source and correction policy.