User:Jesse Williams1/Cotinis nitida

Characteristics and Description

The Green June Beetle is a part of the Scarabaeidae family, with defining characteristics such as modified forewings called elytra sinuate, and a prominent mesosternum. The scutellum is covered by the prothorax attached to the base node. The Cotinis genus is separated by the male species having a small horn on the lower portion of the face (clypeus).

This beetle species differs from the common brown May or June beetle by its larger body index and vibrant color. This varies from a green striped brown beetle to a full velvet green body. The insects’ margins are usually light brown or yellow with a metallic green or brown underside. The insect is typically ¾-1.5 inches in length. Compared to the legs of a common June Beetle, the legs are shorter and the body is stouter.

Bibliography:

Chittenden, F. H., Fink, D. E. (1922). The Green June Beetle. United States: U.S.

Department of Agriculture. The Green June Beetle (googleusercontent.com)


 * This book was published by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and an original from Harvard University. The author is an economic entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Davis, John J., (1921) The Green June Beetle or Fig Eater. North Carolina Agricultural

Experiment  Station. https://books.google.com/books?id=S-MkAAAAYAAJ&ots=Ncn13Tu2_3&dq=june%20beetle&lr&pg=PA13#v=onepage&q&f=false


 * This book was published by the North Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station. It is an original from Harvard University. The author is an American entomologist who taught at Purdue University.

Heller, P. (2023, June 19). Green june beetle. Penn State Extension.

https://extension.psu.edu/green-june-beetle


 * The author of this article is a Professor of Entomology at Penn State University. This college focuses lots of research on agriculture and environment.

Geographic Range

The geographic range of Cotinis nitida, commonly known as the green June beetle, June bug, or June beetle, extends across the eastern United States and Canada, with its highest abundance in the South. They can be found from New Brunswick to Georgia, and westward as far as California, with possible population overlap with their western cousin, the figeater beetle (Cotinis mutabilis).

The green june beetle (Cotinis nitida) is a Neartic species of beetle. They are commonly found in New York and Florida to Nebraska and Texas. Larvae of green June beetles live in the soil underground. Adults live on their host plants. They can be found on lawns, fields, and forests. They inhabit extensive habitats.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Cotinis_nitida/

https://bugguide.net/node/view/520

https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/118538-Cotinis-nitida

Habitat Preferences

Green June Beetles are common during the warmer months, more specifically June. During the Summer months is usually when they reproduce, which is why they are more abundant during that time. The warmer months provide an organic matter in the soil, that the females place the eggs in, that allows the Green June Beetle eggs to feed on, when they hatch.

https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/digital-diagnostics/insects-and-arthropods/green-june-beetle-cotinis-nitida/

As adults, Green June Beetles are common during the springtime because plants are flourishing. These beetles can be seen around garden-like areas because they feed on the decomposing plants.

https://a-z-animals.com/animals/green-june-beetle/

Green June Beetles are likely to be on an older field than a newly developed field, as the older field contains a high amount of organic matter.

https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/green-june-beetle-1#:~:text=Green%20June%20beetles%20are%20most,other%20white%20grubs%20are%20not ).

Ecology (Predators, Prey, Interactions)

Alcock, J. (2016). The green June beetle ( Cotinis nitida ) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae): local variation in the beetle’s major avian predators and in the competition for mates. Journal of Natural History, 50(11/12), 661–667. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2015.1082657

Predators:

Adult individuals of this species are often consumed by birds, namely blue jays. These predators either immediately consume the beetle or repeatedly slam them into the ground before eating them.

Interactions (with each other):

There is intense competition between males for access to mates and oftentimes more than one male tries to mate with a female at the same time. Part of this competition is because females are only receptive to mating attempts once in a given period of time, whereas males can mate repeatedly.

Alcock, J. (2019). The behaviour of Cotinis nitida Linnaeus, the green June beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), on mowed lawns makes them especially vulnerable to bird predators. Journal of Natural History, 53(23/24), 1395–1399. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2019.1657196

Predators:

Adult beetles are often eaten by birds, most commonly blue jays and brown thrashers. Naturally tall grasses offer beetles some protection from predation, as it is harder for the birds to gain access to them, but natural lawns that are maintained by human interventions have shorter grasses, leaving the beatles more vulnerable.

Chittenden, F. H., & Fink, D. E. (1922), The Green June Beetle. United States Department of Agriculture.

https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=hIkkAAAAYAAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA1&dq=green+june+beetle&ots=RYAHWEnFCk&sig=Nc96jXIFM_iNunLUVLkV6syvAdg#v=onepage&q=green%20june%20beetle&f=false

Predators:

Adult beetles are often eaten by birds, including robins and blackbirds. They are also consumed by other insects, including digger wasps. It has also been observed that digger wasps parasitize larval stages of the green june bug by depositing their eggs onto the larvae.

Economic Importance

Derrick L. Hammons, S. Kaan Kurtural, Daniel A. Potter, Japanese Beetles Facilitate Feeding by Green June Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on Ripening Grapes, Environmental Entomology, Volume 37, Issue 2, 1 April 2008, Pages 608–614,  https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/37.2.608 


 * This article explains the feeding habits of Green June Beetles in relation to Japanese Beetles. The economic importance comes from the idea in which June Beetles can only consume fruit which has already been “broken” open, implying that the beetles cannot attack crops and cause losses unless another pest is present.

J. M. Domek, D. T. Johnson, Inhibition of Aggregation Behavior in the Green June Beetle (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) by Antibiotic Treatment of Food Substrate, Environmental Entomology, Volume 19, Issue 4, 1 August 1990, Pages 995–1000, https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/19.4.995


 * In this study, beetles were presented with peach puree, and typically preferred the natural (untreated) version of the food, which implies that pesticide treated crops would be able to prevent beetles from consuming them.

T. B. Davich, A. S. Tombes, R. H. Carter, Insecticide Control of Green June Beetle Larvae Attacking Ladino Clover Pastures: Residues on Foliage and Accumulation in Swine Tissue, Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 50, Issue 1, 1 February 1957, Pages 96–100, https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/50.1.96


 * This article discusses how pesticide usage has contributed to buildup of inorganic material in animals (mainly swine) and on the crops which the pesticides are used on. This could lead to various health defects and may imply that the cost to benefit ratio may not be worth the effects of using pesticides to eliminate the Green June Beetles, especially considering unbroken fruit may not be affected by the beetles.

Article Draft