Skip to main content
ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Hilo, Hawaii » Daniel K. Inouye U.S. Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center » Tropical Crop and Commodity Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #237201
Title: Two Additional Invasive Scarabaeoid Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) in Hawaii

Author
item JAMESON, MARY LIZ - WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY
item OISHI, DARCY - HI DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE
item RATCLIFFE, BRETT - UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA
item McQuate, Grant

Submitted to: Hawaiian Entomological Society Proceedings
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2009
Publication Date: 12/1/2009
Citation: Jameson, M., Oishi, D.E., Ratcliffe, B.C., Mcquate, G.T. 2009. Two Additional Invasive Scarabaeoid Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) in Hawaii. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society. 41: 25-30.

Interpretive Summary: Well over 2,500 arthropod species have been introduced to the Hawaiian Islands with continued establishment rates at an alarming ten to twenty species per year. Newly invaded species can pose concerns for agricultural biosecurity and native arthropod populations. It is important to document newly invaded species as a first step to assessing what impact they may have on agriculture and the native flora and fauna. In this paper we report for the first time the detection of two new scarab beetles on the island of Hawaii: the Pasadena masked chafer, Cyclocephala pasadenae (Casey)(Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) and Temnorhynchus retusus (Fabricius)(Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Pentodontini). The Pasadena masked chafer is native to the continental United States, where it is abundant in the southwestern quadrant of states and is a recognized pest of turf. It is now established on the island of Hawaii, where it is a concern for agriculture and native Hawaiian arthropod species. Temnorhynchus retusus is native to eastern Africa from Sudan to South Africa and Namibia (Krell 1993) and is adventive in eastern and western Australia. It is not know to be an agricultural pest, but its spread on the island could pose a problem for native Hawaiian species. We provide an overview of each species, characteristics for recognition of these species, and comments on their introduction to the islands.

Technical Abstract: Two species of dynastine scarab beetles are reported for the first time on the island of Hawaii: the Pasadena masked chafer, Cyclocephala pasadenae (Casey)(Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) and the Temnorhynchus retusus (Fabricius)(Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Pentodontini). The Pasadena masked chafer is established on the island of Hawaii, is a recognized pest of turf, and is a concern for agriculture and native Hawaiian arthropod species. Temnorhynchus retusus is not known to be an agricultural pest, but its spread on the islands could pose a problem for native Hawaiian species. We provide an overview of each species, characteristics for recognition of these species, and comments on their introduction to the islands.