Anomala cuprea

Status

Potential Invader

Common name(s)

cupreus chafer

Taxonomy

Family: Scarabaeidae Subfamily: Rutelinae Genus: Anomala Species: Anomala cuprea (Hope, 1839)

DNA barcode

none available

Adult diagnosis

Total body length 17.0–26.0 mm (0.67–1.02 in). Body shape ovate. Color dark grey-green or brown-green, shining; rarely with red or green sheen. Front tibiatibia:
a segment of the leg articulated with the tarsus and femur
with two external teeth; apical toothtooth:
a pointed process from an appendage or margin, often in reference to the tibia
long and decurveddecurved:
bending downward
in both sexes; middle toothtooth:
a pointed process from an appendage or margin, often in reference to the tibia
small in female, lacking or very feeble in male. Front, inner claw bifurcatebifurcate:
a process dividing into two points
; strongly sinuatesinuate:
gently curved (specifically of margins or edges); often in reference to the clypeus
in male, simple in female. Hind tibiatibia:
a segment of the leg articulated with the tarsus and femur
with inner margin simple, not greatly dilated at the middle.

Larval diagnosis

Undescribed in English. For Anomala (Ritcher, 1966Ritcher, 1966:
Ritcher P. 1966. White grubs and their allies: a study of North American scarabaeoid larvae. Oregon State University Monographs, Studies in Entomology 4: 1-219.): Grub C-shaped, not hump-backed, cylindrical, whitish. Lacinialacinia:
inner portion of the maxilla
of maxillamaxilla:
set of paired mouthparts located posterior to the mandibles
with 2 apical unciunci:
in scarab larvae, a hooked process on the distal margin of the maxilla
equal in size. Maxillary stridulatory area with 4–7 sharp, recurvedrecurved:
bending backwards
teeth. Epipharynxepipharynx:
lobe on the interior surface of the labrum or clypeus
with 2–4 prominent heliheli:
in scarab larvae, a coarse spine on or near the haptomerum
. Final antennal segment with single dorsaldorsal:
of or relating to the upper surface; opposite of ventral
sensory spot. Spiraclesspiracles:
opening on the abdomen or thorax through which air enters and exits the body
on abdominal segments 7 and 8 similar in size and conspicuously larger than spiraclesspiracles:
opening on the abdomen or thorax through which air enters and exits the body
on abdominal segments 1–6. Anal slit transversetransverse:
extending horizontally across a surface
, arcuatearcuate:
curved, arched, or bow-shaped
; bordered by several irregular rows of stout setaesetae:
small, hair-like structure
. Lower anal lip bearing patch of 13 hamatehamate:
hook-like in shape
setae.

Native range

Japan. This scarab is known from the four major islands of Japan: Kysushu, Shikoku, Honshu, and Hokkaido (Kobayashi and Matsumoto, 2011Kobayashi and Matsumoto, 2011:
Kobayashi H and Matsumoto T. 2011. Atlas of Japanese Scarabaeoidea. Volume 2 Phytophagous Group I. Roppon-Ashi Entomological Books, Tokyo, Japan.).

Plant host(s)

This species' hosts are poorly described in English language publications. Adults are folivores and are active at night (Fujiyama et al., 1979Fujiyama et al., 1979:
Fujiyama S, Kasuga S, Takahashi F. 1979. Studies on the self-regulation of life cycle in Anomala cuprea Hope (Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae). III. The effects of larval density and delayed hatching on the life cycle. Applied Entomology and Zoology 14: 231-240.). Recorded larval hosts include sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum) (Mitsuhashi et al., 2014Mitsuhashi et al., 2014:
Mitsuhashi W, Asano S, Miyamoto K, Wada S. 2014. Further research on the biological function of inclusion bodies of Anomala cuprea entomopoxvirus, with special reference to the effect on the insecticidal activity of a Bacillus thuringiensis formulation. Pest Management Science 70: 46-54. DOI: 10.1002/ps.3521), beans (Bhuiyan and Nishigaki, 1996Bhuiyan and Nishigaki, 1996:
Bhuiyan K and Nishigaki J. 1996. Oviposition of the adult cupreous chafer, Anomala cuprea Hope Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, at different water contents of the ovipositing medium under laboratory conditions. Applied Entomology and Zoology 32: 431-436.), turf grass (Suzuki et al., 1994Suzuki et al., 1994:
Suzuki M, Hor H, Tachibana M, Asano S. 1994. Bacillus thuringiensis strain Buibui for control of cupreous chafer, Anomala cuprea (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in turfgrass and sweet potato. Biological Control 4: 361-365. DOI: 10.1006/bcon.1994.1045), sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) (Suzuki et al., 1994Suzuki et al., 1994:
Suzuki M, Hor H, Tachibana M, Asano S. 1994. Bacillus thuringiensis strain Buibui for control of cupreous chafer, Anomala cuprea (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), in turfgrass and sweet potato. Biological Control 4: 361-365. DOI: 10.1006/bcon.1994.1045), and peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) (Kato et al., 1980Kato et al., 1980:
Kato Y, Hara M, Sawada M. 1980. Occurrence of cupreous chafers, Anomala cuprea Hope, in the peanut field in Chiba Prefecture and their chemical control. Proceedings of the Kanto-Tosan Plant Protection Society 27: 130-131. full text (in Japanese) (accessed 2015)).

Life history

(Fujiyama et al., 1979Fujiyama et al., 1979:
Fujiyama S, Kasuga S, Takahashi F. 1979. Studies on the self-regulation of life cycle in Anomala cuprea Hope (Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae). III. The effects of larval density and delayed hatching on the life cycle. Applied Entomology and Zoology 14: 231-240.): Adults are active June through September (Kobayashi and Matsumoto, 2011Kobayashi and Matsumoto, 2011:
Kobayashi H and Matsumoto T. 2011. Atlas of Japanese Scarabaeoidea. Volume 2 Phytophagous Group I. Roppon-Ashi Entomological Books, Tokyo, Japan.), with a single generation per year. Eggs are laid in August and September with larvaelarvae:
the immature form of an insect; in scarabs, also called grub or white grub; preceded by the egg stage, followed by the pupal stage
emerging shortly thereafter. LarvaeLarvae:
the immature form of an insect; in scarabs, also called grub or white grub; preceded by the egg stage, followed by the pupal stage
require one or two years to develop, depending on soil temperature and larval densities. LarvaeLarvae:
the immature form of an insect; in scarabs, also called grub or white grub; preceded by the egg stage, followed by the pupal stage
overwinter as first or second instars, but first instars suffer high winter mortality, despite burrowing deep into soil. Interestingly, some larvaelarvae:
the immature form of an insect; in scarabs, also called grub or white grub; preceded by the egg stage, followed by the pupal stage
that survive the winter estivate through the summer and emerge as adults two years after the egg stage. LarvaeLarvae:
the immature form of an insect; in scarabs, also called grub or white grub; preceded by the egg stage, followed by the pupal stage
feed on the roots of a number of plant species, while adults are nocturnal folivores.

Pest potential

Significant. In Japan, larvaelarvae:
the immature form of an insect; in scarabs, also called grub or white grub; preceded by the egg stage, followed by the pupal stage
of this scarab are important insect pests (Bhuiyan and Nishigaki, 1996Bhuiyan and Nishigaki, 1996:
Bhuiyan K and Nishigaki J. 1996. Oviposition of the adult cupreous chafer, Anomala cuprea Hope Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae, at different water contents of the ovipositing medium under laboratory conditions. Applied Entomology and Zoology 32: 431-436.), feeding on the roots of a number of important agricultural and horticultural plant species.

Status in Hawaii

Recorded, not established. This species has been found on Oahu in quarantine, when a single dead specimen was found on a plane flying from Japan to Honolulu in 1953 (Maehler, 1953Maehler, 1953:
Maehler K. 1953. Beetles intercepted in quarantine. Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society 15: 13.).

Status in Guam

Not established or recorded. This species has not been recorded from Guam.

Potential distribution and dispersal pathway

This species is attracted to lights at night, and it is likely that it would be attracted to well-lit ports and airports. Indeed, in 1967-68, a specimen was intercepted aboard an aircraft flying to California from Japan (USDA, 1969USDA, 1969:
Anonymous. 1969. List of intercepted plant pests, 1968 (pests recorded from July 1, 1967, through June 30, 1968). United States Department of Agriculture, Plant Quarantine Division. Hyattsville, Maryland, USA). Further, it is possible that larvaelarvae:
the immature form of an insect; in scarabs, also called grub or white grub; preceded by the egg stage, followed by the pupal stage
or eggs could be transported in shipments of commercial turf.

Similar species

Anomala cuprea is one of five Anomala species recorded from Hawaii and Guam along with Anomala orientalis, Anomala sulcatula, Anomala viridana, and Anomala albopilosa. It is separated from the other species by examination of the bifurcatebifurcate:
a process dividing into two points
male front claw (strongly sinuous in A. cuprea versus weakly sinuous in A. albopilosa and curved but non-sinuous in A. orientalis and A. sulcatula), male hind tibiatibia:
a segment of the leg articulated with the tarsus and femur
(A. cuprea not greatly dilated at the middle on the inner margin versus inner margin greatly dilated at the middle in A. sulcatula), and total body length (A. cuprea is 17.0–26.0 mm [0.67–1.02 in] versus size less than 13.0 mm [0.51 in] in A. orientalis).

Other names (synonyms)

Euchlora cuprea Hope

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In Hawaii, this species represents a new invasiveinvasive:
a species that has recently arrived to a new location, usually via human activity, causing notable economic and/or ecological damage
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