Green June Beetle Mating Frenzy

bugman

September 7th, 2010 at 5:43 am

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Unknown Mating Beetles
Location: Texas Hill Country
September 7, 2010 4:01 am
Hi there!
We found these guys in our backyard, there’s actually a lot of them. Over the last couple of years they have made more of an appearance then before. I think they like the oak trees in our yard. During the morning they fly around the trees, and by mid-afternoon there buzzing around at head level. I’ve tried identifying them with your catalog, but the only beetles I’ve found are similar are the Japanese Beetles, and these are lacking the dots along they’re sides, aside from not being quite the same color. Thank you for you’re lovely site, it provides endless education for my children and myself.
Signature: Beetle GURL

Green June Beetle Mating Frenzy

Dear Beetle GURL,
The only way we can think of to tactfully refer to this activity is a mating frenzy of Green June Beetles in the genus Cotinis. The ranges of the eastern Green June Beetle, Cotinis nitida, and the western Green Fruit Beetle or Figeater, Cotinis mutabilis, overlap in Texas, so we aren’t certain which species you have encountered. You can browse BugGuide for more photographs and see the BugGuide information page of the genus for more general information. You can also read the information page on the Figeater on bugGuide and the information page on the Green June Beetle on BugGuide for specific information on the two species.