- Christmas beetle
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Christmas beetle 
Anoplognathus pallidicollis Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Suborder: Polyphaga Superfamily: Scarabaeoidea Family: Scarabaeidae Genus: Anoplognathus
LeachChristmas beetle is a name commonly applied to the Australian beetle genus Anoplognathus. They are known as Christmas beetles because they are abundant in both urban and rural areas close to Christmas.
The genus includes 35 species, several of which have been implicated in dieback of eucalypts. Anoplognathus pallidicollis is the species most commonly observed and associated with the name of Christmas beetle.
Species include:
- Anoplognathus abnormis
- Anoplognathus aeneus
- Anoplognathus aureus
- Anoplognathus blackdownensis
- Anoplognathus boisduvalii
- Anoplognathus brevicollis
- Anoplognathus brunnipennis
- Anoplognathus chloropyrus
- Anoplognathus concolor
- Anoplognathus daemeli
- Anoplognathus flindersensis
- Anoplognathus hirsutus
- Anoplognathus macalpinei
- Anoplognathus macleayi
- Anoplognathus montanus
- Anoplognathus multiseriatus
- Anoplognathus narmarus
- Anoplognathus nebulosus
- Anoplognathus olivieri
- Anoplognathus pallidicollis
- Anoplognathus parvulus
- Anoplognathus pindarus
- Anoplognathus porosus
- Anoplognathus prasinus
- Anoplognathus punctulatus
- Anoplognathus rhinastus
- Anoplognathus rothschildti
- Anoplognathus rubiginosus
- Anoplognathus rugosus
- Anoplognathus smaragdinus
- Anoplognathus suturalis
- Anoplognathus velutinus
- Anoplognathus viridiaeneus
- Anoplognathus viriditarsis
References
- Anoplognathus, ANIC Specimen Database. Australian National Insect Collection, CSIRO Entomology
- A Big Year for Christmas beetles. CSIRO Media Release, 23 December 1997
Categories:- Scarabaeidae
- Beetles of Australia
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