Talk:Ten-lined June beetle
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Encontré también este escarabajo en el centro de México en Atlacomulco estado de México — Preceding unsigned comment added by Leogonzalezking (talk • contribs) 04:37, 1 May 2023 (UTC)
Untitled
[edit]I added a redirect here from 10-lined june beetle, and ten-lined june beetle, becuase this is what they are most commonly reffered to, at least where I live. Also, is the official name "Ten striped june beetle" or "Ten lined june beetle"? Npd 08:40, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
After some more research, I am very certain that the real name is Ten-lined June beetle, and the scientific name Polyphylla decemlineata, and I have moved the article accordingly. If this is somehow incorrect feel free to change it back. :) The article could still use some more information, though. Npd 08:57, 3 July 2006 (UTC)
Painful bites?
[edit]The article indicates that the beetle can deliver "painful bites when provoked." A tag has been added that a citation is needed for this assertion. I agree. In fact, I'm inclined to believe that this assertion is incorrect. First, my nine-year-old son held a live beetle in his hand and repeatedly poked it so that it would make its characteristic hissing sound. He did this for 5 or 10 minutes without anything resembling a "bite." Second, I found an article titled "Colorado Insect of Interest -- Tenlined June Beetle" (URL: http://www.colostate.edu/Dept/bspm/extension%20and%20outreach/Tenlined%20June%20Beetle.pdf). The article provides descriptions and photos of adults and larvae, and discusses distribution, life cycle, and habits. It says the following:
"Although the tenlined June beetle causes little plant injury it is an impressively large, well-marked insect that commonly attracts interest. Furthermore, adults when disturbed can produce an impressive defensive display, hissing loudly by forcefully expelling air from their spiracles. This may also be accompanied by male beetles spreading and fanning out their large clubbed antennae. However, the insects are harmless."
71.222.207.124 (talk) 14:40, 24 July 2011 (UTC)evoltomlove@msn.com 2011-07-24 @ 08:32am MDT — Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.222.207.124 (talk) 14:34, 24 July 2011 (UTC)
Self-contradictory sentence regarding damage
[edit]"The adults are attracted to light and feed on foliage but do not damage the plants." That makes no sense. If the adults eat current foliage (not litterfall) then by definition they are damaging the plants to some degree. Is it supposed to say something like "but do not damage the plants severely"? Undomelin (talk) 18:52, 30 June 2013 (UTC)
California subspecies? Mis-ID?
[edit]As you can see, this one has a red thorax (if that's what it's called), and none currently do at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Polyphylla_decemlineata . What I know about beetles wouldn't even fill this post.... --Pete Tillman (talk) 21:30, 15 April 2016 (UTC)
- There's at least this one on bugguide.net sporting a reddish pronotum, for whatever that's worth. --Junkyardsparkle (talk) 23:03, 15 April 2016 (UTC)
- That's a friendly site for those of us who need help with identification, btw... looking through a few more photos there, the redder ones seem to be from WA or Canada, so maybe yours is just a misplaced Cascadian (I can sympathize)... in any case, nice picture! --Junkyardsparkle (talk) 23:21, 15 April 2016 (UTC)
- Thanks! I'll pass this along to the photographer. Cheers, Pete Tillman (talk) 06:10, 16 April 2016 (UTC)
A beetle you can talk with
[edit]Not of critical import, I suppose, but I offer this here: above is a note about poking the beetles to get them to wheeze (a more accurate description than "hiss"). This is an unnecessary irritation. The noise is employed somehow during their courting & mate seeking process, and needs little encouragement to be demonstrated. The best way to do it is to make the sound yourself, by sucking air in between the lower lip and upper teeth of a closed mouth. The beetle will promptly respond with the same sound. As long as you give it a couple of seconds to recover, you can continue to communicate this way - it will respond to each wheeze you generate, giving the appearance of a conversation. Great fun to impress small children - make up a story to translate the beetle's answers.
I should also add that it might be appropriate to add a note to the article about the beetle grubs, which are highly sought as food by many birds and animals. As they like to inhabit the roots of lawns, this results in major disruptions, as when lawns become soft after extensive rain, crows will shred them churning them up to seek the grubs, while raccoons will demonstrate extraordinarily artful and impressive skill by cutting the lawns and rolling them up neatly like a rug, typically the adults doing the work to expose the grubs in the underside of the turf for their offspring to feast on. This all happens at night, so one will wake in the morning to find several rolls of turf looking like big green cinnamon rolls scattered on the lawn. Fortunately these can be simply rolled back down with little harm done, unlike the butchery the crows leave behind.172.103.138.138 (talk) 06:05, 30 August 2019 (UTC)[some random wiki reader and occasional grammar corrections contributor]