Family: Scarabaeidae, Scarab Beetles view all from this family

Description 1-1 3/8" (25-35 mm). Brown with 1 white mark on each side of head, 1 broader white stripe down middle of pronotum, 1 short and 4 long white stripes on each elytron. Long brownish hair under thorax. Antennal club has long and broad plates.

Food Larva feeds on roots of woody plants, including fruit trees.

Life Cycle Eggs are laid on soil near host plants, where larvae work their way into the soil and feed on roots. Pupal chambers are built shallowly underground. Adults emerge in July.

Habitat Forests and woods.

Range Rocky Mountain states and provinces; also the Southwest.

Discussion These beetles fly low over fields on warm evenings and sometimes gather around artificial lights at night. The similar Lined June Beetle (P. crinita), 7/8-1 1/8" (23-28 mm), has no white scaly patches on its head, a single broken white stripe down the pronotum, and 7 silvery stripes on the elytra. It is found from Kansas and New Mexico to California, north to British Columbia.