Glycyphana stolata – A Good Guy?

Commonly known as the Brown Flower Beetle, Glycyphana stolata is a good guy in that he assist with pollination. I was deadheading my roses this morning and came across this critter on a Seduction rose, so snipped off the flower, shoved it into a plastic bag so identification could be done later. Gave this investigative duty to hubby who (like everything else he does) dug diligently away on-line until he came up trumps!

Glycyphana stolata are from the Order of Coleoptera, Family of Scarabaeidae and are indigenous to southern Queensland and northern New South Wales. They usually go for light coloured or scented flowers both native and exotic. The adults feed on flowers (but usually only the nectar) and larva feed on dead material – although it looks as though there is some damage to the petals of this rose, ringed by brown?). They are not considered a pest especially in small numbers but are important native critters for pollination.

They spead by flying, assisted by the wind from plant to plant and are most active in spring and early summer. When disturbed, they tend to play dead (which I thought this little bloke was until I discerned a little twitch of one leg!).

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