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This Christmas Beetle was found lying dead on the forest floor, late February.
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Or possibly Anoplognatus viriditarsus.
Christmas Beetle
Conservation status: Least Concern
A number of different species in the Anoplognathus genus are commonly called Christmas Beetles. They get this name because the adults typically emerge during the warmer weeks around Christmas time.
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Scientific Classification
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Coleoptera
Scarabaeidae
Rutelinae
Anoplognathus
montanus?
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Adult beetles feed on eucalypt leaves, while the larvae feed on grass roots and other organic matter in the ground.
Christmas Beetle larvae are white, crescent-shaped grubs with pale reddish brown heads. They are often dug up in people's gardens as they prefer to feed in grassy areas, such as lawns and paddocks.
Anoplognathus montanus is known from south-eastern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, while A. viriditarsus is known from southern Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania.
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