| Death Valley June beetle | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Scarabaeiformia |
| Family: | Scarabaeidae |
| Genus: | Polyphylla |
| Species: | P. erratica
|
| Binomial name | |
| Polyphylla erratica Hardy & Andrews, 1978
| |
The Death Valley June beetle (Polyphylla erratica) is a scarab beetle in the subfamily Melolonthinae. It is only known to occur in the drainage basin of the Amargosa River in the southwestern United States.1 Saltgrass communities, such as those at Saratoga Springs in Death Valley, provide habitat for the insect at all stages of its life.2
Predators of the beetle include coyotes, ravens, and shrikes, the last of which are known to impale the insects on vegetation.2
The Death Valley June beetle does not carry any official conservation status, but is listed as a Species of Concern by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.3 The California Department of Fish and Game considers the beetle a "Special Animal" of high conservation need.4
References
References
- "Death Valley geology field trip: Saratoga and Valley Springs". USGS/NPS. Archived from the original on 23 October 2011. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- A. La Rue, Delbert (March–June 1998). "Notes on Polyphylla Harris with a description of a new species. (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)". Insecta Mundi. 12 (1 & 2): 22–37. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- "Species Profile for Death Valley june beetle (Polyphylla erratica)". FWS. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
- "California Natural Diversity Database: SPECIAL ANIMALS (898 taxa)" (PDF). CDFG. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 17 April 2011.