Characterization and usefulness of soil-habitat preferences in identification of Phyllophaga (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) larvae

Abstract

To address taxonomic and habitat-preference questions relating to Phyllophaga larvae, 120 cultivated and uncultivated sites in Wisconsin were sampled. Larvae were found at 58% of these sites, and 11 species of Phyllophaga larvae, pupae, or teneral adults (39% of the state's fauna based upon records of adults) were collected. Habitat profiles for the 11 species focus on soil characteristics, vegetation, topography, and site history. Several species show habitat preferences; this information may assist in the identification of larvae presently difficult to separate by using traditional morphological characters.