Heteronychus arator

Heteronychus arator (hetero+onychus = 'variable claw', arator = 'ploughman') is a species of beetle in the subfamily Dynastinae (the rhinoceros beetles). It is commonly called African black beetle or black lawn beetle.[1] It is native to Africa and it is an introduced species in Australia and on the North Island of New Zealand.[2]

Heteronychus arator
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Superfamily:	Scarabaeoidea
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Subfamily:	Dynastinae
Genus:	Heteronychus
Species:	H. arator
Binomial name
Heteronychus arator (Fabricius, 1775)

Morphology

It is a shiny black oval-shaped beetle 12 to 15 millimeters long.[3]

Host

This species may damage lawns and other turf, especially during the summer, as well as many crop plants, garden flowers,[4] trees and shrubs.[1]

References

1. African black beetle (Heteronychus arator) - pest of viticulture. Archived 2011-03-20 at the Wayback Machine Western Australia Department of Agriculture. 2005.
2. African Black Beetle. Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry. 2010.
3. African black beetle, Heteronychus arator. Pest and Disease Image Library (PaDIL).
4. African Black Beetle - Heteronychus arator. iLandscape.com.au, April 3, 2012.

Further reading

• Longworth, J. F. and G. P. Carey. (1976). A small RNA virus with a divided genome from Heteronychus arator (F.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Journal of General Virology 33, 31–40.
• King, P. D. (1977). Effect of plant species and organic matter on feeding behaviour and weight gain of larval black beetle, Heteronychus arator (Coleoptera: Sacrabaeidae). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 4(4), 445–48.