Brassicogethes aeneus

Brassicogethes aeneus, known generally as common pollen beetle, is a species of pollen beetle in the family Nitidulidae. Other common names include the rape pollen beetle and rape blossom beetle.[1][2] It was previously known as Meligethes aeneus.[3]

Brassicogethes aeneus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Nitidulidae
Subfamily:	Meligethinae
Genus:	Brassicogethes
Species:	B. aeneus
Binomial name
Brassicogethes aeneus (Fabricius, 1775)
Synonyms
Meligethes californicus LeConte, 1857 Meligethes dauricus Reitter, 1871 Meligethes moerens LeConte, 1868 Meligethes mutatus Harold, 1868 Meligethes rufimanus Motschulsky, 1849

It is found in Europe & Northern Asia (excluding China) and North America.[2]

A subspecies of Brassicogethes aeneus is B. aeneus dauricus.

Adults are about 2–3 mm long, 1–2 mm wide and black with a hint of metallic green. The larvae are up to 3 mm long and white with brown sclerotised plates.

M. aeneus is an important pest of oilseed rape.[4] It is not known whether it contributes to the pollination of the crop.

The female beetle lays its eggs in the flower buds of the host-plant and the larvae develop within the flowers. Oviposition and feeding damage the buds of oilseed rape and similar Brassicas and may cause the flowers to drop. Both adults and larvae feed on the pollen and nectar in the flowers.[5]

See also

• List of pollen beetles (Nitidulidae) recorded in Britain

References

1. "Brassicogethes aeneus Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
2. "Brassicogethes aeneus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
3. de Jong, Y.S.D.M. (ed.) (2013) Fauna Europaea version 2.6. Web Service available online at http://www.faunaeur.org
4. Free, J. B. and Williams, I. H. (1979) The distribution of insect pests on crops of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) and the damage they cause. Journal of Agricultural Science, UK 92: 139-149
5. Williams, I. H. (1976), The infestation of oilseed rape (Brassica napus L.) by the pests Meligethes aeneus Fab. and Ceuthorhynchus assimilis Payk. PhD thesis; University of London, UK.

• Audisio, P., A. R. Cline, A. De Biase, G. Antonini, E. Mancini, M. Trizzino, L. Costantini, et al. (2009). "Preliminary re-examination of genus-level taxonomy of the pollen beetle subfamily Meligethinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)". Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, vol. 49, no. 2, 341–504.

Further reading

• Arnett, R. H. Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). (21 June 2002). American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, Florida ISBN 978-0-8493-0954-0.
• Arnett, Ross H. (2000). American Insects: A Handbook of the Insects of America North of Mexico. CRC Press.
• Richard E. White. (1983). Peterson Field Guides: Beetles. Houghton Mifflin Company.