chestnut cockchafer vs cockchafer maybeetle

Melolontha hippocastani compared with Melolontha melolontha

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	chestnut cockchafer	cockchafer maybeetle
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Arthropoda (Arthropods)	Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class same	Insecta (Insects)	Insecta (Insects)
Order same	Coleoptera (Beetles)	Coleoptera (Beetles)
Family same	Scarabaeidae	Scarabaeidae
Genus same	Melolontha	Melolontha
Species	Melolontha hippocastani	Melolontha melolontha

Evolutionary Relationship

chestnut cockchafer and cockchafer maybeetle share a common ancestor at the Genus level: Melolontha.

Conservation Status

chestnut cockchafer

LC — Least Concern

cockchafer maybeetle

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	chestnut cockchafer	cockchafer maybeetle
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

chestnut cockchafer

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

cockchafer maybeetle

Habitat

Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Switzerland.

chestnut cockchafer

The chestnut cockchafer (Melolontha hippocastani) is a species in the genus Melolontha. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in virtually all terrestrial and freshwater habitats.

cockchafer maybeetle

The cockchafer or maybeetle (Melolontha melolontha) is a large scarab beetle in the family Scarabaeidae, native to temperate Europe from the British Isles east across the continent to western Russia and the Caucasus. Adults, measuring 25–30 millimetres in length, are robust insects with chestnut-brown elytra, a distinctive fan-shaped antennal club, and a pointed abdomen tip. Emergent flights typically occur in May — hence the alternate name maybug — when adults aggregate in trees to feed on leaves and mate in sometimes spectacular swarms. The life cycle is three to five years long: eggs are laid in soil, and the pale C-shaped larvae spend multiple years underground feeding on plant roots, particularly those of grasses and agricultural crops, before pupating and completing metamorphosis. This subterranean larval phase can cause significant damage to pastures, cereals, and turf. Historically abundant across Europe, populations of M. melolontha declined dramatically during the twentieth century due to widespread use of soil insecticides in agriculture. Following restrictions on persistent organochlorine pesticides, populations have partially recovered in several countries, including Germany, Switzerland, and France, sometimes reaching pest status again. The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN but remains a subject of integrated pest management research. Natural enemies include rooks, badgers, moles, and various insect parasitoids that attack larvae in soil.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 4 countries:

🇧🇪 Belgium 🇩🇰 Denmark 🇳🇴 Norway 🇸🇪 Sweden