Golden Brown June Beetle
Cotalpa consobrina
Attracted to light at Romero Canyon, Sta. Catalina Mts., Pima Co., Arizona. 30 July 2016.
Scarabaeidae -- Scarab Beetle Family
There are quite a number of scarab beetles found in the Sonoran Desert that are very beautiful. The golden brown color of Cotalpa suggests highly polished wood or stone. This beetle might take a year or longer to mature from an egg through larva (grub) into adult and during that time is concealed within the soil feeding on roots of plants or perhaps decaying plant matter. Only once the summer rains begin does the adult insect emerge from the soil to begin the process of reproduction. The adult phase shown here is short, certainly less than a month.