Phyllophaga implicita (Horn, 1887)

Pentinsaari, Mikko, Anderson, Robert, Borowiec, Lech, Bouchard, Patrice, Brunke, Adam, Douglas, Hume, Smith, Andrew B. T. & Hebert, Paul D. N., 2019, DNA barcodes reveal 63 overlooked species of Canadian beetles (Insecta, Coleoptera), ZooKeys 894, pp. 53-150 : 53

Phyllophaga implicita (Horn, 1887)

Distribution.

Native to North America. Occurs across most of the Mississippi River drainage basin in the United States ( Luginbill and Painter 1953).

Canadian records.

Ontario: Point Pelee National Park, 05-Jun-2008 (1 ex, CBG).

Diagnostic information

(partially based on Luginbill and Painter 1953). Body length 14.5-17.0 mm. Dorsal surface pale to dark brown, moderately shiny (not pruinose or iridescent), glabrous, and without scales. Clypeus emarginate. Antennae with nine antennomeres. See Luginbill and Painter (1953) for images of habitus and genitalia.

Bionomic notes.

Adults have been observed on numerous plants including Tilia L., Fagus L., Betula L., Ulmus L., Lonicera L., Acer L., Platanus L., Rosa L., Juglans L., Salix L. and cultivated legumes ( Luginbill and Painter 1953). The Canadian specimen was collected in a mixed forest close to the shore of Lake Erie using an ultraviolet light.

Comments.

It is not surprising to find a range extension of this species into Canada considering the widespread distribution in eastern North America and the apparent broad range of host plants. Since only a single specimen was collected in Canada it is difficult to assess how firmly established this species is. There are hundreds of species of Phyllophaga with a similar overall appearance; therefore, it is crucial to use the male or female genitalia for morphological species identifications.