CHAPTER 3

SECTION 5. Order COLEOPTERA

Family SCARABAEIDAE (Lamellicorn beetles)

  The study of the lamellicorns of the Kuril Islands was begun by Japanese entomologists in the 1930s. Information on these beetles is contained mainly in the papers of H. Kôno (1935d, 1937c), G. Miwa and M. Chujo (1939), as well as some other investigators. The most complete list of the Kuril Scarabaeidae (22 species) was recently published by S. Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967). In the Soviet literature, some information on the lamellicorns of the Kuril archipelago was reported in S. I. Medvedev's multivolume compendium of the fauna of the USSR (1949, 1951, 1952, 1960, 1964) and in individual papers of ours (Krivolutskaya, 1964; Krivolutskaya and Kurentsov, 1967). A special article of S. I. Medvedev and V. M. Ermolenko (1969), in which 20 species of lamellicorns of the Southern Kuril Islands are cited, has appeared only recently. The materials we have collected have slightly amplified the list of already known species, increasing it to 27 names; however, they have helped to bring some clarity to the identification of particular species. All of the material has been reviewed and identified by S. I. Medvedev. Data on the distribution of particular species have been borrowed from the enumerated works of Soviet and foreign authors.

The fam. Scarabaeidae is represented on the Kuril archipelago by six subfamilies (Geotrupinae, Aphodiinae, Melolonthinae, Rutelinae, Trichiinae, Cetoniinae), which include 17 genera: Geotrupes (2 species), Aegialia (1), Aphodius (5), Heptophylla (1), Ophthalmoserica (1), Sericania (1), Maladera (1), Ectinohoplia (1), Popillia (1), Mimela (1), Rhomobonyx (1), Anomala (4), Gnorimus (1), Lasiotrichius (1), Trichius (1), Cetonia (1), and Netocia (3). The overwhelming majority of the genera are represented here by one species. The distribution of the lamellicorns on the Kuril Range is limited to the southern islands; only 2 species, Geotrupes laevistriatus Motsch. and Ophthalmoserica karafutoensis Niiji. et Kinosh. have been found on Ketoy in the central part of the archipelago. This is apparently explained by the fact that the climatic and soil conditions in the central and northern islands are unfavorable for the development of their larvae, which takes place mainly in the soil. Twenty-three species have been observed on Kunashir, 8 on Shikotan, 10 on Iturup, and 2 on Ketoy; it cannot be excluded that the same species will be found on Urup and the other islands neighboring it.

From the systematic perspective, the lamellicorn fauna is inequivalent on the various islands. It achieves the greatest diversity on Kunashir due to the different species of cockchafers (subfam. Melalonthinae), shining leaf chafers (subfam. Rutelinae), checkered beetles (subfam. Trichiinae), and the scarabaeid beetles (subfam. Cetoniinae).

The dung beetles (subfam. Aphodiinae) turn out to be more diverse on Iturup, while the remaining subfamilies are represented much more meagerly than on Kunashir (2 species of cockchafers, 2 of shining leaf chafers, one scarabaeid beetle). On Shikotan, by contrast, the dung beetles are nearly absent, while the cockchafers constitute the main nucleus of the fauna (5 species of cockchafers, one scarabaeid beetle). Six species (Geotrupes laevistriatus Motsch., Aphodius rectus Motsch., Ophthalmoserica karafutoensis Niiji. et Kinosh., Sericania sachalinensis Mats., Anomala rufocoprea Motsch., Potosia brevitarsis Lew.) are more widespread within the limits of these three islands; among the rest, some are encountered on only one island; there are 14 such species on Kunashir, 3 on Iturup, and 1 on Shikotan. The lamellicorns are distributed unevenly about the territory of the particular islands. ecologically they are all associated with leaved and broadleaved forests, and are therefore encountered within the areas where these forests in particular thrive.

On Kunashir, where the Scarabaeidae fauna are richest; many thermophilic species (Geotrupes auratus Motsch., Heptophylla picea Motsch., Popillia japonica Newm., Mimela flavilabris Waterh., Anomala cuprea Hope., A. viridana Kolbe., A. lucens Ball., A. rufocoprea Motsch., Gnorimus subopacus Motsch., Gnorimus viridiopacus Lew., Trichius japonicus Motsch., Cetonia roelofsi Har., Potosia insperata Lew.) are concentrated in locales with optimal microclimatic conditions - in the southern half of the islands, especially along the southwestern littoral, and in the region of the caldera of the Golovnin Volcano. Some of them are encountered in large numbers and in the flight period can be classed among the background species, as occurs with other insects - the long-horned beetles, leaf-beetles, butterflies, bumblebees, flies, etc. the following are distinguished as landscape species among the lamellicorns on Kunashir: Geotrupes laevistriatus Motsch., Aphodius rectus Motsch., Sericania sachalinensis Mats., Ectinohoplia rufipes Motsch., Popillia japonica Newm., Mimela flavilabris Waterh., Anomala cuprea Hope., A. lucens Ball., A. rufocoprea Motsch., Gnorimus subopacus Motsch., Cetonia roelofsi Har. (the last only in the region of the caldera of the Golovnin Volcano and env. of Alekhino set.).

The finding of lamellicorns on Iturup also coincides with the distribution of the broadleaved species, and is restricted mainly to the Okhotsk coast and the southern and central regions of the islands. But all the species encountered here, with the exception of Sericania sachalinensis Mats., exhibit small numbers or are even rare, and none of them can be called a background species.

On Shikotan, where the leaved and broadleaved species are fairly evenly distributed throughout the island, it was not possible to discern differentiation with respect to locales. However, 2 species (Ophthalmoserica karafutoensis Niiji. et Kinosh. and Ectinohoplia rufipes Motsch.) are encountered at some locales in fairly large numbers, but at the same time are not background species.

Thus, half of the species of lamellicorns on the Kuril archipelago (15) are rare; among the other half, 8 species can be classified as common and only 4 as numerous. But on some islands, the numbers of the very same species prove not be identical; this is characteristic for other groups of insects as well. Thus, Ophthalmoserica karafutoensis Niiji. et Kinosh. achieves the greatest numbers on Shikotan; Anomala lucens Ball. and A. rufocoprea Motsch. on Kunashir; these species are quite scanty on the other islands.

The flight periods under Kuril Islands conditions of the majority of the lamellicorns fall in the second half of the summer; they are substantially delayed are shortened by comparison with the continent (Table 6). Among overwhelming majority, the beetles appear only at the end of the first ten-day period of July; their numbers, gradually increasing, reach a maximum from the end of July through the first half of August, when tens of these insects feed on the flowers and leaves of the food plants. After this the number of flying beetles gradually diminishes.

The development and habitats of the lamellicorn larvae on the Kuril archipelago have not been explored; this was not an objective of our investigations. The beetles are polyphages as a rule; they feed on flowers, several leaved species and shrubs, on tall herbaceous vegetation, and on the Kuril bamboo. At the same time, some selectivity was observed. The "Maximovich" alder, the leaves of which are eaten by Ophthalmoserica karafutoensis Niiji. et Kinosh., Sericania sachalinensis Mats., Ectinohoplia rufipes Motsch., Popillia japonica Newm., Mimela flavilabris Waterh., Anomala lucens Ball., A. rufocoprea Motsch., and Cetonia roelofsi Har., is damaged by the largest number of species. Only 3 species are noted on birch (Ectinohoplia rufipes Motsch., Anomala lucens Ball., and A. rufocoprea Motsch.); of these the first can inflict serious damage; 2 are noted on oak (A. lucens Ball. and A. rufocoprea Motsch.); and 4 on rose (Ectinohoplia rufipes Motsch., Anomala cuprea Hope., A. lucens Ball. and A. rufocoprea Motsch.). Some cockchafers can feed facultatively on tall herbaceous vegetation and Kuril bamboo. For example, Popillia japonica Newm. sometimes severely damages the Sakhalin knotweed, and Ectinohoplia rufipes Motsch., the Kuril bamboo.

By comparison with the adjacent territories, the lamellicorn fauna of the Kuril Range is somewhat impoverished. The genus Holotrichia, which is known on Hokkaido and Honshu, is lacking here; some species of the genera Maladera (M. orientalis Motsch.), Netocia (N. metallica daurica Motsch.), Cetonia (C. pilifera Motsch.), Trichius (T. fasciatus daurica L.), and others are also absent.

In terms of its genesis, the Kuril lamellicorn fauna is clearly palaearchaearctic in character. Wide palaearchaearctic and holarctic elements are nearly unrepresented in its composition, but, on the other hand, island endemics constitute more than half. In terms of the character of the ranges and of origin, the Kuril Scarabaeidae fall into five groups: the Transpalaearctic, the Eastern Siberian, the Manchurian, the Island, and the Sino-Ussuri-Japanese. The third and the fourth groups make up the principal nucleus of the fauna; the rest play a secondary role, and are very rare on the Kurils.

Ten species belong to the Manchurian group: Geotrupes laevistriatus Motsch., G. auratus Motsch., Aphodius haroldianus Motsch., A. rectus Motsch., Ectinohoplia rufipes Motsch., Rhomobonyx testaceipes Motsch., Anomala cuprea Hope., Gnorimus subopacus Motsch., Netocia brevitarsis Lew., and N. lugubris orientalis Medv. Of these, Rhomobonyx testaceipes Motsch. is in essence a Japanese species, since it is represented on the continent by a special subspecies, Rh. testaceipes ussuriensis Medv., which had been earlier described by Medvedev (1949) as an independent species, and is now regarded by him (oral communication of S. I. Medvedev) as merely a subspecies.

We divide the Island group into three subgroups: the Kuril-Japanese, the Kuril-Hokkaido, and the Sakhalin-Kuril-Japanese; these are mainly island endemics which differ in the configuration of the ranges within the limits of the islands. The Kuril-Japanese subgroup includes species which are well distributed in Japan and which encroach upon the Southern Kurils only by the northern border of the range (Aphodius uniformis Waterh., A. Motsch., Heptophylla picea Motsch., Popillia japonica Newm., Mimela flavilabris Waterh., Anomala lucens Ball., Trichius japonicus Motsch., and Cetonia roelofsi Har.); many of these are rare. The Kuril-Hokkaido subgroup is represented by only one species, Netocia insperata Lew., known only on Hokkaido and Kunashir. The Sakhalin-Kuril-Japanese subgroup is made up of species whose range encompasses not only the Kurils and Japan, but the southern half of Sakhalin as well; these are Ophthalmoserica karafutoensis Niiji. et Kinosh., Sericania sachalinensis Mats., and Anomala rufocoprea Motsch.

The Transpalaearctic group is represented by only one species, Aphodius rufipes L., which has been found only once on Kunashir. The Eastern Siberian group, consisting of two species (Aegialia kamtschatica Motsch. and Lasiotrichius succinctus Pall.), which are very rare and which in fact we did not find, does not essentially influence the general appearance of the fauna.

The Sino-Ussuri-Japanese group, represented by Maladera japonica Motsch., which was found only once by the Japanese entomologist K. Kobayashi (Kobayashi) on Shikotan, and Anomala viridana Kolbe. on Kunashir, has the same significance as the preceding, and may serve only as evidence of the penetration of more southerly elements into the Kuril Islands.

The species composition of the Kuril lamellicorns may be regarded as elucidated in the main. It is true that the discovery of several more species of dung beetles on Kunashir and other islands cannot be excluded.

  SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES

  1. Geotrupes (Phelotripes) laevistriatus Motsch. (Figure 40, 4). K - env. of Alekhino set., July 1-August 4, 6 spec.; shore of Lake Goryacheye, August 14-16, 1962, 5 spec.; valley of the Lesnaya River, July 27, 1962, 1 spec.; encountered in dark coniferous-broadleaved forests, primarily on the ground, paths, more rarely on plants; Sh - August 15, 1968, 2 spec., on soil in grassy-shrub thickets and spruce forest, N. G. Vasil'ev; I - env. of Lesozavodsk set., July 18, 1963, 1 spec.; Ke - mentioned by H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d, 1935c). Common on the Kuril Islands, but is encountered in small numbers. A Manchurian species. Distributed on K, Sh, Ke, Sakhalin, in Primorskiy Kray, Eastern Siberia, East China, on the Korean Peninsula and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu, Okinawa).

2. Geotrupes (Phelotripes) auratus Motsch. K - area between sets. of Alekhino and Sernovdosk, August 5, 1961, 1 spec., mixed forest. Very rare on the Kurils. Assigned to the group of Manchurian species. Known on K, in Primorskiy Kray, the Korean Peninsula, and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

3. Aegialia (Dimalia) kamtschatica Motsch. K - based on collections of V. M. Ermolenko (Medvedev and Ermolenko, 1969); according to the data of Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967), H. Kôno (Kôno, 1937c), was incorrectly identified as Aphodius pusillus Herbst and cited under this name (comment of Kuwayama). Cited by Kuwayama under the name Psammoporus kamtschatica (Motsch.). Evidently should also be encountered on the central and northern islands. Very rare in the south of the Range. An Eastern Siberian species by the character of its range; distributed on Sakhalin, in Kamchatka, Siberia (including Dauria), and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu).

4. Aphodius (Colobopterus) haroldianus Balth. K - env. of Alekhino set., July 11-17, 1962, 2 spec., coniferous-broadleaved forest, on the soil; env. of Golovnino set., August 8, 1961, 1 spec., in oak groves. Found only in southwest K. Distributed on Sakhalin, in Eastern Siberia up to Transbaikalia, Primorskiy Kray (?), on the Korean Peninsula, and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

5. Aphodius (Phaeaphodius) rectus Motsch. (=A. solskyi Har.). K - Yuzhno-Kuril'sk set., July 21, 1962, 1 spec., seashore, on sand; env. of Alekhino set., July 4-12, 1962, 2 spec., mixed forest, on tall herbaceous vegetation and soil; I - flood plain of Kurilka River, July 1, 1963, 1 spec., leaved forest; Sh - according to the data of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1937c). It is evidently not rare on the Kuril archipelago, but is encountered singly. A Manchurian species whose range encompasses K, Sh, I, Sakhalin, Primorskiy Kray (?), Eastern Siberia, Mongolia, China up to Taiwan, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

6. Aphodius (Agrilinus) uniformis Waterh. (=A. (A.) etorofuensis, Kôno). I - according to the data of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1937c); we have not found it. Very rare on the archipelago. A Kuril-Japanese species; known on I and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

7. Aphodius (Calamosternus) breviusculus Motsch. I - Kuril'sk (Kuwayama, 1967). We have not found it. Very rare. An insufficiently elucidated Japanese species, which has a very restricted range; cited on I and the Japanese islands of Hokkaido and Honshu. According to V. Balthasar (Balthasar, 1964), is possibly a synonym of the northern palaearctic A. piceus Gyll.

8. Aphodius rufipes L. K - west coast, August 5, 1966, 1 spec., in cow manure, V. M. Ermolenko (Medvedev and Ermolenko, 1969). We have not found it; cited on the basis of the study of S. I. Medvedev and V. M. Ermolenko (1969). Only representative of the transpalaearctic group. Known in Europe and East Asia.

9. Heptophylla picea Motsch. K - according to the data of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d), only discovery. Evidently exceptionally rare on the Kurils. Distributed on K, Sakhalin, in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu), and as mentioned by S. Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967), on the Korean Peninsula, where it most likely penetrated from Japan.

10. Ophthalmoserica karafutoensis (Niiji. et Kinosh.). K - env. of Goryachiy Plyazh set., July 26, 1961, 1 spec., mixed forest, on leaves of "Maximovich" alder; env. of Alekhino set., August 8, 1962, 1 spec., on panicled hydrangea flowers; valley of Prozrachnyy Stream (Pacific Ocean littoral), August 26, 1964, 4 spec., dark coniferous forests with admixture of leaved species; Sh - env. of Malokuril'sk set., August 13, 1961, August 25, 1963, 12 spec.; close to Krabovaya Bight, August 26, 1963, 3 spec., on alder leaves, by ultraviolet light; I - env. of Reydovoye set., August 3, 1963, 1 spec., from forbs; Ke - according to the data of Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967). Initially was described under the name Serica karafutoensis (Niijima and Kinoshita, 1935, see Kuwayama, 1967), and was cited under this name in the papers of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d, 1937c). Later, in S. Kuwayama's compendium (Kuwayama, 1967), was transferred to the genus Ophthalmoserica, which is evidently correct. Is cited by S. I. Medvedev (Medvedev and Ermolenko, 1969) under the name Serica nigrovariata Lew. One of the species that is widely distributed on the Kuril Range. More common on Sh; it is encountered on the other islands sporadically and singly. The beetles appear at the end of July and take flight before the beginning of September. They most often feed on alder leaves; they sometimes land on flowers or with herbaceous plants and fly towards ultraviolet light. Belongs to the subgroup of Sakhalin-Kuril-Japanese species, since the range encompasses Sakhalin, the southern and partially the central part of the Kuril Range (K, Sh, I, Ke), and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

11. Sericania sachalinensis Mats. K - env. of sets. of Goryachiy Plyazh, Sernovdosk, and Alekhino, area between the settlements of Sernovdosk and Alekhino, env. of Lake Lagunnoye, valley of the Lesnaya River, valley of Prozrachnyy Stream (Pacific Ocean littoral), outside find dates June 29-August 31, 33 spec. in all, encountered in mixed coniferous-broadleaved forests on alder leaves, more rarely on grass; I - env. of Kuril'sk, June 30-July 3, 1963, 8 spec., mixed forest, on alder and flowers; Okhotsk littoral in the region of Listvennichnoye Plateau, July 11, 1963, 4 spec., on carrot family flowers; Pacific Ocean coast near Kasatka Bay, July 16, 1963, 2 spec., on meadow vegetation; env. of Lesozavodsk set., July 19-24, 1963, 13 spec., on tall herbaceous vegetation and Kuril bamboo leaves; Sh - based on collections of N. N. Konakov (Medvedev, 1952); Malokuril'sk set., July 5, 1925, 2 spec., collections of K. Doi, according to the data of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d).

At the present time, S. I. Medvedev regards the S. kurilensis Medv. (1952) that was described on Sh to be a synonym of S. sachalinensis Mats. (oral communication of S. I. Medvedev). Common in the south of the Kuril Range, feeds on alder leaves; more numerous on I, where it more often feeds on herbaceous plants. The flight of this cockchafer goes on in June-July; the beetles are very rarely encountered in August. We found dead beetles on the leaves of herbaceous plants at the end of July on I; at the same time, their infestation with parasites or fungal diseases was not observed. The species range is characterized as Sakhalin-Kuril-Japanese; it encompasses the southern half of Sakhalin, the Southern Kuril Islands, and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu).

12. Maladera (Aserica) japonica Motsch. Sh - according to the data of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d), is evidently very rare. At the present time, the question of the synonymy of this species is not entirely clear. H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d, 1937c) cites it cited under the name of Aserica castanea Arrow., and reports two synonyms: =Autoserica castanea Arrow. (1913) and =Au. japonica Kobayashi (1931). S. I. Medvedev (1952) regards the name Aserica castanea Arrow. to be a synonym of Maladera (Aserica) japonica Motsch. S. Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967), in his last compendium, offers a new combination, Maladera castanea Arrow. In connection with the fact that we have not found this cockchafer, we do not feel it is possible to shed further light on the identification of the Kuril specimens. The species name is cited after S. I. Medvedev. In addition to the Kurils, it is distributed in Primorskiy Kray, China, (including Taiwan), the Korean Peninsula, and Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu). Carried to the Black Sea littoral of the Caucasus and North America. Based on the character of the range, we have assigned it to the Sino-Ussuri-Japanese group. The lamellicorns plays a negligible role in the Kuril fauna.

13. Ectinohoplia rufipes Motsch. (Figure 40, 2). K - env. of settlements of Sernovdosk and Alekhino, area between the settlements of Sernovdosk and Alekhino, shore of Lake Goryacheye, the Veslovskiy Peninsula, near Remontnyy Cape (Pacific Ocean littoral), outside collection dates July 18-August 24, 1961-1964, 51 spec. in all; Sh - env. of Malokuril'sk set., August 13, 1961, August 25, 1963, 11 spec. in all, on alder leaves; env. of Krabovaya Bight, August 26, 1963, 55 spec., mixed forest, on birch leaves; northeastern part of the island, August 27, 1963, 1 spec., dark coniferous forest. One of the most numerous species under the conditions of the islands. The beetles are polyphages; they may feed on alder, birch, rose, and Kuril bamboo leaves, more rarely on flowers. But they mainly damage birch, eating round its leaves. They are sometimes encountered in large numbers in limited areas. The flight of the beetles proceeds in last ten-day period of July to the end of August. The larva is known, but its development and ecology have not been studied. A Manchurian species. Distributed on K, Sh, Sakhalin, in Primorskiy Kray, the Amur basin (east of Blagoveshchensk), on the Korean Peninsula, and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

14. Popillia japonica Newm. (Figure 40, 1). K - env. of settlements of Alekhino and Sernovdosk, area between the settlements of Sernovdosk and Alekhino, Okhotsk littoral close to Stolbchatyy Cape, outside collection dates July 6-August 6, 1962, 86 spec. in all. The beetles are polyphages; under Kuril conditions, they mainly damage alder and Sakhalin knotweed; their largest clusters are found on the latter; they also feed on the flowers of the meadowsweet, the carrot family, the panicled hydrangea and other plants flowering in this period. Flight continues for about a month, from the beginning of July to the end of the first ten-day period of August, following which their numbers decline rapidly. The larvae develop in the soil that is covered with vegetation (Medvedev, 1949), where they feed on the decomposing parts and roots of plants. A generation is one year in duration in Japan; it has not been studied in the Kuril Range.

Distribution on K is limited to the southern third of the island, to regions where coniferous-broadleaved and broadleaved forests flourish. Typically a Kuril-Japanese species, whose range extends within the limits of the south of K and the Japanese islands (Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu). Is subject to quarantine, since after importation into the USA, it multiplied there en masse, and inflicts great damage on orchards.

15. Mimela flavilabris Waterh. K - env. of settlements of Alekhino, Sernovdosk, and Goryachiy Plyazh, area between the settlements of Sernovdosk and Alekhino, outside collection dates July 6-August 13, 34 spec. in all. As in the case of the preceding species, is distributed on the southern third of K, within the limits of regions where coniferous-broadleaved and broadleaved forests flourish, but is less numerous, and does not form appreciable clusters. The beetles are encountered on flowers and eat round alder leaves; they strike the eye due to their bright-green shiny metallic coloration. A background species, along with other representatives of the subfam. Rutelinae. Belong to the group of Kuril-Japanese species. Known in the south of K and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

16. Rhomobonyx testaceipes Motsch. K - August 8, 1925, K. Doi, according to the data of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d). We have not found it; evidently very rare on the archipelago. An Island species, distributed in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu), and known on K. A well-differentiated subspecies, Rh. ussuriensis, described by S. I. Medvedev (1949) as an independent species, and presently considered by the author merely to be a subspecies (personal communication of S. I. Medvedev), lives on the continent (in the south of Primorskiy Kray, on the Korean Peninsula, and in North East China). taking all of the above into account, we have assigned it to the Manchurian zoogeographical group.

17. Anomala (Euchronomala) cuprea Hope. K - env. of settlements of Goryachiy Plyazh and Alekhino, shore of Lake Goryacheye, Veslovskiy Peninsula, outside detection dates July 17-August 7, 16 spec. in all. The beetles fly from the middle of July to the middle of August under Kuril Islands conditions. They are encountered sporadically. They are observed in relatively large numbers only in shore areas in rose (Rosa rugosa) brakes on Veslovskiy Peninsula. The beetles feed on the leaves and pollen of the flowers of the wrinkled rose, as well as on the flowers of other plants. The larvae of this species live in the soil, where they feed on the roots of cereals (Medvedev, 1949). A Manchurian species. Distributed on K, in Primorskiy Kray, North East China, on the Korean Peninsula, and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

18. Anomala viridana Kolbe. K - Alekhino set., August 3-September 6, 1966, 6 spec., on flowers of the Sakhalin knotweed, V. M. Ermolenko. First observed on the Kuril Range by S. I. Medvedev and V. M. Ermolenko (1969). We have not found it. Distributed, besides on K, in the south of Primorskiy Kray, on the Korean Peninsula, and in Japan.

19. Anomala lucens Ball. K - env. of settlements of Alekhino, Sernovdosk, and Golovnino, area between the settlements of Sernovdosk and Alekhino, western spurs of Mendeleev Volcano, the Okhotsk littoral near Cape Petrov, Veslovskiy Peninsula, outside find dates July 6-August 8, 55 spec. in all, encountered in coniferous-broadleaved forests; I - env. of Kuril'sk, August 18, 1961, 3 spec., mixed forest, on flowers. Common in the broadleaved forests of K, rare on I. The beetles are polyphages; they feed on the leaves of alder, wrinkled rose, Sakhalin knotweed, more rarely birch and oak, as well as on the flowers of various plants. Flight of the beetles continues from the beginning of July to the end of August; it reaches greatest intensity in the last ten-day period of July-first half of August. The habitats and mode of life of the larvae are unknown. May be regarded as a background species in the southern area of K. An Island, namely Kuril-Japanese, endemic. Distributed on K, I, and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

20. Anomala rufocoprea Motsch. K - env. of settlements of Goryachiy Plyazh, Sernovdosk, Alekhino, and Golovnino, western spurs of Mendeleev Volcano, the Okhotsk littoral near Stolbchatyy Cape, Veslovskiy Peninsula, shore of Lake Goryacheye, Pacific Ocean littoral near Cape Petrov, outside find dates July 6-August 31, 93 spec. in all, encountered annually in large numbers; Sh - env. of Malokuril'sk set., August 25, 1963, 1 spec., mixed forest; I - env. of Kuril'sk, July 4-August 5, 3 spec., mixed forest, on flowers of the carrot family and other plants and in flight; August 18, 1961, 4 spec., mixed forest; env. of Lesozavodsk set., July 25, 1963, 2 spec. The beetles feed on the leaves of alder and Sakhalin knotweed, are often encountered on flowers of the meadowsweet, panicled hydrangea, and carrot family; they have been observed on the birch and oak, but cause appreciable harm only to the alder on the Kurils. In Japan they damage soya, grapevine, and cherry. One of the most common and widespread species on K, on I it is encountered singly, while it is rare on Sh. It is encountered en masse at the height of the flight, and is a colorful landscape species. The flight of the beetles begins on the first days of July, and increasing gradually, it reaches great intensity by the middle of the last ten-day period of July, and then continues with undiminished strength until the end of August, ceasing at the end of September. The mode of life of the larvae has not been studied. Belongs to the Island (Sakhalin-Kuril-Japanese) species, which have a wide range within the limits of islands, encompassing K, Sh, I, the central and southern part of Sakhalin, Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu), and the Korean Peninsula, where it undoubtedly penetrated from Japan.

21. Gnorimus subopacus Motsch. (Figure 40, 3). K - env. of Lake Lagunnoye, env. of settlements of Sernovdosk and Alekhino, area between the settlements of Sernovdosk and Alekhino, outside find dates July 10-August 2, 34 spec. The beetles are encountered in mixed leaved forests, almost exclusively on flowers. The distribution boundaries on the Kuril Range are evidently delimited by the southern portion of K, where this species is quite common and may be assigned to the background species. The flight of the beetles lasts approximately a month, from the end of the first ten-day period of July to the beginning of August. It is known that larvae of the genus Gnorimus live in the rotten wood of broadleaved species (Medvedev, 1960); therefore, here and there the beetles' habitats are old broadleaved forests. A Manchurian species. Distributed on K and Sakhalin, the Amur basin (middle and lower course), Primorskiy Kray, North East China, on the Korean Peninsula, and in Japan.

G. viridiopacus Lew. was mentioned (Kuwayama, 1967) for K, the Goryachiy Plyazh set.. This species is unknown to us; it is absent in the catalogues. Judging by the figure in T. Nakane's book (Nakane, 1962), this species is very similar to the Kuril specimens of G. subopacus Motsch. and is probably a synonym of it. It is cited for Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu) and the Korean Peninsula.

22. Trichius japonicus Motsch. K - env. of Alekhino set., July 6-August 8, 1962, 3 spec., dark coniferous-broadleaved forests, on flowers; shore of Lake Peschanoye, July 9, 1962, 1 spec., broadleaved flood plain forest. It is encountered quite rarely and singly on K; it is unknown on the other islands. A Kuril-Japanese species, distributed in the southwest of K and in Japan (widely).

23. Lasiotrichius succinctus Pall. We have not found it; it is cited for the Kuril Range by S. I. Medvedev (1969) without indication of the site where it was found on specific islands. Not noted by Japanese authors on the Kurils. A species apparently of Angaran origin. Distributed in Central and Eastern Siberia, on Sakhalin, the Shantarskie and Southern Kuril Islands, in Primorskiy Kray, in the north of Mongolia, North East China, on the Korean Peninsula, and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu). We have assigned to the Eastern Siberian group of species.

24. Cetonia (Eucetonia) roelofsi Har. K - env. of Alekhino set., June 27-August 13, 1962, 21 spec., broadleaved forest, on flowers; August 3, 1961, 5 spec., on alder; env. of Sernovdosk set., July 24, 1962, 2 spec., leaved forest, on flowers. The beetles fly from the end of June to the middle of August; the majority keep to flowers. It is quite common in the southwest of K, and may be regarded as a background species, though it not so numerous. Belongs to the Island, namely Kuril-Japanese, zoogeographical group. The southern region of K is the northern boundary of the range of this scarabaeid beetle. It is widely distributed in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu); it is also known on the Korean Peninsula (Medvedev, 1964), where it evidently penetrated from the islands.

*25. Netocia (Liocola) insperata Lew. (Yablokov-Khizoryan, 1967). K - env. of Alekhino set., July 3-13, 1962, 2 spec., coniferous-broadleaved forest; Okhotsk littoral close to Stolbchatyy Cape, July 30, 1962, 1 spec., coniferous-broadleaved forest. Observed only on the southwest coast of K, encountered rarely. Flight during June. An Island species, it is distinguished by a limited Kuril-Hokkaido range; we have included it in the Kuril-Japanese subgroup.

26. Netocia (Liocola) brevitarsis Lew. K - Mendeleev Volcano, July 26, 1935, 2 spec., T. Uchida; I - Reydovoye set., July 11-13, 1936, 1 spec.; hot springs near the Reydovoye set., July 16, 1936, 1 spec.; all points on I, based on the collections of J. Sugihara; Sh - according to the data of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d), without indication of specific find sites. We have not found it on the Kuril Range; it is cited on the basis of the works of H. Kôno (Kôno, 1935d, 1935c) and S. Kuwayama (Kuwayama, 1967). H. Kôno named this scarabaeid beetle Liocola brevitarsis Lew.; S. Kuwayama called it Protaetia brevitarsis Lew. It cannot be excluded that this species was confused with N. insperata Lew., to which it is very similar. Belongs to the Manchurian group on the basis of the character of the range. Distributed in the Southern Kurils (K, Sh, I), Sakhalin, in Khabarovskiy and Primorskiy Krays, on the Korean Peninsula, in China (North East and Taiwan), and in Japan (Hokkaido, Honshu, Sikoku, Kyushu).

27. Netocia (Liocola) lugubris orientalis Medv. K - env. of Alekhino set., July 4-August 21, 1966, 6 spec., on flowers of Sakhalin knotweed and carrot family, V. M. Ermolenko. Cited for the first time by S. I. Medvedev and V. M. Ermolenko (1969). We have not encountered it. A Manchurian subspecies of a transpalaearctic species; it is distributed eastward from Transbaikalia - in the Amur basin, Primorskiy Kray, on Sakhalin, in North East China, in the northern region of the Korean Peninsula.