Occurrence of scarab species belonging to Cetoniinae and Sericinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) on <i>Lantana camara</i> L. in India

Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae) is deemed as one of the world’s toughest weeds posing major threats to the biodiversity and ecosystem. Lantana has been subject to numerous biocontrol attempts in India and other parts of the world. A survey of the phytophagous scarab species associated with Lantana camara was undertaken in Shettihalli village of Karnataka, India during 2024. The study yielded one Sericinae species, Maladera mutabilis (Fabricius, 1775), and five Cetoniinae species, viz., Clinteria klugi (Hope, 1831), Anthracophora crucifera (Olivier, 1789), Protaetia aurichalcea (Fabricius, 1775), Gametis versicolor (Fabricius, 1775) and Tephraea cinerea (Kraatz, 1898). Two species, G. versicolor and C. klugi were found to be abundant and predominant in Lanatana ecosystem. Their potential as biocontrol agents of the weed need to be ascertained.