CHRISTMAS Beetles have long heralded the beginning of the festive season.
But, in recent years, the popular scarab seems to have vanished from its old haunts around the region.
Getting a handle on Christmas beetle numbers has been a tricky business for scientists because research is limited on their well-being.
Beetle boffins suspect the insects are in decline but without a formal monitoring program, they just don’t know how bad the loss might be and whether it affects all 35 species.
Christmas Beetles play a vital role in the ecosystem – their loss would have a significant impact on other species.
“They traditionally emerge in huge numbers in the late spring,” Associate Professor in entomology Tanya Latty said.
“This is right at the time that a lot of other animals like mammals and reptiles and birds have their young.
“Christmas Beetles are a predictable source of protein for other species because these guys are basically flying balls of protein and fat.
“People remember them being around in huge numbers around Christmas, but that just doesn’t seem to happen anymore, particularly on the east coast of Australia.”
Associate Professor Latty would like volunteer “citizen scientists” to join a Christmas Beetle count.
“We really need the public’s help to track the population of Christmas Beetles if we are going to identify which species might be at risk, and where large populations still exist,” she said.
“If you can, take a photo of the top, bottom, back and rear of the beetle, this will help with identification.”
Christmas Beetles are easy to spot; their shimmering metallic bodies set them apart.
Many Christmas Beetles come in golden brown or green colours, but the further north you travel, the more vibrant their colours can be.
In northern Queensland, Christmas Beetles are violet or opal-like.
The app, iNaturalist, allows users to instantly capture a picture and location of each Christmas beetle they see, and the app helps identify the species.
The Christmas Beetle Count will run in collaboration with Invertebrates Australia – https://invertebratesaustralia.org – a non-profit founded after the Black Summer bushfires of 2019/20 and which supports the science and conservation of Australian invertebrates such as spiders, crustaceans, insects, and creatures without a backbone.
Take part in the Christmas Beetle count through the University of Sydney website.
