Other common name: Black lawn beetle
Scientific name: Heteronychus arator
Distribution
Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, and Western Australia.
Identification
12–15 mm in length and is oval in shape. It is black and shiny dorsally, and dark reddish-brown ventrally. It has 10 antennal segments that end in a distinct three-segment club. The pronotum is smooth, convex, and lacks punctures.
Diet
The adults feed on stems of plants at or below ground level. The larvae are C-shaped or scarabeiform and live in the soil, where they feed on organic matter, grass, and plant roots.
African black beetles as pests
They are pests to lawns, grassed fairways, golf greens, and other turfs, especially during summer.
Control
Control is most effective when insecticide is applied to the soil to kill the larvae. By the time trees are being stripped off of leaves, spraying insecticides may be too late. Pest controllers are usually not required to treat these insects.