Austral Entomology最新文献

{"title":"Aboriginal Peoples and Terrestrial Invertebrates in Australia: Historical and Cultural RelationshipsBy Philip A. Clarke, CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne. ISBN 9781486320431 334 pages, with 60 colour pictures","authors":"Katja Hogendoorn, Gary Taylor","doi":"10.1111/aen.70070","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aen.70070","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Aboriginal peoples have deep connections with Australia's terrestrial invertebrates. The different tribes value insects and other terrestrial arthropods as food, as totemic ancestors, creators and spirit beings, and as sources for materials and medicines. In this book anthropologist and ethnobiologist Philip Clarke, focuses on these nutritional, cultural and practical relationships.</p><p>Using a historian's approach, Clarke has consulted a very wide range of sources, including documents from early explorers, conversations with Aboriginal elders and scientific publications. Among these sources, the studies of two researchers feature prominently. Firstly, the publications of the very productive Norman Tindale (1900–1993) are heavily cited. Tindale was an anthropologist, but also a hepialid (Lepidoptera) taxonomist, a group that contains some of the species with ‘witchetty grub’ larvae (however, most witchetty grubs are cossid moths, and some are even cerambycid larvae—see below). Secondly, the work of Alan Yen (1950–2017) receives much attention. Alan was an entomologist, conservationist, and invertebrate ecologist and an active member of the Australian Entomological Society. The Society's conservation award is named in his honour. In addition to his focus on conservation Alan published papers on insects as human food.</p><p>Clarke's book brings together an immense number of terrestrial invertebrate species, and explores how they have been named, classified, foraged for, used, and celebrated by the many different Aboriginal cultures. For those interested in ethno-entomology, this overview of terrestrial invertebrates as sources of food, medicine, storytelling and spiritual significance for Aboriginal Peoples is a goldmine of information.</p><p>In the introductory chapter, the stark differences in the traditional Aboriginal knowledge of invertebrates as food and the European classification of a largely unknown invertebrate fauna is noted, together with cultural differences and disinclination of early explorers to record them as food (as opposed to hunting vertebrates).</p><p>Where possible, Clarke has included the current scientific names for the invertebrates mentioned. Not surprisingly, there were many profound difficulties in identifying the species or even their families. One of these problems was that at the time of the early explorers almost no Australian species had been described. This led to vague documentation and a tendency to refer Australian invertebrates using European classifications. For example, the early reports often referred to mygalomorph spiders as ‘Tarantulas’ but the same term could also indicate Wolf- or Huntsman spiders (collectively representing three different spider families). In addition, the spoken dialects were often incorrectly put into writing or wrongly translated into English. Furthermore, the classification itself could be sacred and hence not revealed, and local names could disappear, for example after a per","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70070","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668633","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"New Insights Into the Distribution of Australian Butterflies (Lepidoptera: Papilionoidea) Provided by Citizen Science","authors":"Louis J. Backstrom","doi":"10.1111/aen.70067","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aen.70067","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Butterflies are one of Australia's most popular and well-studied invertebrate groups. Much butterfly research in the country is either led or supported by amateur entomologists and citizen scientists, and yet despite this, the recent and dramatic increase in the volume of publicly accessible citizen science butterfly observations has received relatively little research attention. Citizen science data are increasingly being used by analysts to better understand many aspects of the ecology and conservation of various species, and this paper aims to highlight the importance of such data in advancing our knowledge of Australian butterflies. In particular, data from the iNaturalist platform are analysed to identify new insights into the distribution of Australian butterflies, with these insights put into the wider context of butterfly research in Australia. Nearly 300 000 observations referring to 393 species (&gt; 85% of the total Australian butterfly fauna) are recorded in the iNaturalist dataset; likely range extensions are identified for 84 species, range expansions for 17 and extralimital vagrants for 41. These results reaffirm the incompleteness of our current knowledge of butterfly distributions in Australia and demonstrate the significant potential of citizen science in addressing such knowledge gaps.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70067","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668199","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Use of Expert Elicitation to Quantify Pasture Losses and Economic Costs of Invertebrate Pests in South-Eastern Australian Dairy Farms","authors":"Paul Deane,&nbsp;Jessica C. Lye,&nbsp;Brendan Cullen,&nbsp;Evatt Chirgwin,&nbsp;Stuart Kemp,&nbsp;Marielle Babineau,&nbsp;Siobhan de Little,&nbsp;Bill Malcolm,&nbsp;Paul A. Umina","doi":"10.1111/aen.70065","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aen.70065","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Invertebrate pests cause considerable damage to pasture-based production systems each year. However, their economic cost in industries such as Australian dairy has seldom been quantified due to the prohibitive cost and logistical challenges of measuring damage at regional scales. We developed a structured expert elicitation (EE) process to identify major invertebrate pests in four key dairy regions of south-eastern Australia (northern Victoria, south-west Victoria, Gippsland and Tasmania), quantify their impact on pasture dry matter (DM) production, and estimate associated economic costs using the agricultural economics acquisition value technique. Across the regions, 11 invertebrate groups were identified as economically important. Redlegged earth mites, lucerne flea, blackheaded pasture cockchafer and other cockchafer species were consistently among the most costly pests, while other pests were more region specific, such as blue oat mites in northern Victoria and the winter corbie and slugs in Tasmania. Estimated pasture losses under high pest abundance ranged from 1.0–6.9 t DM/ha. When considering the most damaging pest (or group) in each region, costs ranged from $115–210/ha in northern Victoria, $200–360/ha in south-west Victoria, $235–495/ha in Gippsland and $375–745/ha in Tasmania. Our analyses highlight the importance of pest abundance, timing of losses (e.g., autumn versus spring) and the value placed on pasture in determining economic impact. These findings, which are broadly analogous with earlier research, provide the first region-specific estimates of pasture losses and costs from invertebrate pests in the Australian dairy industry, offering a foundation to guide future research, extension and management priorities.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70065","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147668435","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Analysis of climatic and seasonal effects on the oviposition activity of Aedes spp. females in municipalities of Paraná, Brazil","authors":"Ana Carolina Felicio-Alves,&nbsp;Angela Maria Palacio-Cortés,&nbsp;Bryan Steven Valencia Marin,&nbsp;João Antônio Cyrino Zequi,&nbsp;Mario Antônio Navarro-Silva","doi":"10.1111/aen.70064","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aen.70064","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Climate and environmental changes driven by global economic activities directly affect the physiology of insect vectors, such as <i>Aedes</i> spp., accelerating their development, increasing the number of generations per season and increasing the risk of transmission of aetiological agents. This study aimed to analyse how local climatic variables and seasonal variation influence the oviposition dynamics of <i>Aedes</i> spp. in urban environments. Between 2020 and 2023, 68 monthly sampling sessions were conducted across five municipalities in the state of Paraná, Brazil, utilising 8080 oviposition traps. Monthly oviposition density index (EDI) values were calculated per locality. Two hypotheses were tested: (1) Climatic variables significantly modulate the EDI of <i>Aedes</i> spp., and (2) seasonality and minimum temperature act synergistically on EDI dynamics. A total of 174 979 <i>Aedes</i> spp. eggs were collected across the five municipalities. Results indicated that the minimum temperature was the strongest climatic predictor of oviposition. Specifically, each 1°C increase in minimum temperature was associated with a 7% rise in the EDI. Seasonal analysis revealed that the EDI exhibited significant seasonal variation, being higher in summer and autumn compared to winter (<i>p</i> &lt; 0.05). These patterns suggest that sustained thermal warming could maintain continuous vector activity, facilitating <i>Aedes</i> population persistence and arbovirus transmission even during winter periods, particularly in urban areas. This underscores the urgency of developing vector control strategies synchronised with emerging climatic patterns and implementing public health interventions targeted at urban communities facing epidemiological and climatic vulnerability.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70064","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147667969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The first known troglomorphic, eyeless spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae): Troglopompilus miracaecatus gen. et sp. nov. from the Nullarbor Caves, Western Australia","authors":"Juanita Rodriguez,&nbsp;Andrew D. Austin,&nbsp;Jessica R. Marsh","doi":"10.1111/aen.70061","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aen.70061","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Surveys of caves of the Nullarbor Plain, Western Australia, revealed a remarkable assemblage of exceptionally well-preserved mummified arthropods, comprising Araneae, Blattodea, Coleoptera and Chilopoda, all of which exhibit high levels of troglomorphism, lacking eyes and showing a number of other adaptations. Of note, this arthropod assemblage also included a pompilid wasp which is eyeless and brachypterous and unlike any member of the family known globally. Here, we describe this amazing wasp as <i>Troglopompilus miracaecatus</i> <b>gen.</b> et <b>sp. nov.</b>, and discuss its remarkable morphology and possible affinities and biology.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70061","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147667968","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Holobiont integrity in Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae) enhances larval development: implications for the sterile insect technique","authors":"Alfonsina Palladini,&nbsp;Gisela Castillo,&nbsp;Antonella Giudice,&nbsp;Viviana Díaz,&nbsp;Andrea Moyano,&nbsp;Solana Abraham,&nbsp;Juan Rull","doi":"10.1111/aen.70063","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aen.70063","url":null,"abstract":"<p>All eukaryotic organisms harbour a diverse gut microbiota that supports host physiology. In tephritid fruit flies, bacteria contribute to nutrient assimilation, host defence evasion and detoxification of secondary plant compounds. The Mediterranean fruit fly, <i>Ceratitis capitata</i> (Wiedemann), is an economically important pest, often controlled with the sterile insect technique (SIT), which relies on the release of high-quality sterile males. While bacterial probiotic diets improve the performance of flies reared in the context of the SIT, the contribution of fungi remains largely unexplored. In this study, we evaluated the effects of microbiota disruption on <i>C. capitata</i> development and fitness by comparing the progeny from antimicrobial-treated (aposymbiotic) and untreated (symbiotic) flies. Eggs from both groups were inoculated into oranges, a natural host fruit for <i>C. capitata</i>, and offspring survival was tracked across life stages. Symbiotic progeny showed significantly higher larval recovery, egg hatch, pupation, adult emergence, and longevity compared with the aposymbiotic progeny, demonstrating that an intact microbiome is critical for successful fruit exploitation and larval development. These results are consistent with parental microbiota effects on offspring performance and suggest that maintaining the gut microbiota as a functional community supports larval development in fruit. Disruption of this community not only reduces immature survival but also compromises adult fitness, potentially undermining SIT efficiency. Probiotic strategies for mass rearing may therefore benefit from integrating both bacterial and fungal components to optimise <i>C. capitata</i> performance in SIT programs, while targeted studies are still needed to disentangle specific microbial contributions and identify transmission routes.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147669004","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Skandarella vixe gen. et sp. nov., a new tricommatinae harvestman (Opiliones: Gonyleptidae) from chapada diamantina (Bahia, Brazil)","authors":"Adriano Brilhante Kury,&nbsp;Gabriel Luiz Celante,&nbsp;André Felipe de Araujo Lira","doi":"10.1111/aen.70060","DOIUrl":"10.1111/aen.70060","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Skandarella vixe</i> <b>gen. et sp. nov.</b>, a new gonyleptid harvestman of the subfamily Tricommatinae, is described from Chapada Diamantina, Bahia State, eastern Brazil. <i>Skandarella</i> <b>gen</b>. <b>n</b><b>ov</b>. exhibits strong sexually dimorphic modifications in male leg II, contrasting with related genera such as <i>Caramaschia</i> Kury, 2002 (modifications in chelicerae, pedipalps, and femur IV), <i>Tricommatus</i> Roewer, 1912 (modifications in femur and patella IV), and <i>Voriax</i> Kury, 2014 (modifications in leg III and dorsal scutum shape). The new species inhabits the Caatinga domain, a poorly sampled and understudied region of Brazil, and was collected by sifting leaf litter—a challenging method in dry environments. The discovery of <i>Skandarella</i> <b>gen. nov.</b> not only expands the known diversity of Tricommatinae, a recently redefined subfamily now restricted to a small core group of six valid species in three genera, but also highlights the potential for uncovering hidden lineages in neglected dry habitats, helping bridge biogeographic gaps in the group.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147579794","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Taxonomic revision and conservation concerns of the trapezitine genus Croitana Waterhouse, 1932 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from Australia","authors":"Michael F. Braby","doi":"10.1111/aen.70055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70055","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Croitana</i> Waterhouse, 1932 (Trapezitinae) is a small genus of skippers endemic to Australia, with most species restricted to semi-arid and arid biomes where the larvae specialise on grasses (Poaceae) in the genera <i>Neurachne</i> R.Br., <i>Enteropogon</i> Nees and <i>Austrostipa</i> S.W.L. Jacobs &amp; J.Everett. However, the taxonomic status of several taxa has remained unclear for the past two to three decades. Taxonomic revision based on comparative morphology of the male genitalia, adult phenotype, and other evidence (e.g., life history) indicates that there are five species: <i>C. croites</i> (Hewitson, 1874) (type species), <i>C. aestiva</i> E.D. Edwards, 1979, <i>C. arenaria</i> E.D. Edwards, 1979, <i>C. pilepudla</i> Grund, 2003 <b>stat. rev.</b>, and <i>C. flavescens</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, all of which are allopatric or parapatric. <i>Croitana pilepudla</i> <b>stat. rev.</b> is restricted to Eyre Peninsula and the eastern Nullarbor of South Australia, whereas <i>C. flavescens</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is a narrow-range endemic, restricted to the western Swan Coastal Plain (Quindalup dune system) in the mesic biome of south-western Western Australia (mean annual rainfall ~700–900 mm), with an estimated extent of occurrence of approximately 1600 km². <i>Croitana aestiva, C. arenaria</i> and <i>C. flavescens</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> are all of conservation concern. IUCN Red List Criteria indicate that <i>C. flavescens</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is Endangered (EN)—it is currently threatened with extinction by habitat loss and fragmentation through urbanisation, and priorities for further research include surveys, habitat reservation and monitoring to underpin effective conservation management of the species. The lectotype male of <i>Mesodina croites pindar</i> Waterhouse, 1932, a junior synonym of <i>Cyclopides croites</i> Hewitson [1874], in the Australian Museum, Sydney was found to have been stolen by C. Wyatt and substituted with a different specimen that has the original Waterhouse labels; the type specimen and its original data label are currently housed in the Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70055","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564183","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Taxonomic revision and conservation concerns of the trapezitine genus Croitana Waterhouse, 1932 (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae) from Australia","authors":"Michael F. Braby","doi":"10.1111/aen.70055","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70055","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>Croitana</i> Waterhouse, 1932 (Trapezitinae) is a small genus of skippers endemic to Australia, with most species restricted to semi-arid and arid biomes where the larvae specialise on grasses (Poaceae) in the genera <i>Neurachne</i> R.Br., <i>Enteropogon</i> Nees and <i>Austrostipa</i> S.W.L. Jacobs &amp; J.Everett. However, the taxonomic status of several taxa has remained unclear for the past two to three decades. Taxonomic revision based on comparative morphology of the male genitalia, adult phenotype, and other evidence (e.g., life history) indicates that there are five species: <i>C. croites</i> (Hewitson, 1874) (type species), <i>C. aestiva</i> E.D. Edwards, 1979, <i>C. arenaria</i> E.D. Edwards, 1979, <i>C. pilepudla</i> Grund, 2003 <b>stat. rev.</b>, and <i>C. flavescens</i> <b>sp. nov.</b>, all of which are allopatric or parapatric. <i>Croitana pilepudla</i> <b>stat. rev.</b> is restricted to Eyre Peninsula and the eastern Nullarbor of South Australia, whereas <i>C. flavescens</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is a narrow-range endemic, restricted to the western Swan Coastal Plain (Quindalup dune system) in the mesic biome of south-western Western Australia (mean annual rainfall ~700–900 mm), with an estimated extent of occurrence of approximately 1600 km². <i>Croitana aestiva, C. arenaria</i> and <i>C. flavescens</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> are all of conservation concern. IUCN Red List Criteria indicate that <i>C. flavescens</i> <b>sp. nov.</b> is Endangered (EN)—it is currently threatened with extinction by habitat loss and fragmentation through urbanisation, and priorities for further research include surveys, habitat reservation and monitoring to underpin effective conservation management of the species. The lectotype male of <i>Mesodina croites pindar</i> Waterhouse, 1932, a junior synonym of <i>Cyclopides croites</i> Hewitson [1874], in the Australian Museum, Sydney was found to have been stolen by C. Wyatt and substituted with a different specimen that has the original Waterhouse labels; the type specimen and its original data label are currently housed in the Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Germany.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70055","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564040","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Feeding ecology of Australian Christmas beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae): Implications for conservation and habitat management","authors":"Tanya Latty,&nbsp;Hauke Koch,&nbsp;Chris A. M. Reid,&nbsp;James R. M. Bickerstaff","doi":"10.1111/aen.70059","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/aen.70059","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Christmas beetles (subfamily Rutelinae, genera <i>Anoplognathus</i>, <i>Calloodes</i> and <i>Repsimus</i>) are an ecologically important and culturally significant group of Australian scarabs, known for their striking appearance and seasonal mass emergences. Over the last decade, anecdotal reports suggest widespread population declines, raising concerns about their conservation status. Despite their prominence in Australian ecosystems, critical deficits remain in our understanding of their biology, particularly regarding their feeding ecology and larval habitat requirements. We reviewed available literature regarding adult and larval Christmas beetle feeding ecology, particularly feeding preferences, host plants and food finding behaviours. Our literature review found significant gaps in our knowledge of Christmas beetle feeding ecology: adult host plant association data were available for only 25 of the 44 described species of Christmas beetles. For larvae, our literature search identified feeding ecology information for only nine species. With the exception of a single study, all data regarding larval feeding came from observational studies rather than feeding trials. Notably, the only feeding trial we found failed to identify the larvae to species, significantly limiting the applicability of its findings. The limited information identified in this review highlights the urgent need for targeted research into the feeding ecology of Christmas beetles. The scarcity of data on larval feeding, in particular, limits our ability to determine how changes in land use, soil conditions, and plant communities impact their populations. Future studies incorporating feeding trials, long-term field observations, and experimental approaches will be critical for better understanding Christmas beetle ecology, especially for assessing their ecological roles, identifying key habitats, and developing effective conservation strategies where needed. Given the increasing concerns over Christmas beetle declines, prioritising research on their habitat requirements and resource use will help to ensure the conservation of these iconic Australian insects.</p>","PeriodicalId":8574,"journal":{"name":"Austral Entomology","volume":"65 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.1,"publicationDate":"2026-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/aen.70059","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147563345","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}