Death Valley June beetle

Death Valley June beetle
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Scarabaeidae
Subfamily:	Melolonthinae
Genus:	Polyphylla
Species:	P. erratica
Binomial name
Polyphylla erratica (Hardy and Andrews, 1978)

The Death Valley June beetle (Polyphylla erratica) is a scarab beetle in the subfamily Melolonthinae. It is only known to occur in the drainage basin of the Amargosa River in the southwestern United States.Saltgrass communities, such as those at Saratoga Springs in Death Valley, provide habitat for the insect at all stages of its life.

Predators of the beetle include coyotes, ravens, and shrikes, the last of which are known to impale the insects on vegetation.

The Death Valley June beetle does not carry any official conservation status, but is listed as a Species of Concern by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The California Department of Fish and Game considers the beetle a "Special Animal" of high conservation need.

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