western Europe, with a restricted British range in Wales and western England
Fine-art photographic collection
Hoplia philanthus
A summer chafer that spends nearly two years underground before males suddenly swarm low over grass in search of females.
About this species
Welsh Chafer
Hoplia philanthus(Fuessly, 1775)
Information reviewed15 July 2026
Hoplia philanthus is a small chafer of grassland and sandy soils. Most of its life is spent as a root-feeding grub underground; adults emerge in early summer, when males fly low over turf searching for females.
Taxonomy
Animalia · Arthropoda · Insecta · Coleoptera · Scarabaeidae · Hoplia
Accepted taxon. · checked 2026-07-15
western Europe, with a restricted British range in Wales and western EnglandBroad range and selected reference localities — not a complete occurrence map.
Grassland, dunes, lawns and light soils with abundant grass roots.
Adults fly mainly in June and July, especially in warm sunshine.
Larvae feed on grass roots; adults feed little or take foliage and pollen.
Solitary.
What makes this species remarkable?
The underground larval development commonly spans about two years, while the visible adult season is compressed into a few summer weeks.
Males patrol just above the grass in conspicuous searching flights, while females spend more time close to the ground.
In Britain it is known as the Welsh Chafer because its surviving range is strongly concentrated in Wales and the western border counties.