First Record of Leucopholis lepidophora Blanchard, 1850 (Scarabaeidae; Melolonthinae) from Western Himalayas along with a Checklist of the Genus Leucopholis from India

Abstract

Melolonthinae is a subfamily of June beetles and contains many species of agronomic importance in India. It holds major genera like Brahmina (Blanchard 1850), Eotrichia (Medvedev 1951), Holotrichia (Hope 1837) and Sophrops (Fairmaire 1887) in India. A survey based on light trap collection was conducted in the terai foot hills of the Western Himalaya in Uttarakhand to check for the presence of the species. During surveys in the years 2021-22 and 2022-23, various chafer beetles were collected to observe the distribution pattern and their hosts. Among these various species, one beetle species is here reported for the first time i.e., Leucopholis lepidophora Blanchard, 1850, from Uttarakhand, India. This also represents their first record for Western Himalaya. Their habitus and male genitalia are provided herein to aid in identification. A preliminary checklist of Indian Leucopholis is also provided.