Lawn Beetle

This Lawn Beetle (Pentodon algerinum) of the subspecies P.a. dispar, was found in our garage when I moved the car out to wash it one night. They are found in oasis and grass filled wadies but has extended its range into gardens where it has often become a pest as the larvae live underground and feed on the roots of grass.

Among the genus Pentodon species, P. algerinum Herbst, a789 has four subspieces: P.a. algerinum, P.a. bispinifrons Reitter 1894, P.a. indicus and P.a. dispar Baudi, 1870. The subspieces seen in Saudi Arabia is P.a. dispar and this subspeices has a frontal suture whoch is mostly very fine but reaches the sides. The sides of the paramera are more curved with a triangular outer angle of apices that are mostly sharp. It is distributed in Turkey, Cyprus, Syria, Armenia, Iraq, Arabian Peninsula, Jordon, Israel and Palestine.