Bug FAQFigeater Beetle
Cotinis mutabilis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Also called: Arizona Green June Beetle, Chinese Beetle, Green Fig Beetle, Green Peach Beetle
Adult figeater beetles are about 3.2 cm long and have smooth green wing covers with a small horn on the front of the head. They live in many habitats from urban gardens to tropical forests up to 2,700 m elevation and are native to the wetter parts of the American Southwest. Adults feed on sweet foods such as ripe fruit and flower nectar, and in gardens they are only minor pests that cause little damage.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
They have green wing covers and a distinct horn on the front of the head. The wing covers are smooth and lack ridges.
Source: Wikipedia
Is it a pest in the house?
In small gardens they are minor pests that cause little damage.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
They are found in urban areas, tropical rainforests, cloud forests, and oak forests up to 2,700 m elevation.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
Adults mainly eat fruit in gardens and orchards. They like sweet foods and are often seen on flowers and ripe fruit.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
The whole life cycle takes about 12 months. Pupae stay in the soil for several months until summer rains soften it.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
In Oaxaca, Mexico, adults are present from April through November.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their native range is the wetter regions of the American Southwest.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
They are often confused with green June beetles and sometimes with Japanese beetles.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada, Utah, Kansas, Florida.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
Are figeater beetles a garden pest?
They may feed on fruit but are considered minor pests that cause little damage.
Source: Wikipedia
How can I tell a figeater beetle from a green June beetle?
Figeater beetles have a small horn on the front of the head and smooth green wing covers without ridges.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Scarabaeidae)
Japanese BeetlePopillia japonicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Green June BeetleCotinis nitidaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllophaga crinitaPhyllophaga crinitaDamages trees, gardens or crops
European Rose ChaferCetonia aurata
Mediterranean Spotted ChaferOxythyrea funestaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Oriental BeetleExomala orientalisDamages trees, gardens or cropsSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Figeater_beetle
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.