Bug FAQWestern Masked Chafer
Cyclocephala hirta · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Scarabaeidae
Western Masked Chafer is a scarab beetle in the order Coleoptera.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
It belongs to the family Scarabaeidae, the scarab beetles, within the beetle order Coleoptera.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
This species is commonly encountered in the Los Angeles Basin.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults are most often seen during the summer months, typical of June beetles.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Western Masked Chafer is native to the Los Angeles Basin region.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is often confused with its close relative Cyclocephala pasadenae, another common June beetle in the same area.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 13 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Arizona, California, Utah, New Mexico, Nevada, Texas, Tennessee, Oklahoma.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Same family (Scarabaeidae)
Japanese BeetlePopillia japonicaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Common Green June BeetleCotinis nitidaDamages trees, gardens or crops
Phyllophaga 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/Cyclocephala_hirta
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-25 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-25.