Talk:Cockchafer

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Request for image[edit]

An image of a chafer grub (but please, really one of the species discussed here, not just any odd other white grub!) would be nice. I have found a few, e.g. this one from that page, which appers to have been copied from here on this page, with unclear copyright status, or this one on that page, which is copyrighted, but none that we could use here on Wikipedia. Lupo 11:14, 14 May 2004 (UTC)[reply]

Well, thanks to Lupo for importing one from our friends auf Deutshland.

Etymology[edit]

Just a question, where did the name for this beetle come from? It's quite a funny name... Eridani 1829, 19 July 2006 (EST)

Well, it doesn't really answer your question, but both Merriam-Webster and the AHD give cockchafer = cock + chafer as the etymology. As to why the "cock"... I don't know. Maybe because of the shape of the antennas, which are reminiscent of a cockscomb. Lupo 07:43, 20 July 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Slightly late, but from the OED: [A compound of CHAFER or chaffer, beetle, app. of rustic origin; not in the dictionaries till quite recently. (Not in Craig 1847.) Cock is probably prefixed to express size or valour, or in reference to the practice of making these insects fight. Another form is Jeffrey (= chaffer) Cock.] Stannered (talk) 11:53, 18 May 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Either way, the name actually made me double-check to make sure this article wasn't the victim of a vandalous move when I first saw it. Gracious. - Vianello (talk) 14:58, 10 July 2008 (UTC)[reply]

I giggled and cringed at the name -- just happened upon the article today --Kvuo (talk) 04:33, 22 March 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Does anyone think some mention on the etymology of this name might be helpful for inclusion in the main article?Sochwa (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 18:43, 10 August 2009 (UTC).[reply]

Certainly, if someone can find a RS with useful information. —Zach425 ^talk/contribs 16:23, 10 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I thought it might be that Cockchafer might be the technical name for crabs (the genital kind), until I read the article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 122.148.183.5 (talk) 19:22, 27 September 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Isn't kafer German for "bug" and "cock" is a common prefix in English for "chief" or "biggest" (e.g. Cockfosters for the residence of the Chief Forester) - so "big bug"? 62.196.17.194 (talk) 12:11, 28 April 2017 (UTC)[reply]

Alternate names[edit]

I can't find anywhere else that refers to this insect as a 'Tara Reid'. Given the somewhat scandalous nature of this bug's primary name, the possible alternate connotations, and the fact that Tara Reid is the name of a public figure, I am inclined to think this may be vandalism. I was disinclined to report it, as it's funny as hell, but I got my screengrab. If this can't be sourced, it should be changed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by GringoDeMaio (talk • contribs) 21:21, 11 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Tropical cockchafer species[edit]

I have been coming across the term "cockchafer" as a pest in tropical agriculture. I take it this term refers to many other species not mentioned in this article. If anyone is knowledgeable about this and can edit this article accordingly it would be much appreciated. Brian Z (talk) 16:06, 28 June 2013 (UTC)[reply]

June Bug[edit]

Under notes: I think "june bug" or Amphimallon solstitiale is not a cockchafer. Fibe101 (talk) 18:02, 16 June 2018 (UTC)[reply]

Split[edit]

Please split this article into each of its constituent species and make it a disambiguation. 26zhangi (talk) 14:11, 4 June 2022 (UTC)[reply]

This article is a mess that largely consists of general information about beetles of the genus Melolontha, but also usurps separate treatment of three valid and separately notable species. The problem stems from trying to make an article about three species that happen to have cockchafer as part of their common name and happen to be found in Europe, when there are no sources that link them as a group. I propose to make the following changes to establish a set of five articles, instead of the current two at "Cockchafer" and Melolontha.

At the moment, there are no articles specifically devoted to the common cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha), large cockchafer(Melolontha pectoralis) and forest cockchafer, (Melolontha hippocastani). All of those terms redirect to this article, and there is no article with a taxobox and taxobar for each species. I propose to create those articles. The species level articles will refer readers to the genus article for information on Melolantha spp. as pests, food, in folklore, and so on. These articles will be under the scientific names.
Melolontha should contain science-based information about those beetles as a group, including the three species currently highlighted in this article. Most the current sections in this article are sufficiently relevant to Melolontha spp. to go there, including the material on cockchafers as pests, food, and in folklore.
The article "Cockchafer" will redirect to Cockchafer (disambiguation), which will list other species known as cockchafers, ships, etc.

However, if proceeding to a set of five articles, I can see it is also arguable that:

Most of the material on cockchafers as pests, food, and in folklore belongs in the article about the common cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha).
Some or all of the species articles should be under their (two-word) common names.
The article at "Cockchafer" should not be a redirect, but should be about the genus Melolontha or the species Melolontha melolontha, in which case material on cockchafers as pests, food, and in folklore might go under that title too.
The article at "Cockchafer" should redirect to Melolontha or to the article about the common cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha), and the target article should have a head note about Cockchafer (disambiguation)

Any of these alternatives would be an improvement. William Avery (talk) 11:19, 23 August 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Languages[edit]

Many languages refer top Melolontha melolontha - see the list of languages in german wiki - who can help to connect them to en-wiki? Thanks! --Kai.pedia (talk) 21:29, 19 December 2023 (UTC)[reply]

Wiki Education assignment: Behavioral Ecology 2024[edit]

This article is currently the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 16 January 2024 and 25 April 2024. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Tommytrope (article contribs).

Article Review[edit]

I made some edits to the larvae description section because the timing of the hatching and development of the larvae was unclear in this section. In the larvae life cycle section, there is a more informative description that larvae hatch 4-6 weeks after being laid and take 3-4 years to go through 3 stages of larval development into adults. I think it is helpful that readers understand this description earlier in the article, so I edited some of the larvae description to reflect that information. Additionally, I created a "Behavior" heading and made "adult behavior" and "larvae behavior" subheadings. Also, I made capitalization corrections to some of the subheadings of the "pest control and history section" and changed the heading "modern times" to "21st century".

I think the name of the article should be changed to the scientific name of the beetle, Melolontha melolontha or to the full non-scientific name, Common cockchafer. Lastly, I think the “Life cycle” section should have more citations referenced for the information provided. Frenchfrylvr (talk) 22:17, 17 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Article Review[edit]

In this Wikipedia entry I included Distribution section to offer information on their occurrence throughout Europe and their absence in North America and Australia, at the beginning of the article it only said where this beetle is from, which it doesn't get deeper on where else we can find this beetle in. Additionally, I introduced a new section on 'Ecological Impact' to discuss environmental factors influencing cockchafer populations. In the 'Natural Enemies' section, I included details about the European mole as a predator. These changes aim to enhance the article's depth and understanding, and I welcomed feedback for further refinement. Abeer.hreedeen (talk) 17:10, 21 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Peer Review[edit]

This assignment was written with good detail and facts. I went through to add grammatical and syntactical edits throughout the page which included punctuation, and rewording sentences that were long. There were also a few incorrect uses of larva that were corrected to larvae (specifically in the natural enemies section); I renamed that section to “Enemies” and split up two subsections: Predators and Parasites. I also moved some of the pictures around that were initially extremely concentrated around the life cycle section. Since these pictures do not specifically pertain to that particular section, I spaced them out which included adding the picture of the seven-leaves on the male beetle up to the Description section of the page. My last edit was including a few Wikipedia links to some words/processes that aren’t intuitively/commonly known such as: overwintering, European mole, and Dexia rustica.

I would agree with an earlier comment that the article should be renamed its scientific name. Hahelen (talk) 00:37, 22 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]