Invertebrates
Fig Beetle
Cotinis mutabilis · also called fig beetles, green fruit beetle
A loud, buzzing drone announces a fig beetle’s approach well before it clumsily bumps into a nearby fence post, its metallic green body drawn irresistibly toward a patch of overripe fruit hanging low on a backyard tree.
Overview
The fig beetle, Cotinis mutabilis, is a large, metallic green scarab beetle native to gardens, orchards, and grassland habitat across the southwestern United States and Mexico. Its loud, clumsy flight, strong attraction to overripe fruit, and dual role as both a fruit pest and a beneficial soil decomposer through its larvae make it one of the more conspicuous and behaviourally memorable beetles of the American Southwest.
A beetle that announces itself before it arrives
The fig beetle’s heavy, buzzing flight is often heard before the beetle itself comes into view, giving away its clumsy approach toward whatever patch of overripe fruit has caught its attention.
Status
Least Concern — widespread and common across suitable garden, orchard, and grassland habitat throughout the southwestern United States and Mexico.
Fig Beetle: common questions
Why does the fig beetle fly so clumsily?
This species has a stout, heavy body relative to its wing size, which contributes to a loud, buzzing flight that often seems somewhat clumsy or uncontrolled, sometimes resulting in the beetle colliding with people or nearby objects as it moves between fruit trees or other feeding sites.
Why is the fig beetle drawn to overripe fruit?
This species feeds mainly on overripe, damaged, or fermenting fruit as an adult, particularly figs, and is strongly attracted to the sugars and odours these softer, more accessible fruits release, often gathering in numbers around fruit trees during the warmer months when such fruit is abundant.
Is the fig beetle harmful to gardens?
This species can damage ripening fruit as an adult, making it a nuisance in orchards and gardens, but its larvae, known as white grubs, play a beneficial role breaking down organic material in compost piles and rich soil, giving the species both a pest and a beneficial side depending on its life stage.
Where do fig beetle larvae live?
This species' larvae develop underground in compost piles and rich, organic soil, feeding on decaying plant material for an extended period before eventually pupating and emerging as the adult beetle most people actually notice.