chafer

chafer
/chay"feuhr/, n.
any scarabaeid beetle.
[bef. 1000; ME cheaffer, chaver, OE ceofor; akin to G Käfer]

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Any of several species of scarab beetle (most in the subfamily Melolonthinae).

Adult leaf chafers (genus Macrodactylus) eat foliage; the female deposits her eggs in the soil, and the larvae live underground for years, feeding on plant roots. The well-known rose chafer, a tan, long-legged beetle, feeds on the flowers and foliage of grapes, roses, and other plants. Poultry that eat rose-chafer grubs may be poisoned.

Rose chafer (Macrodactylus subspinosus)

Grant Heilman

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▪ insect
also called  June Beetle,  May-June Beetle,  or  June Bug,  

      any of a group of beetles in the family Scarabaeidae (insect order Coleoptera). Adult leaf chafers (Macrodactylus) eat foliage, whereas grubs feed underground on plant roots. The adult female deposits her eggs in the soil, and the larvae live underground for two to three years, depending on the species. They pupate in the fall, but the adults remain underground until the following spring.

      A well-known, destructive chafer is the rose chafer (M. subspinosus), a tan, long-legged beetle that feeds on the flowers and foliage of grapes, roses, and other plants. Poultry that eat rose chafer grubs may be poisoned. Other scarab subfamilies also include species called chafers (see also flower chafer; shining leaf chafer).

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Chafer — Chaf er, n. [AS. ceafor; akin to D. kever, G k[ e]fer.] (Zo[ o]l.) A kind of beetle; the cockchafer. The name is also applied to other species; as, the rose chafer. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Chafer — Chaf er, n. 1. One who chafes. [1913 Webster] 2. A vessel for heating water; hence, a dish or pan. [1913 Webster] A chafer of water to cool the ends of the irons. Baker. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chafer — (n.) kind of beetle, O.E. ceafor beetle, cock chafer, from P.Gmc. *kabraz (Cf. O.S. kevera, Du. kever, O.H.G. chevar, Ger. Käfer), lit. gnawer, from PIE *gep(h) jaw, mouth …   Etymology dictionary

  • chafer — [chāf′ər] n. [ME < OE ceafor (orig. sense prob. “devourer”) < IE base * ĝebh , jaw, mouth, devour > JOWL1, Ger kiefer, jaw, Ir gob, mouth] any of various beetles (esp. family Scarabaeidae) that feed on plants, as the cockchafer or rose… …   English World dictionary

  • Chafer — Difficile de se prononcer sur ce nom de famille dont l origine géographique n est pas évidente. En supposant qu il soit porté par des juifs, il pourrait correspondre à l hébreu shefer (= grâce, beauté, charme) …   Noms de famille

  • chafer — ► NOUN ▪ a large flying beetle of a group including the cockchafer and June bug. ORIGIN Old English …   English terms dictionary

  • chafer — Cockchafer Cock chaf er, n. [See {Chafer} the beetle.] (Zo[ o]l.) A beetle of the genus {Melolontha} (esp. {Melolontha vulgaris}) and allied genera; called also {May bug}, {chafer}, or {dorbeetle}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • chafer — noun Any of several scarab beetles, including the cockchafer, leaf chafer and rose chafer …   Wiktionary

  • Chafer — Recorded as Chafer and Chaffer, this is an English medieval surname. It is occupational and has at least two possible origins, one of which may be French. This from the pre 10th century Olde French word chaufeur , which has nothing directly to do …   Surnames reference

  • chafer — chaf•er [[t]ˈtʃeɪ fər[/t]] n. ent any of various scarab beetles that are pests of plants, as the cockchafer and rose chafer • Etymology: bef. 1000; ME cheaffer, chaver, OE ceofor; akin to OMDkever, OHG chevar(o) …   From formal English to slang

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