African black beetle

African black beetle larvae are soil dwelling and are typical white, soft-bodied scarab grubs. They have 'C'-shaped bodies, six legs and a yellow-brown head capsule with noticeable black jaws. Fully grown larvae are up to 25 mm in length. Newly hatched larvae are about 5 mm long. Adults are a shiny black, slow moving and have a cylindrical body that is approximately 12-14 mm long. African black beetles are often associated with damage to long-term pastures and grasses, turf and some horticulture crops. They also attack several cereal crops.