Adults are a dull dark yellow color and have darker brownish-black markings on the head and eyes. The southern masked chafer has sparse hair (The northern one has conspicuous hair). The adults are 1/2 inch long. Males have an enlarged fifth tarsal segment on the forelegs that is used to grasp the female.
Masked chafers are natives of North America. The southern masked chafer is most common in the southern states and has been collected from Central and South America. It has been recently reported as a more common pest in southern Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. Its distribution at Fontenelle Forest is not known. This one was photographed at the Wetlands learning center with the aid of lights. Southern masked chafer males begin to emerge just before sunset and skim the ground surface in search of unmated females.
The southern masked chafer commonly attacks turfgrasses in the transition zones (Kentucky bluegrass and tall fescues). It also attacks the roots of field crops such as wheat, oats and corn. The adults do not feed. It was formerly named C. Immaculata.
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