{i} maybug, destructive beetle found in Europe; beetle belonging to the subfamily Melolonthinae (British)
any of various large European beetles destructive to vegetation as both larvae and adult
a European beetle (=a kind of insect) that damages trees and plants. Large European beetle (Melolontha melolontha) that damages foliage, flowers, and fruit as an adult and plant roots as a larva. In Britain, the name refers more broadly to any of the beetles in this subfamily (Melolonthinae), which are known in North America as June beetles. See also chafer, scarab beetle