Many species have striking – though rarely brilliant or iridescent – hues and bold patterns of hairs.

Being often quite sizeable and swarming in numbers at certain times, for example the Amphimallon, Phyllophaga and Polyphylla "June beetles" or the Melolontha cockchafers – all from tribe Melolonthini – feature widely in folklore.

They can be distinguished from other scarabaeid larvae by the galea and lacinia either partly fused proximally or fitting tightly together, the mandibles lacking stridulatory areas, the apical segment of the antenna about as wide as its penultimate segment, and the anal cleft usually Y-shaped or angulate.

[3][4][5] The Melolonthinae life cycle has the four stages of egg, larva, pupa and adult, similar to other beetles.

Adults may (e.g. Automolius, Diphucephala, Heteronyx, Liparetrus, Phyllotocus and Sericesthis) or may not feed (e.g. Antitrogus and Rhopaea).

In non-feeding species, virgin females emit a sex pheromone so that males can find them.

Some notable genera and species are also listed here: In addition, a prehistoric tribe, the Cretomelolonthini, is only known from fossils.

Several genera are of unclear relations; they are not yet firmly placed in a tribe: "Anonetus" and "Tryssus", both used by Erichson in 1847, are nomina nuda.