The southern masked chafer has sparse hair. Males have an enlarged fifth tarsal segment on the fore legs that is used to grasp the female. In C. lurida males, the antennal club is shorter or equal to the combined length of the other antennal segments. C. borealis males have a longer club . The northern and southern masked chafers have very similar life histories and habits.
Males come to the soil surface after dark before females emerge.
The southern masked chafer is apparently active earlier in the evening than its sibling species, the northern masked chafer. Southern masked chafer males begin to emerge just before sunset and skim the ground surface in search of unmated females. Northern masked chafer maximum activity occurs around midnight. Unmated females come to the soil surface, climb upon a grass blade and begin releasing a sex pheromone that attracts the males. Many males often cluster around calling females and the successful male clasps the female with his modified legs during copulation.