Hemisphaerota cyanea
Hemisphaerota cyanea | |
---|---|
![]() | |
In Brevard County, Florida | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Class: | Insecta |
Order: | Coleoptera |
Family: | Chrysomelidae |
Tribe: | Hemisphaerotini |
Genus: | Hemisphaerota |
Species: | H. cyanea
|
Binomial name | |
Hemisphaerota cyanea (Say, 1824)
| |
Synonyms[1] | |
Imatidium cyaneum Say, 1824 |
Hemisphaerota cyanea, known generally as palmetto tortoise beetle, is a species of leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. Other names include the Florida tortoise beetle and iridescent blue chrysomelid beetle.[2][1] It is native to the southeastern United States, from North Carolina, south to Florida, and west to Mississippi. It is introduced to southern Texas.[3][4][5]
The palmetto tortoise beetle was originally described in 1824 by Thomas Say as Imatidium cyaneum. The specific name (cyanea) means "dark blue".[1]
Description[]
The palmetto tortoise beetle is a small beetle growing 4.6–5.6 mm (0.18–0.22 in) in length. The coloring of the elytra and pronotum is a dark, metallic blue. The orange antennae are short and enlarged at the tips.[6]
Larva of the palmetto tortoise beetle hide under a nest-like covering of thin strands of frass (fecal matter).[7] They pupate inside of these fecal shelters.[6] The adults hold themselves on fronds of palmettos with thousands of microscopic bristles on their tarsi ("feet"), paired with an oil that makes them difficult to pry off the leaves.[7]
Nest-like strands of frass surrounding the larva
Bristly tarsi
Mating pair in Georgia
Ecology[]
Both the larva and adults of Hemisphaerota cyanea feed on palmetto plants (Sabal species).[6]
References[]
- ^ a b c "Hemisphaerota cyanea Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ^ "Hemisphaerota cyanea species details". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ^ Riley, Edward G.; Clark, Shawn M.; Seeno, Terry N. (2003). Catalog of the leaf beetles of America north of Mexico (Coleoptera: Megalopodidae, Orsodacnidae and Chrysomelidae, excluding Bruchinae). Special Publication. The Coleopterists Society. ISBN 0-9726087-1-0.
- ^ Staines, C.L. "Catalog of the hispines of the World". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ^ "North American Cryptocephalus species (Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae)". Texas Entomology. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
- ^ a b c Evans, Arthur V. (2014). Beetles of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 9780691133041.
- ^ a b Eisner, Thomas (2003). For love of insects. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. ISBN 9780674018273.
External links[]
Media related to Hemisphaerota cyanea at Wikimedia Commons
- Cassidinae
- Beetles described in 1824