#chrysomelidae
Calligrapha verrucosa “Warty Willow Leaf Beetle” Chrysomelidae
Missoula, MT
May 26, 2016
Robert Niese
Caught, in flagrante delicto, mating right on the beach! Egads! These indiscreet little beetles are relatively closely related to those Cottonwood Beetles I posted yesterday. Their genus name “Calligrapha” is a reference to the beautiful calligraphic script on the backs of many species. This species’s coloration is not quite as script-like, but it definitely still appears painted. I’ll post some portraits later! These beetles are most common in the Northern Rockies of Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, but, according to some older sources, their range is far broader, stretching from Nebraska to California to Alaska. If you have photographs of these beetles please submit them to me to supplement our scientific understanding of their distribution!
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Chrysomela scripta “Cottonwood Leaf Beetle” Chrysomelidae
Missoula, MT
April 22, 2016
Robert Niese
These lovely beetles can spend their entire life cycles living off of a single poplar or cottonwood tree. Females lay their eggs in clusters on the undersides of leaves. Those eggs hatch and the larvae begin feeding on the leaf tissues until nothing but a skeleton of veins remains. Then, they pupate into adults which will continue the process of defoliating the tree by eating the thick veins and midribs left behind by the larvae. Some small saplings can be killed by a particularly hungry population of breeding Cottonwood Leaf Beetles. This species may not be present in the PNW west of the Cascades. If you discover them there, please let me know!
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Calligrapha verrucosa “Warty Willow Leaf Beetle” Chrysomelidae
Missoula, MT
May 26, 2016
Robert Niese
I couldn’t decide which photo i liked best, so I had to post another portrait shot of this lovely beetle. The genus name “Calligrapha” is a reference to the beautiful calligraphic script on the backs of many species. This species’s coloration is not quite as script-like, but it definitely still appears painted. These beetles are most common in the Northern Rockies of Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, but, according to some older sources, their range is far broader, stretching from Nebraska to California to Alaska. If you have photographs of these beetles please submit them to me to supplement our scientific understanding of their distribution!
Post link
Calligrapha verrucosa “Warty Willow Leaf Beetle” Chrysomelidae
Missoula, MT
May 26, 2016
Robert Niese
The genus name “Calligrapha” is a reference to the beautiful calligraphic script on the backs of many species. This species’s coloration is not quite as script-like, but it definitely still appears painted. These beetles are most common in the Northern Rockies of Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan, but, according to some older sources, their range is far broader, stretching from Nebraska to California to Alaska. If you have photographs of these beetles please submit them to me to supplement our scientific understanding of their distribution!
Post link
Bug of the Day
Look at this little polka-dotted nugget of awesomeness. LOOK AT IT!!!
Tortoise Beetle by Andreas Kay
Via Flickr:
from Ecuador: www.youtube.com/AndreasKay
Some insects cut a circular trench before feeding on a leaf. This leaf beetle is believed to avoid undesirable sticky phloem sap by cutting a trench.
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