Oomorphus concolor

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Oomorphus
  • Oomorphus concolor

Description

Size: 2.5-3.5mm
Basic colour: Black or shiny bronze
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour

Palaearctic, as far south as Greece.

Biology

Status: Mainly in southern England, scattered elsewhere
Habitat: Broadleaved woodland with abundant ivy; also downland, riverside hay meadows, railway land and old hedgerows.
Host plant: Ivy; sometimes on other plants (usually near ivy)
Overwintering: As adults and larvae (location uncertain)
Food: Adults on leaves; larvae feed nocturnally, probably on fresh green ivy stems and/or leaf petioles (possibly including plants other than ivy).
Other notes: Antennae are black, short, bluntly toothed, with the first segment red-brown and segments 7-11 clearly swollen. Overall oval and strongly convex, somewhat egg-shaped.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map

Neocrepidodera transversa

Size
4-5mm
Basic colour
Usually pale brown to reddish-brown; sometimes darker with a pitchy-brown head, black pronotum, dark brown elytra (with a darker spot around the scutellum) and dark brown legs (with reddish-brown femora)
Pattern colour
See basic colour
Leg colour
See basic colour

Neocrepidodera impressa

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Neocrepidodera
  • Neocrepidodera impressa

Description

Size: 4-5.5mm
Basic colour: Reddish-brown or dark yellowish-red
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour

Western Palaearctic, including North Africa & Middle East.

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable A) around the coasts of England and Wales.
Habitat: Coastal, mainly saltmarshes and dunes, sometimes in locations covered by high tides.
Host plant: Usually common sea-lavender (Limonium vulgare), sometimes cabbage thistle (Cirsium oleraceum) and creeping thistle (C. arvense)
Overwintering: Probably as larvae
Food: Adults on leaves, larvae probably within stems or at roots.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map

Ochrosis ventralis

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Ochrosis
  • Ochrosis ventralis

Description

Size: 2.1-2.5mm
Basic colour: Yellowish to pale brown
Pattern colour: Pronotum and elytra sometimes with a fine dark border.
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: See above
Leg colour: As basic colour

Western Palaearctic, including Caucasus, Middle East, North Africa, Cape Verde, Madeira and Canary Islands.

Biology

Status: Scattered and very local in England and Wales; Rare (RDB3) and appears to have declined.
RDB Category: Rare (RDB3)
Habitat: Lakesides, downland/grass leys, coastal bays/cliffs - probably also on disturbed ground, especially on sandy or chalky soils.
Host plant: Various
Overwintering: As adults
Food: Adults on leaves of nightshades (Solanum spp), larvae probably at the roots.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map

Neocrepidodera transversa

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Neocrepidodera
  • Neocrepidodera transversa

Description

Size: 4-5mm
Basic colour: Usually pale brown to reddish-brown; sometimes darker with a pitchy-brown head, black pronotum, dark brown elytra (with a darker spot around the scutellum) and dark brown legs (with reddish-brown femora)
Pattern colour: See basic colour
Number of spots: Usually none, though see basic colour
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: See basic colour
Leg colour: See basic colour

Western Palaearctic, including Caucasus, Middle East and Kazakhstan

Biology

Status: Widespread and common
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Various
Overwintering: Probably as larvae, plus some adults
Food: Adults on leaves (possibly also pollen), larval feeding unknown.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

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Neocrepidodera ferruginea

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Neocrepidodera
  • Neocrepidodera ferruginea
Common name
Wheat Flea Beetle

Description

Size: 3-3.6mm
Basic colour: Rusty red
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour

Western Palaearctic, including Caucasus, Middle East and North Africa

Biology

Status: Widespread and common
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Wide range including wild and cultivated grasses/cereals
Overwintering: As larvae and some adults (the larvae in grass stems, adult location uncertain)
Food: Adults on leaves (and possibly pollen), larvae mine galleries leading to and within grass stems, and later move to the roots. Larval feeding can cause economically significant damage to cereal crops.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)

Distribution Map