Gonioctena olivacea

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Gonioctena
  • Gonioctena olivacea
Common name
Broom Leaf Beetle

Description

Size: 3.7-7.5mm
Basic colour: Yellowish to brownish with black marks
Pattern colour: Elytral suture dark brown, elytra sometimes with longitudinal brown lines which may be irregular in shape or broken.
Number of spots: No spots, though note markings as above.
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: Usually yellow to brown, occasionally black.
Leg colour: Yellowish to brownish
Confusion species: Gonioctena pallida

Biology

Status: Widespread
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Usually brooms (Cytisus), sometimes Dyer's Greenweed (Genista tinctoria), Laburnum, Gorse or Lupins. On Lundy, also Lundy Cabbage (Coincya wrightii).
Overwintering: May live for two years.
Food: Leaves and stems of host plants (only the leaves of Lundy Cabbage).
Other notes: Scutellum usually dark, but may be pale in otherwise paler/less heavily marked specimens. Unmarked specimens may require examination of genitalia to separate them from G. pallida. The aedeagal tip of G. olivacea is asymmetrical in dorsal view and sharp/somewhat hooked in lateral view. In G. pallida, it is blunt, unhooked and symmetrical.

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Gonioctena viminalis

Size
5.5-7.0mm
Basic colour
Orange to yellow with black spots (sometimes dorsally all black)
Pattern colour
Orange to yellow with black spots (sometimes dorsally all black)
Spot fusions
Sometimes
Leg colour
Black or dark brown (yellowish claws)

Gonioctena viminalis

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Gonioctena
  • Gonioctena viminalis

Description

Size: 5.5-7.0mm
Basic colour: Orange to yellow with black spots (sometimes dorsally all black)
Pattern colour: Orange to yellow with black spots (sometimes dorsally all black)
Number of spots: Two (sometimes fused into one broad spot) on the pronotum, five on each elytron (but sometimes fused, missing, partially missing or dorsally all black)
Spot fusions: Sometimes
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: See above
Leg colour: Black or dark brown (yellowish claws)
Confusion species: Gonioctena decemnotata

Biology

Status: Widespread, especially in southern England.
Habitat: Broad-leaved woodland, parkland, commons, moors.
Host plant: Usually willows and poplars, rarely other trees.
Overwintering: Adults overwinter though location unknown.
Food: Underside of leaves of host plants.
Other notes: Similar to G. decemnotata, but head entirely black, legs black or dark brown.

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Gonioctena decemnotata

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Gonioctena
  • Gonioctena decemnotata

Description

Size: 5.5-7.5mm
Basic colour: Yellowish-orange to reddish-brown with black spots
Pattern colour: Yellowish-orange to reddish-brown with black spots
Number of spots: Two on the pronotum, five on each elytron (rarely some or all absent)
Other colour forms: Rare
Pronotoum: Yellowish-orange to reddish-brown with black spots
Leg colour: Yellowish-orange to reddish-brown.
Confusion species: Gonioctena viminalis

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable B); widely scattered, mainly in central and southern England.
Habitat: Glades and rides in broad-leaved woods, fields bordering woods, commons.
Host plant: Aspen (Populus termula), sometimes other trees.
Overwintering: Adults probabl yoverwinter, but details unknown.
Food: Leaves of host plants
Other notes: Similar to G. viminalis but head not entirely black (clypeus and labrum yellowish to reddish-brown), legs also yellowish to reddish-brown.

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Phaedon tumidulus

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Phaedon
  • Phaedon tumidulus
Common name
Celery Leaf Beetle

Description

Size: 3.5-4.0mm
Basic colour: Very variable; metallic dark blue, dark green or brassy.
Pattern colour: Nonen
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Common
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour

Biology

Status: Common and widespread.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Various Apiaceae such as cow parsley
Overwintering: Larvae overwinter from late September to April.
Food: Leaves of host plants (adults may also feed on pollen).
Other notes: Separated from other Phaedon species by the much finer punctures on the pronotal disc.

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Phaedon concinnus

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Phaedon
  • Phaedon concinnus

Description

Size: 3.2-4.1mm
Basic colour: Bright metallic green or greenish blue, sometimes coppery, rarely metallic blue.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Phaedon cochleariae

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable B)
Habitat: Various coastal habitats.
Host plant: Sea Plantain (Plantago maritima) and Sea Arrowgrass (Triglochin maritimum).
Overwintering: Adults overwinter though location unknown.
Food: Leaves of host plants.
Other notes: The rare metallic blue form can be confused with P. cochleariae. However, in P. concinnus, the antennae are entirely black; in P. cochleariae, the underside of the 2nd & 3rd antennal segments are reddish (or at least with a reddish spot).

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