Cryptocephalus bilineatus

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Cryptocephalus
  • Cryptocephalus bilineatus

Description

Size: 2-3mm
Basic colour: Black and yellow
Pattern colour: See notes below.
Number of spots: See notes below.
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: Black with fine yellow front and side margins; often two yellow spots near the middle of the rear edge.
Leg colour: Yellow

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable B) and may be declining due to the loss of unimproved grassland.
Habitat: Chalk downs, lake edges, commons.
Host plant: Kidney Vetch (Anthyllis vulneraria)
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Host plants.
Other notes: Pronotum with fine longitudinal ridges (these may be difficult to see). Elytra yellow with black suture and longitudinal band; the yellow part between these may be interrupted. Elytra sometimes black with front and side margins yellow.

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Chrysomela tremula

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Chrysomela
  • Chrysomela tremula

Description

Size: 7.5-10.0mm
Basic colour: Metallic blue or greenish with red/red-brown elytra
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: Metallic blue or greenish
Leg colour: Metallic blue or greenish
Confusion species: Chrysomela populi

Once widely scattered across southern and eastern England, and possibly south Wales - now possibly extinct...

Biology

Status: Endangered (RDB1), possibly extinct.
Habitat: Broad-leaved woodland and commons.
Host plant: Aspen and poplar saplings, also willows.
Overwintering: Adults overwinter from late September to April; occasionally active between these dates.
Food: Leaves of host plants.
Other notes: The last confirmed record was in Warwickshire in 1958, the decline is thought to be due to the decline in coppicing. Similar to the widespread C. populi but without the dark apical spot on the elytra. Previous surveys have failed to locate it, so finding this species would be a great re-discovery!

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Chrysomela populi

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Chrysomela
  • Chrysomela populi
Common name
Red Poplar Leaf Beetle

Description

Size: 10-12mm
Basic colour: Metallic blue or greenish with red/red-brown elytra
Pattern colour: Dark apical spot on elytra
Number of spots: 1 per elytron
Pronotoum: Metallic blue or greenish
Leg colour: Metallic blue or greenish
Confusion species: Chrysomela tremula

One of Britain's larger and more distinctive chrysomelids.

Biology

Status: Widespread though may be absent from Scotland.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Willows and sapling poplars
Overwintering: Unknown location, but adults do overwinter.
Food: Leaves of host plants.
Other notes: Similar to the possibly extinct C. tremula, but has a dark apical spot on the elytra.

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Chrysomela aenea

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Chrysomela
  • Chrysomela aenea

Description

Size: 6.3-8.0mm
Basic colour: Metallic green, sometimes blue or brassy. Occasionally pronotum and elytra are different colours.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour

Biology

Status: Widespread, though less common in the south.
Habitat: Usually shady places in dense alder stands by watercourses and in woodlands; sometimes in alder carr and sphagnum bogs by heathlands. Can be at high (900m+) altitudes.
Host plant: Mainly alders; sometimes other trees.
Overwintering: Adults hibernate from late August to mid-April.
Food: Leaves of host plants.

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Chrysolina marginata

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Chrysolina
  • Chrysolina marginata

Description

Size: 5.0-6.8mm
Basic colour: Head, pronotum, legs and underside brassy or metallic dark green. Elytra red-bronze with orange-yellow lateral margins.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour, or dark brown.
Confusion species: Chrysolina intermedia
, Confusion species: Chrysolina sanguinolenta

Biology

Status: Scarce (Notable A) and possibly declining - widely scattered; may be under-recorded as adults and larvae are nocturnal.
Habitat: Open grasslands and heaths.
Host plant: Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Overwintering: Adults hibernate from mid-November to April.
Food: Leaves of host plants.
Other notes: May be found by turning over stones; adults shelter at/near the base of yarrow plants during the day.

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