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Aphthona atrocaerulea

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Aphthona
  • Aphthona atrocaerulea

Description

Size: 1.8-2.1mm
Basic colour: Black head & pronotum; elytra black with violet reflection.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: Black
Leg colour: Black

Biology

Status: Widely scattered.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Various spurges, especially cypress spurge; also gorses.
Overwintering: Adults hibernate in moss.
Food: Adults and larvae feed on spurge leaves; larvae probably feed on the roots.

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Aphthona ?atratula

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Aphthona
  • Aphthona ?atratula

Description

Size: 1.5-1.7mm
Basic colour: Black with a weak metallic reflection.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Aphthona euphorbiae

Previously referred to as A. atrovirens (Pope 1977), but this species does not occur in Britain (Cox 2000); therefore, British specimens of A. atrovirens are likely to be A. atratula. Some continental European workers have synonimised A. atratula with A. euphorbiae but in Britain these are considered separate species.

Cox, M.L. (2000). Progress report on the Bruchidae/Chrysomelidae recording scheme. The Coleopterist 9(2): 65-74.

Pope, R.D. (1977). A check list of British insects. 2nd ed. Part 3: Coleoptera and Strepsiptera. Handbooks for the Identification of British Insects 11(3).

Biology

Status: Widely scattered.
Habitat: Woodland rides, downland, chalky places and quarries.
Host plant: Rock-roses, cypress spurge, wood sage, wild marjoram, fairy flax.
Overwintering: Adults overwinter though location unknown.
Food: Adults feed on leaves of host plants; larvae probably feed on the roots.
Other notes: Usually smaller than A. euphorbiae and the adults of A. atratula lack humeral calli on the elytra (these are usually present in A. euphorbiae).

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Altica palustris

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Altica
  • Altica palustris

Description

Size: 2.8-4.1mm
Basic colour: Dull, variable metallic bluish or greenish.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Altica carinthiaca
, Confusion species: Altica oleracea

Biology

Status: Common and widespread.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Various
Overwintering: Adults hibernate around grass roots, in tussocks, cut grass and reed refuse.
Food: Adults and larvae feed on leaves, especially of willowherbs.

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Altica oleracea

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Altica
  • Altica oleracea

Description

Size: 3.0-4.2mm
Basic colour: Dull metallic greenish; sometimes bright blue.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Altica carinthiaca
, Confusion species: Altica palustris

Biology

Status: Widespread.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Various
Overwintering: Adults hibernate in moss.
Food: Adults and larvae feed on leaves.

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Altica lythri

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Altica
  • Altica lythri

Description

Size: 4.5-5.5mm
Basic colour: Metallic purple-blue or blue, usually not very shiny. Sometimes greenish, rarely black.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Altica brevicollis

Biology

Status: Fairly common in England and Wales, rare in Scotland and Ireland.
Habitat: Various, mainly damp near waterbodies.
Host plant: Mainly Onagraceae (willowherb family); also a range of others.
Overwintering: Adults hibernate in tussocks, reed litter, moss, dead wood and bulrush leaf-sheaths.
Food: Onagraceae: adults feed on leaves and petals, larvae feed on apical leaves.
Other notes: May be found with A. palustris.

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