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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.

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Mniophila muscorum

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Mniophila
  • Mniophila muscorum
Common name
Moss Flea Beetle

Description

Size: 1-1.5mm
Basic colour: Black, faintly metallic
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour

Western Palaearctic, including Caucasus, Georgia and Turkey.

Biology

Status: Widely scattered but Scarce (Notable B); probably under-recorded.
Habitat: Mosses in various habitats/situations.
Host plant: Mosses
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Uncertain but it is likely that larvae and adults feed on mosses.
Other notes: Adults flightless/wingless. Adults parasitised by a wasp (probably a braconid); larvae parasitised by a fungus Muiaria sp.

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Mantura rustica

Size
2-2.8mm
Basic colour
Dark reddish-brown
Pattern colour
Rear third of elytra (except suture) usually yellowish (sometimes this feature is absent)
Leg colour
Orange to brown, hind femora darkened

Mantura matthewsii

Size
2-2.7mm
Basic colour
Metallic blue, bronze-green or coppery; sometimes bicolourous (elytra and pronotum different colours but a combination of blue, green, blackish or metallic/bronze/coppery)
Pattern colour
None
Leg colour
Red-brown, hind femora darkened

Mantura chrysanthemi

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Mantura
  • Mantura chrysanthemi

Description

Size: 1.8-2.7mm
Basic colour: Dark brown with a bronze reflection, sometimes red-brown with a faint metallic sheen.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: Reddish-brown to brown, hind femora may be darkened, sometimes only slightly.

Western Palaearctic, including Cape Verde and parts of North Africa; introduced into Canada.

Biology

Status: Widely scattered but very local; Scarce (Notable A)
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Sheep's sorrel (Rumex acetosella), common sorrel (R. acetosa) and beet (Beta vulgaris)
Overwintering: As adults
Food: Adults on leaves, larvae mine leaves of R. acetosella

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Mantura rustica

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Mantura
  • Mantura rustica

Description

Size: 2-2.8mm
Basic colour: Dark reddish-brown
Pattern colour: Rear third of elytra (except suture) usually yellowish (sometimes this feature is absent)
Number of spots: See pattern
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: With the head, metallic green or bluish.
Leg colour: Orange to brown, hind femora darkened

Palaearctic

Biology

Status: Widespread but Scarce (Notable B) in England, Wales and southern Scotland.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Docks especially broad-leaved dock (Rumex obtusifolius) and sorrels, also knotgrass (Polygonum aviculare) and rhubarb (Rheum x hybridum)
Overwintering: As adults among grass roots, in haystacks and in rotten ash twigs
Food: Adults on leaves, larvae are leaf-mioners (broad galleries)

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Mantura obtusata

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Mantura
  • Mantura obtusata

Description

Size: 1.8-2.6mm
Basic colour: Black with a dark greenish to bluish reflection.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: Reddish-brown, hind femora variably darkened

Western Palaearctic, including Caucasus and possibly Siberia.

Biology

Status: Widespread but local, not recorded from Ireland; Scarce (Notable B)
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Common sorrel (Rumex acetosa), sometimes also sheep's sorrel (R. acetosella)
Overwintering: As adults in grass tussocks
Food: Adults on leaves, larvae as leaf-miners (almost straight galleries)
Other notes: Larvae parasitised by the eulophid wasp Necremnus leucarthros, eggs by a mymarid wasp Anaphes sp.

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Mantura matthewsii

Taxonomy

  • Polyphaga
  • Chrysomeloidea
  • Chrysomelidae
  • Mantura
  • Mantura matthewsii

Description

Size: 2-2.7mm
Basic colour: Metallic blue, bronze-green or coppery; sometimes bicolourous (elytra and pronotum different colours but a combination of blue, green, blackish or metallic/bronze/coppery)
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: See basic colour. Shiny and hood-like, projecting forwards over the head.
Leg colour: Red-brown, hind femora darkened

SW Palaearctic (including SE Europe & Caucasus). May be present in Morocco but this is uncertain/unconfirmed.

Biology

Status: Widespread but local, not recorded from Ireland.
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Rock-roses Helianthemum spp.
Overwintering: As adults
Food: Adults on leaves, larvae as leaf-miners (straight galleries)
Other notes: Larvae parasitised by the eulophid wasp Necremnus folia

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