Taxonomy
- Polyphaga
- Chrysomeloidea
- Chrysomelidae
- Cryptocephalus
- Cryptocephalus primarius
Common name
Rock-rose Pot Beetle
Description
Size: 4.5-8.0mm
Basic colour: Black and red/orange-red
Pattern colour: Black spots on the red/orange-red elytra
Number of spots: Five on each elytron
Pronotoum: Shiny black
Leg colour: Blackish - may be tinged with other colours.
Basic colour: Black and red/orange-red
Pattern colour: Black spots on the red/orange-red elytra
Number of spots: Five on each elytron
Pronotoum: Shiny black
Leg colour: Blackish - may be tinged with other colours.
The largest british Cryptocephalus - distinctively patterned but rare with a UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) page here.
Biology
Status: Endangered (RDB1), UKBAP species. Widely scattered with recent records only from a few locations in S. England.
Habitat: Calcareous grassland, especially warm, sheltered, dry south-facing slopes.
Host plant: Common Rock-rose (Helianthemum nummularium)
Overwintering: Laravl development (5 instars) takes about one year.
Food: Adults feed on petals, anthers and pollen of the host plant; larvae feed on stems and leaves.
Habitat: Calcareous grassland, especially warm, sheltered, dry south-facing slopes.
Host plant: Common Rock-rose (Helianthemum nummularium)
Overwintering: Laravl development (5 instars) takes about one year.
Food: Adults feed on petals, anthers and pollen of the host plant; larvae feed on stems and leaves.
Articles
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(2004), The brief history of Cryptocephalus primarius Harold Chrysomelidae) in Britain The Coleopterist 13(4):162