Taxonomy
- Polyphaga
- Chrysomeloidea
- Chrysomelidae
- Oulema
- Oulema erichsoni
Description
Size: 4.0-4.5mm
Basic colour: Dark blue
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Oulema obscura
, Confusion species: Oulema septentrionis
Basic colour: Dark blue
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Oulema obscura
, Confusion species: Oulema septentrionis
Biology
Status: Endangered (RDB1); recent records only from Somerset.
Habitat: Wet peat cuttings or trenches with little other vegetation; also heaths.
Host plant: Floating Sweet-grass (Glyceria fluitans); possibly other graases or cereals.
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Upper epidermis of the host plant.
Other notes: Very similar to O. septentrionis, but front thoracic segment with a definite metallic reflection. Elytral punctures coarser overall, particularly towards the rear. Certain identification requires dissection; the lamella of the aedeagus in O. erichsoni is more elongate and somewhat more pointed compared with that of O. septentrionis which is broader and blunter. Also similar to O. obscura, but elytra more elongate (1.30 – 1.45 times as long as wide, compared to 1.25 in O. obscura).
Habitat: Wet peat cuttings or trenches with little other vegetation; also heaths.
Host plant: Floating Sweet-grass (Glyceria fluitans); possibly other graases or cereals.
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Upper epidermis of the host plant.
Other notes: Very similar to O. septentrionis, but front thoracic segment with a definite metallic reflection. Elytral punctures coarser overall, particularly towards the rear. Certain identification requires dissection; the lamella of the aedeagus in O. erichsoni is more elongate and somewhat more pointed compared with that of O. septentrionis which is broader and blunter. Also similar to O. obscura, but elytra more elongate (1.30 – 1.45 times as long as wide, compared to 1.25 in O. obscura).