Taxonomy
- Polyphaga
- Chrysomeloidea
- Chrysomelidae
- Plateumaris
- Plateumaris rustica
Images
Source: Malcolm Greenwood
Description
Size: 5-9mm
Basic colour: Males black with a weak purple/violet reflection; females pale coppery
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: Orange
Holarctic, including Algeria.
Biology
Status: Widespread and locally common (rarer in Scotland and Ireland), but overall Scarce (Notable B)
Habitat: Lake and canal margins
Host plant: Sedges (Carex spp.); adults also on bur-reeds (Sparganium spp.), irises and bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliate); larvae also on marsh-marigold (Caltha palustris)
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Uncertain - adults on leaves and stems of sedges, and flowers of some other plants.