About Leaf Beetles
Chrysomelidae, the leaf beetles, is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera. This is an enormous group with many colourful species which mostly feed on the leaves of plants. Most of them are very fussy about the particular plants they feed on. Leaf Beetles are divided into about 6 sub-families, of which the Chrysomelinae is by far the biggest. Find out more about beetles at Brisbane Insects and Spiders.
Fool’s Gold Beetle
Fool’s Gold Beetle Cassida compuncta is in the sub-family Cassidinae. Shown here it is feeding on Morning Glory.
Photo: Robert Whyte[/one_half_last]
Lantana Leafminer Beetle 1
Lantana Leafminer Beetle Octotoma scabripennis in the sub-family Cassidinae occurs naturally from Mexico to Nicaragua. It was first released in Australia in 1966 as a Lantana biocontrol. Adults feed on the upper surfaces of leaves, leaving small scarification marks. Larvae feed in middle leaf layers, causing dark blotches. O. scabripennis is found from far north Queensland to Sydney, and also around Darwin on all varieties of Lantana camara, and is often present with Uroplata girardi.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Lantana Leafminer Beetle 2
Lantana Leafminer Beetle Uroplata girardi in the sub-family Cassidinae, a leaf-mining beetle, occurs naturally in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. It was first released as a Lantana biocontrol in Australia in 1966. Adults feed on the upper surfaces of leaves, leaving small scarification marks. Larvae feed through middle leaf layers, forming mines-usually two per leaf, each containing a single larva. U. girardi is found from far north Queensland to Sydney, and also around Darwin on all varieties of Lantana camara, and is often present with Octotoma scabripennis
Photo: Robert Whyte
Metallic Beetle
This very pretty metallic beetle about 8 mm body length is Callidemum sp. in sub-family Chrysomelinae.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Pittosporum Beetle
The Pittosporum Beetle Lamprolina impressicollis is in sub-family Chrysomelinae. This beetle’s food plant is Bursaria spinosa a member of the Pittosporaceae plant family.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Photo: Robert Whyte
Paropsine Acacia Leaf Beetle
Probably an Paropsine Acacia Leaf Beetle Paropsis sp. which is in sub-family Chrysomelinae. Acacia Leaf Beetles are common in Brisbane bushland. Both adults and larvae feed on Acacia leaves.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Clerodendrum Leaf Beetle
Clerodendrum Leaf Beetle Phyllocharis cyanicornis is in sub-family Chrysomelinae. This beetle is on a Hairy Lolly Bush Clerodendrum tomentosum. They are very common in summer.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Phyllocharis gracilis
Phyllocharis gracilis is in sub-family Chrysomelinae.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Celtis Leaf Beetle
Celtis Leaf Beetle Menippus cynicus is in sub-family Galerucinae. A small nondescript leaf-eating beetle to about 10 mm, with an oval-shaped, convex brown body, orange brown head and thorax and black underside. Aduts and larvae of the Celtis Leaf Beetle feed on the young foliage of the introduced weed tree Chinese Elm Celtis sinensis. The Celtis Leaf Beetle was originally found in coastal areas of Central Queensland but its range has since expanded further south and it has become quite common in Brisbane rainforest, vine scrub, suburban parks and gardens
Photo: Robert Whyte
Small Brown-black Leaf Beetle
Small Brown-black Leaf Beetle Nisotra bicolorata is in sub-family Galerucinae.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Fig Leaf Beetle
Fig Leaf Beetle Poneridia semipullata in sub-family Galerucinae was first described by Clark in 1864. There are some other Poneridia, that is, P. australis and P. Ficus. “The more soft-bodied Galerucinae includes the fig beetle, Poneridia australis, which feeds on native sandpaper figs but is even happier to devour the leaves of commercial figs. It lays batches of pale yellow eggs under the leaves and these hatch to families of hungry black grubs which line up along the edge of leaves as they feed,” said Geoff Monteith, Queensland Museum.
Photo: Robert Whyte
Oides sp.
Oides sp. is in sub-family Galerucinae. This pretty red-and-black beetle, about a centimetre long, was photographed in low light conditions at Walton Bridge Reserve The Gap.
Photo: Robert Whyte
