Cephaloleia instabilis

Cephaloleia instabilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Family:	Chrysomelidae
Genus:	Cephaloleia
Species:	C. instabilis
Binomial name
Cephaloleia instabilis Baly, 1885
Synonyms
Cephaloleia intermediaBaly, 1885 Cephaloleia instabilis gilvipennisWeise, 1905 Cephaloleia instabilis obscuraWeise, 1905 Cephaloleia insignisMeskins et al., 2008

Cephaloleia instabilis is a species of beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is found in Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico and Panama. ^[1]

Description

Adults reach a length of about 6.88–8.32 mm. The head, antennae and scutellum are black and the pronotum is reddish-brown with variable black markings. The elytron varies from totally reddish-brown, to variable black markings to totally black.

Biology

Recorded host plants are Heliconia latispatha , Heliconia difficilis , Heliconia imbricata , Heliconia wagneriana , Calathea latifolia , Heliconia catheta , Heliconia mariae , Heliconia rostrata , Musa velutina , Calathea crotalifera and Heliconia wilsonii . ^[2]

References

1. Staines, C.L. (2012). "Hispines of the World: Tribe Imatidiini" (PDF). USDA/APHIS/PPQ Science and Technology and National Natural History Museum. Retrieved August 26, 2025.
2. Staines, Charles L.; García-Robledo, Carlos (22 August 2014). "The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae)". ZooKeys. 436. Pensoft: 1–355. Retrieved September 4, 2025.