| Lema cyanella | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Lema cyanella 4.0–5.5 mm | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Chrysomelidae |
| Subfamily: | Criocerinae |
| Tribe: | Lemini |
| Genus: | Lema |
| Species: | L. cyanella |
| Binomial name | |
| Lema cyanella | |
Lema cyanella, known as the californian thistle leaf beetle, [2] [3] is a species of beetle in family Chrysomelidae.
Lema cyanella is found in the Palearctic, and also in spots in Asia and Oceania. It is found in: Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Russia, Lithuania, India, Taiwan, South Korea, China, and New Zealand [3] (where it is not native). [2]
Female lay an average of 1564 eggs with Circium arvense being the main host. [4]
It was thought it might be a useful biological agent to control Circium arvense, a significant weed of wheatfields, which damages their productivity. [4] Given that the main host of Lema cyanella was Circium arvense and the evidence that no plants of economic importance were attacked, it was believed it mightbecome a useful biological control agent. [4]
Lema cyanella was imported into New Zealand in 1981 as a biological control agent, [2] with parasite-free progeny being released in 1983 but failing to prosper. In 1990 they were again iimported, with mass-rearing and distribution occurring in the 1990s. Despite again failing to prosper, [2] [5] they appear to have established themselves in New Zealand. [2] This was similar to the Canadian experience. [2]
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