Plagiodera versicolora

Last updated

Plagiodera versicolora
Plagiodera versicolora (Laicharting, 1781).jpg
Scientific classification Red Pencil Icon.png
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Plagiodera
Species:
P. versicolora
Binomial name
Plagiodera versicolora

Plagiodera versicolora is a species of leaf beetle (subfamily Chrysomelinae) in the genus Plagiodera. [1]

Contents

Description

Plagiodera versicolora grows to 2.5 - 4.8 mm in length and is metallic blue or green, occasionally purplish to black in colour. [2]

Habitat

Plagiodera versicolora lives in various habitats, but usually near water. [2] Adults feed on leaves and pollen of willow and poplar trees, especially Salix fragilis ('crack willow'). [2] [3] It is predated by the shieldbug Zicrona caerulea , several ladybird species and the larva of a hoverfly ( Parasyrphus sp.).

Life cycle

Adults overwinter under logs, loose bark and among vegetable litter near the host plant and become active during April. [4] Fully developed larvae may be found from June onwards and pupation occurs under the leaves of the host plant. [4] Freshly emerged adults occur from mid-July and fly in hot weather, occasionally found far from their hosts, especially along river margins. [4]

Distribution

It is fairly common in central and southern England, with scattered records from Wales and Ireland and no records from Scotland. [2] It has been introduced in North America. [5]

Related Research Articles

Tansy beetle Species of beetle

The tansy beetle is a species of leaf beetle. It measures 7.7–10.5 mm in length and has a characteristic bright metallic green colouration. The common name derives from the tansy plant on which they often feed as both larvae and adults. In addition to the nominotypical subspecies, which repeats the specific name, C. graminis graminis, there are five further distinct subspecies of tansy beetle, which, collectively, have a Palearctic distribution, although in the majority of countries where it is found the species is declining. In the United Kingdom it is designated as 'Nationally Rare' and this localised population, centred on York, North Yorkshire, has been the subject of much recent research.

Blue willow beetle Species of beetle

The blue willow beetle, formerly Phyllodecta vulgatissima, is a herbivourous beetle of the family Chrysomelidae. It is dark with a metallic sheen that ranges from a blue color to bronze. It is distinguished from P. vitellinae by the latter more commonly displaying bronze coloration. European Phratora species can be distinguished based on morphology of female genitalia. The larvae undergo three instar stages from hatching to pupation. This beetle is found throughout Europe and Scandinavia, and occurs in China.

<i>Phyllophaga</i> Genus of beetles

Phyllophaga is a very large genus of New World scarab beetles in the subfamily Melolonthinae. Common names for this genus and many other related genera in the subfamily Melolonthinae are May beetles, June bugs, and June beetles. They range in size from 12 to 35 mm and are blackish or reddish-brown in colour, without prominent markings, and often rather hairy ventrally. These beetles are nocturnal, coming to lights in great numbers.

<i>Chrysochus cobaltinus</i> Species of beetle

Chrysochus cobaltinus, the cobalt milkweed beetle or blue milkweed beetle, is a member of the diverse family leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae). It occurs in the Western United States and British Columbia.

Chrysomelinae Subfamily of beetles

The Chrysomelinae are a subfamily of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae). Some 2000 species are found, with worldwide distribution. The best-known member is the notorious Colorado potato beetle, an important agricultural pest.

<i>Charidotella sexpunctata</i> Species of beetle

Charidotella sexpunctata, the golden tortoise beetle, is a species of beetle in the leaf beetle family, Chrysomelidae. It is native to the Americas.

Elm leaf beetle Species of beetle

Xanthogaleruca luteola, commonly known as the elm-leaf beetle, is a beetle species in the family Chrysomelidae that is native to Europe but invasive in other parts of the world.

<i>Ectoedemia intimella</i> Species of moth

Ectoedemia intimella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae which is found in Europe. It flies in June and July and the larva mine the leaves of willows from July to November.

<i>Bucculatrix nigricomella</i> Species of moth in genus Bucculatrix

Bucculatrix nigricomella is a species of moth of the family Bucculatricidae. It was first described in 1839 by Philipp Christoph Zeller. It is found in most of Europe.

<i>Chrysomela vigintipunctata</i> Species of beetle

Chrysomela vigintipunctata, or the spotted willow leaf beetle, is a species of broad-shouldered leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Chrysomelinae.

<i>Hylobius transversovittatus</i> Species of beetle

Hylobius transversovittatus is a species of weevil in the family Curculionidae. It is native to the Old World where both adults and larvae feed on purple loosestrife. This plant is regarded as an invasive species in North America and the weevil has been introduced into both the United States and Canada in an effort to control the plant.

<i>Decodon verticillatus</i> Species of flowering plant

Decodon verticillatus, the sole species in the genus Decodon, is a flowering plant in the family Lythraceae. It is commonly known as waterwillow or swamp loosestrife. It is native to wetlands in the eastern half of the United States and Canada.

<i>Phratora</i> Genus of beetles

Phratora is a genus of leaf beetles. It is synonymous to Phyllodecta . European Phratora species can be distinguished based on morphology of female genitalia., but they differ little in size and body form and most show metallic coloration.

<i>Phratora vitellinae</i> Species of beetle

Phratora vitellinae, the brassy leaf beetle, formerly Phyllodecta vitellinae, is a beetle of the family Chrysomelidae found in Europe and Asia. It feeds on Populus and Salix species. The evolution of its host plant preferences and the mechanism by which it uses host plant chemicals to make a larval defensive secretion have been the subject of intense study by research groups in Europe and the Nordic countries.

<i>Plagiodera</i> Genus of beetles

Plagiodera is a genus of Chrysomelinae.

<i>Nematus oligospilus</i> Species of sawfly

Nematus oligospilus, commonly known as the willow sawfly, is a species of sawfly in the family Tenthredinidae. Native to central and northern Europe and Asia, it was first recorded in South America in the 1980s and New Zealand in 1997, and has also been introduced to Australia, South Africa and Lesotho. Its larvae feed on the leaves of various species of willow.

<i>Rabdophaga rigidae</i> Species of fly

Rabdophaga rigidae, the willow beaked-gall midge, is a species of gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae. It is found across North America. Some sources state that it is also present in parts of eastern Asia including Japan; however, a 2006 study shows that the Asian populations likely represent a separate species: Rabdophaga salicivora.

<i>Parasyrphus melanderi</i>

Parasyrphus melanderi is a flower fly that is best known as a larval predator on the leaf beetle Chrysomela aeneicollis in the Sierra Nevada range of California.

<i>Phratora tibialis</i> Species of beetle

Phratora tibialis is a species of leaf beetle found in Europe and parts of Asia. This beetle is found on willows and the chemistry and production of its larval defensive secretions and host plant relationships have been studied extensively.

<i>Phratora polaris</i>

Phratora polaris is a species of leaf beetle found in the Nordic regions of Europe., occasionally in Scotland, and Iceland. Some authors have recorded it in central Europe, especially in the Alps. Historically, this species has occurred in Greenland. This beetle is found on willow (Salix) species in the southern part of its range. Populations in Lapland feed on birch.

References

  1. "Plagiodera Dejean, 1837". National Biodiversity Network. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Plagiodera versicolora (Laicharting, 1781)". Coleoptera.org. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  3. Hubble, David (2012). Keys to the Adults of Seed and Leaf Beetles of Britain and Ireland. Field Studies Council. p. 52. ISBN   9781908819086.
  4. 1 2 3 "Plagiodera versicolora (Laicharting, 1781)". Watford Coleopter Group. Retrieved 2017-01-24.
  5. Bugguide.net. Species Plagiodera versicolora - Imported Willow Leaf Beetle

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Plagiodera versicolora at Wikimedia Commons