I-Mark Leaf Beetle - Calomela crassicornis
FAMILY CHRYSOMELIDAE
This page contains information and pictures about I-Mark Leaf Beetles that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 7mm
- The Acacia Leaf Beetles are orange in colour with a dark brown "I"-Mark pattern on thorax. There are also the dark drown patterns on wings cover.
- Male and female
- They are about the same size as Ladybird Beetles. They can be distinguished by their longer antenna. When we go for bush-walking near Alexandra Hill in mid summer. On every young Acacia tree (one of the large leave species), we can easily found some of them resting on the leaves. They are slow moving, seem doing nothing until we disturbed.
- They usually found on young Acacia trees, of those about 1 meter tall. They seem not doing much damage to the host plant.
- When disturbed, the beetle will either run away, a bit slowly, or duck down and hide its legs and antenna under its wings cover. Then it will either drop onto the ground or, very rare, it may extend its hindwings and fly away.
- Larvae, body length 7mm Pupa, length 7mm
- On the same plants, we also find some insects larvae. They are pale green in colour. Its body shape look like the Leaf Beetle larvae so we believed they are their last instars. We found that they also pupate on leaf of the food plant.
- The colour and patterns of individual are a little bit different.
- Black Wattle
- Acacia leiocalyx
- Black Wattles are one of the most common trees in Brisbane's Eucalypt forest and bushland.
- Many of the leaf beetles can be found on the same Black Wattle trees. Both adults and larvae can be found at the same time. They seems perfect small wattle tree.
- Thank to Chris Reid for the identification of this leaf beetle.
- Reference:
- 1. Beetles of Australia - Trevor J Hawkeswood, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1987, plate 163.
- 2. New host plants for Calomela crassicornis (Fabricius, 1775) and Calomela ioptera (Baly, 1856)(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), with notes on two other Calomela species - by Dr Trevor J. Hawkeswood and N. Monaghan, 2007.
- 3. A Reappraisal of the Australian Species of the Genus Calomela Hope (Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae) - B. J. Selman, Australian Journal of Zoology 27(4) 561 - 584.
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[ Up ] [ Green Strip Leaf Beetle ] [ I-Mark Leaf Beetle ] [ Metallic Green Acacia Beetle ] [ Silver Wattle Leaf Beetle ] - 1. Beetles of Australia - Trevor J Hawkeswood, Angus & Robertson Publishers, 1987, plate 163.
