- Leaf beetle
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Leaf beetle Scarlet lily beetle, Lilioceris lilii Scientific classification Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Suborder: Polyphaga Superfamily: Chrysomeloidea Family: Chrysomelidae
Latreille, 1802 [1]Subfamilies See text.
Beetles in the family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles. This is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families.
Leaf beetles are partially recognizable by their tarsal formula, which appears to be 4-4-4, but is actually 5-5-5.[2] They are distinguished with difficulty from long-horned beetles (family Cerambycidae) by the antennae not arising from frontal tubercles. Adult and larval leaf beetles feed on all sorts of plant tissue. Many are economically important pests of agriculture, for example the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), the asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi), the cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopus), and various flea beetles.
Contents
Classification
- Subfamily Bruchinae Latreille, 1802
- Subfamily Chrysomelinae Latreille, 1802
- Subfamily Criocerinae Latreille, 1804
- Subfamily Cryptocephalinae Gyllenhal, 1813
- Subfamily Donaciinae Kirby, 1837
- Subfamily Eumolpinae Hope, 1840
- Subfamily Galerucinae Latreille, 1802
- Subfamily Hispinae Gyllenhal, 1813
- Subfamily Lamprosomatinae Lacordaire, 1848
- Subfamily Sagrinae Leach, 1815
- Subfamily Spilopyrinae Chapuis, 1874
One of the present subfamilies (Bruchinae) was, until recently, considered a separate family, while two former subfamilies are presently considered families (Orsodacnidae and Megalopodidae). Other commonly recognized subfamilies have recently been grouped with other subfamilies, usually reducing them to tribal rank (e.g., the former Cassidinae, Alticinae, Chlamisinae, and Clytrinae).
Gallery
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Timarcha sp.
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A beetle from the subfamily Hispinae
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Dogbane leaf beetles Chrysochus auratus
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A flea-beetle from Galicia
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Northern tamarisk beetle Diorhabda carinulata
References
External links
- Chyrsomelidae of NW Europe
- List of subfamilies of European Chrysomelidae from University of Wrocław
- Brisbane leaf beetles, with good pictures
- Key to the British genera and species of Cryptocephalinae
- Key to the British genera of Chrysomelinae
- Key to the British genera and species of Criocerinae
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
- Chelymorpha cribraria, tortoise beetle
- Hemisphaerota cyanea, palmetto tortoise beetle
- Microtheca ochroloma, yellowmargined leaf beetle
- Monocesta coryli, larger elm leaf beetle
- Plagiometriona clavata, clavate tortoise beetle
External links
Media related to Chrysomelidae at Wikimedia Commons
- Taiwanese Site Binomial Names
Categories:- Chrysomelidae
- Insect vectors of plant pathogens
- Insect families
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