Galeruca tanaceti

Tansy leaf beetle ( female ) ( Galeruca tanaceti )

The tansy leaf beetle ( Galeruca tanaceti ) is a beetle of the family of leaf beetles ( Chrysomelidae ). The specific epithet refers to the tanaceti tansy ( Tanacetum ).

Features

The beetles can reach a length of six to ten millimeters. They have a matt black color and are hairless. The head, the very uneven pronotum and elytra are provided with numerous low points. On the clear edged elytra ribs alongside indicated. The border also runs around the shoulders and is also on pronotum visible. But on the basis of which he is less pronounced than in the front. The females are slightly longer than the males and can at the time of oviposition have a greatly enlarged abdomen.

Occurrence

The animals are found throughout Europe and Asia, in North America they were introduced. They are found from June to September in dry and sunny places.

Way of life

The beetles feed on numerous plants of the families of the daisy family ( Asteraceae), the cabbage family ( Brassicaceae), carnation family ( Caryophyllaceae ), cardoon plants ( teasel ), lily family ( Liliaceae ), Labiatae ( Lamiaceae), Knöterichgewächsen ( Polygonaceae ) and the nightshade family (Solanaceae ).

Development

The females lay their eggs in Situated about 60 pieces in the fall on the stems, leaves or flowers of dry grasses and other Herbaceous plants that do not belong to the forage crops. They cover the eggs with a secretion that protects them from predators. This turns dark soon after application. The larvae hatch until after the winter. They reach a length of 14 millimeters and pupate in the soil. both them and the eggs contain anthraquinone, which they probably protects them from predators. From March to May of the next year slips the new generation. The adults lay in midsummer a diapause.

The eggs of the beetle are often parasitized by Oomyzus galerucivorus, a wasp of the family Eulophidae.