Leaf Beetle

Description:

Chrysomelidae; Criocerinae; Lemini; Lema sp. nr. praeusta. There is only a single, but vitally important, factor preventing me from calling this beetle Lema praeusta and, of course that is lack of documentation recording the presence of L. praeusta in the Philippines. It is present in Singapore - https://singapore.biodiversity.online/ta.... it is also present in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand - https://www.thailandnatureproject.com/le... but so far, I have not found any mention of Phillippines.

Habitat:

I spotted this leaf beetle in dense foliage under a mango tree at the edge of a rice field. The rice field proper was not planted (it was the dry season) and was also covered in wild grasses and foliage. So at that time of year, this area is always inhabited by numerous species of insects and spiders.