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Project Noah Nature School
Gastrophysa viridula
The length of the green dock beetle varies between sexes, with the males being 4 mm and the females being 7 mm. During the mating season, females have enlarged abdomens. Both sexes are green with a metallic shimmer, which, depending on the light, can be gold green, blue, purple, violet, or red. The legs of this species also shimmer a metallic green, and are strongly built. The antennae are serrated and are medium in length.
The green dock beetle is commonly found in central Europe. Its range extends eastward into western Siberia and the Caucasus Mountains. They are found in heathlands, forests, meadows, and gardens with the presence of plant dock (Rumex), the beetles' food plant.
Spotted on Apr 12, 2015
Submitted on Jul 25, 2015
1 Comment
Hello, I caught two beetles that look very similar and almost identical to your beautiful spotting. I was happy to see your identification of the species, but I could not help but form my own opinions. After reading the habitat description you have written, I found it weird that it is commonly found in central Europe. I did a little bit more background research on the Gastrophysa viridula from other sites and wikis but none seem to mention its geogrpahical range to reach the Philippines.
To the best of my knowledge, I surmised that the beetle belongs to the scarab family, since they look similar to our salagubangs and they also possess the distinct clubbed antennae. However, Gastrophysa viridula belongs to the Chrysomelidae family.
Forgive me for criticizing your work. If I may suggest, this beetle seems to belong to the Anomala genus from the family Scarabaeidae. It looks similar to this other spottings:
https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/14...
https://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/17...
Thank you again for your beautiful spotting and sorry if I cause you any offense. I am just a simple beetle enthusiast and a college student that has more time on his hands due to the virus pandemic