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Trachymela sloanei
This hemispherical leaf beetle (family = Chrysomelidae) is plain brown and smaller than many other "tortoise" leaf beetles. This may be due to its favored host tree, a Eucalyptus with narrow leaves and small gumnuts, the seed structures which these beetles mimic. I suspect this is Trachymela sloanei http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/158...
Stringybark trees such as Eucalyptus obliqua.
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/158... Trachymela sloanei http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/144... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/782... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/173...
Spotted on Apr 21, 2013
Submitted on Apr 22, 2013
2 Comments
Since Eucalyptus are native here, we have many species of different Trachymela too. This beetle has been exported to several countries where Eucalyptus was introduced. I like your spotting, with several in one pic., but they are not so common in my (cold) location.
I see them on eucalyptus.......