Peltoschema festiva

Peltoschema festiva

Peltoschema festiva (Chapuis, 1877) is a leaf beetle in the genus Peltoschema . It is very small at 3mm and a mimic of the cardinal ladybird beetle. It feeds on several species of native pea (Davesia).
Peltoschema festiva This diminutive beetle eluded notice until I realized its host plant is a native pea, one of several Davesia species. It was a surprise to find the green male of Peltoschema lepida on her back, showing considerable interest. This observation strongly suggests that P. festiva is polymorphic and a synonym of P. lepida but I would like a bit more experience before I adopt a particular view. Australia,Geotagged,Peltoschema,Peltoschema festiva,Spring

Naming

Peltoschema festiva (Chapuis, 1877)

References:

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https://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:885b9f05-a11d-4026-a67c-cdfb1761f7da#overview
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderColeoptera
FamilyChrysomelidae
GenusPeltoschema
SpeciesPeltoschema festiva
Photographed in
Australia