Daffodil Leaf-Beetle

Exosoma lusitanicum

"Exosoma lusitanicum" or daffodil leaf beetle is a species of "skeletonizing leaf beetles" belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Galerucinae.
Exosoma lusitanicum (Linnaeus, 1767) 7 mm long Exosoma lusitanicum,France,Geotagged,Summer

Appearance

"Exosoma lusitanicum" can reach a length of 6–8 millimetres. These small beetles have an elongated, oval and glabrous body. Its pronotum is very finely punctured, convex, and wider than long. Elytra are tight and finely punctured. The basic colour of the pronotum and elytra is shiny red-orange. The head, the antennae, the legs and the abdomen are black.

This species is similar to "Exososoma theryi".
daffodil leaf-beetles  Daffodil Leaf-Beetle,Exosoma lusitanicum,Geotagged,Italy,Spring

Naming

The genus "Exosoma" is derived from the ancient Greek ἕξω, meaning "outside" and σῶμα, meaning "body". The Latin species name "lusitanicus", meaning "occurring in Lusitania", refers to the area of distribution of this species.

Distribution

This quite common species is found in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, North Africa and in the Near East.

Behavior

Larvae feed on bulbs of Amaryllidaceae and Liliaceae species, while adults feed on flowers of several wild plants, mainly Asteraceae species and are potentially dangerous for vineyards.

Habitat

These beetles occur in warm-dry areas, both in the plains as well as at an elevation of a thousand meters.

References:

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Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderColeoptera
FamilyChrysomelidae
GenusExosoma
SpeciesE. lusitanicum
Photographed in
France
Italy