Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle

Paropsis atomaria

Paropsis atomaria is a common eucalyptus leaf beetle in the subfamily Chrysomelinae. They occur along eastern Australia from Adelaide to Brisbane.
Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle - Paropsis atomaria Attracted to UV light. Eamw beetles,Encounter Bay SA,Encounter Bay beetles,Paropsis atomaria,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle,UVL

Appearance

Paropsis atomaria adults are light creamy/pink/brown with faint darker markings.
They can vary slightly in size from 0.8 cm to approximately 1.0 cm in length.
Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle - Paropsis atomaria Australia,Eamw leaf beetles,Encounter Bay SA,Geotagged,Paropsis atomaria,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle,Summer,UVL

Naming

Synonyms
Notoclea reticulata Marsham, 1808
Paropsis granulosa Boisduval, 1835
Paropsis sanguinipennis Germar, 1848
Paropsis atomaria I believe these are pictures of Eucalyptus Leaf Beetles, Paropsis atomaria, seen on our morning walk in Santa Fe Springs, CA. Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle,Geotagged,Paropsis atomaria,Paropsisterna m-fuscum,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle,Summer,United States

Distribution

South-eastern Australia, particularly in Victoria.
Also King Island but not Tasmania.
Occasional records from south-west WA.
Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle - Paropsis atomaria Australia,Eamw beetles,Geotagged,Paropsis atomaria,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle,Spring

Status

Very common
Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle - Paropsis atomaria Bairnsdale vic,Eamw beetles,Paropsis atomaria,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle

Behavior

Associated with Eucalyptus. Capable of two generations per summer season.
Paropsis atomaria larva The Eucalyptus leaf beetle larvae live their lives exposed to predators and exhibit some novel ways do defend themselves. They metabolize a toxin known as hydrogen cyanide and produce a droplet when they feel treatened by a predatory bird, wasp or even a camera lens, as in this case. Australia,Geotagged,Leaf beetle,Paropsis atomaria,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle,Summer,chrysomelidae,paropsis

Habitat

Dry sclerophyll eucalyptus woodlands.
Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle (Paropsis atomaria) A beautiful peach coloured beetle with a dome-shaped body. The elytra (hard wing covers) were covered with minute pale spots. This female beetle was seen laying eggs - elongated pale pink structures at her rear. When these beetles are laying eggs they are very focused and are not easily perturbed. The eggs are arranged around the stem as can be seen in the next spotting: http://www.jungledragon.com/image/36861/eucalyptus_leaf_beetle_eggs_paropsis_atomaria.html Australia,Geotagged,Paropsis atomaria,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle,Spring,eggs,paropsis

Reproduction

Two generations per year. Female lays up yo 600 eggs. Eggs are laid into a radial pattern around a fine tree stem resulting in a flower-like arrangement.
20220913_082125_kindlephoto-23688911 Paropsis atomaria,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle

Food

Eucalyptus leaves.
Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle eggs - Paropsis atomaria Australia,Bairnsdale Vic,Eamw beetles,Geotagged,Paropsis atomaria,Speckled eucalyptus leaf beetle,Summer

Cultural

These can become a serious pest in eucalypt plantations (ie in absence of their natural predators)

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

http://bie.ala.org.au/species/urn:lsid:biodiversity.org.au:afd.taxon:41e6490a-b0dc-4ecd-918c-afb8ba97b478#
http://pir.sa.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0004/234049/Number_21_Chrysomelid_Beetles.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paropsis_atomaria
Taxonomy
KingdomAnimalia
DivisionArthropoda
ClassInsecta
OrderColeoptera
FamilyChrysomelidae
GenusParopsis
SpeciesParopsis atomaria
Photographed in
Australia
United States of America