Silver Wattle Leaf Beetle - Calomela ioptera
FAMILY CHRYSOMELIDAE
This page contains information and pictures about Silver Wattle Leaf Beetles that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 10mm
- Near the hill top of Anstead Forest Reserve, there were many Queensland Sliver Wattle trees (Acacia podalyriifolia). On each tree, we easily found one or two Silver Wattle Leaf Beetles. They were either feeding, resting or wandering around. We found one was laying eggs. Those Leaf Beetles did not make noticeable damages to the trees. It was March 2009.
- Silver Wattle Leaf Beetle has the standard body shape of Calomela sp.. The head and thorax are orange brown in colour with black eyes and black antenna. The legs are orange brown too. The wing covers are orange brown covered with lines of metallic green-blue dots. The green-blue colours are slightly different between individuals.
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- This leaf beetle seem like to feed only the surface white waxy layer on the leaves, although we also found bite marks on other leaves.
- Like most other leaf beetles, this Silver Wattle Leaf Beetles also apply the drop and play dead escape method. When disturbed, the beetle dropped onto ground and play dead. We put it on our hand, the beetle started walking around after half a minute.
The Host Plant
- Queensland Silver Wattle
- The host plant - Acacia podalyriifolia
Laying Eggs
- On March, we found the beetle laying eggs on leaf. The eggs are creamy yellow, about 2mm long.
The Larvae
- Body length 6mm
- Different stages of Larvae and adults can be found on the same host plant. The Larvae are pale green in colour, well camouflaged among the host plants.
- A young larva attacked by a jumping spider.
- Thank to Chris
Reid for the identification of this leaf beetle.
- Reference:
- 1. A Reappraisal of the Australian Species of the Genus Calomela Hope (Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae) - B. J. Selman, Australian Journal of Zoology 27(4) 561 - 584
- 2. Key to the Chrysomelinae of New South Wales - FaunaNet, Australian Museum, 2003.
- 3. Wild Plants of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum, 2003, p123, (Queensland Sliver Wattle).
- 4. Queensland Silver Wattle Acacia podalyriifolia - Australian National Botanic Gardens.
- 5. New host plants for Calomela crassicornis (Fabricius, 1775) and Calomela ioptera (Baly, 1856)(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), with notes on two other Calomela species - by Dr Trevor J. Hawkeswood and N. Monaghan.
