Shiny Flea Beetle

asphaera lustrans

The Shiny Flea Beetle (Asphaera lustrans) is a small, brilliantly colored member of the leaf beetle family Chrysomelidae. Renowned for its dazzling metallic coloration and remarkable jumping ability, this tiny insect is a captivating find for nature enthusiasts. These beetles are primarily found in warm, subtropical regions, where they can be observed clinging to the foliage of their favorite host plants. Despite their diminutive size, Shiny Flea Beetles play an active role in their local ecosystems as specialized herbivores, feeding on leaves to help regulate plant growth while serving as a vital food source for a variety of insectivorous birds, spiders, and predatory insects.

Lebensraum: Typically found in subtropical scrublands, forest edges, and fields, particularly where host plants in the verbena or mint families are abundant.

Aussehen

The Shiny Flea Beetle is characterized by its striking, high-contrast coloration, featuring a bright orange-red pronotum and head that contrasts sharply with its deep, metallic blue or greenish-black elytra. Its body is highly convex and oval, typically measuring around 1 centimeter in length. Like other flea beetles, it possesses noticeably enlarged, muscular hind thighs adapted for leaping, and its antennae are long, dark, and highly active.

ReichAnimaliaStammArthropodaKlasseInsectaOrdnungColeopteraFamilieChrysomelidaeGattungAsphaera

Shiny Flea Beetle

Kategorie

Insekten

Seltenheit

Common

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Snaps

Mach den ersten Snap!

Interessante Fakten

Despite their name, flea beetles are true beetles and are not closely related to actual fleas; they only share the incredible jumping mechanism.

The feeding damage they leave on leaves is often called 'shothole' damage because it looks like the plant was hit by tiny pellets.

Their bright, metallic colors do not come from pigments, but from microscopic structures in their exoskeleton that refract light.

Their jumping power comes from a tiny, spring-like structure in their hind legs called the metafemoral spring, which releases energy instantly.

Besondere Fähigkeiten

Equipped with highly enlarged hind femora containing a spring-like mechanism, this beetle can launch itself many times its body length into the air to instantly escape predators.

The brilliant metallic blue and orange coloration serves as warning coloration to visually hunting predators, signaling that they may be unpalatable.

When threatened or seized, the beetle can reflexively bleed or exude noxious chemicals from its joints to deter ants and small predators.

Maße und Details

Länge: 1 cm
Flügelspannweite: 1-2 cm
Gewicht: 0.00001-0.00003 kg
Lebenserwartung: 1 Jahre
Gelegegröße: 20-100
Brutzeit: 7-14 Tage

Ernährung und Fütterung

Feeds almost exclusively on the leaves of specific host plants, particularly within the Verbenaceae and Lamiaceae families, chewing small, characteristic holes in the foliage.

Altersunterschiede: Larvae feed underground on the roots of host plants, whereas adults feed aerially on the foliage.

Hauptnahrung

Lantana leaves
Verbena foliage
Wild sage leaves

Nahrungssuche

Grazing

Ökologische Zusammenhänge

host plant

Common Lantana

Lantana camara

Adult beetles feed on the leaves, while larvae feed on the roots of this plant.

eaten by

Green Lynx Spider

Peucetia viridans

An active predator in the same foliage that frequently captures and eats flea beetles.

eaten by

Spined Soldier Bug

Podisus maculiventris

Nymphs and adults of this predatory stink bug prey upon the larvae and adult beetles.

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Sicherheit

Gefahr

1/5 · Sehr gering

Noch keine besonderen Sicherheitshinweise.

Häufig gestellte Fragen

Wie identifiziert man Shiny Flea Beetle?

Der einfachste Weg, Shiny Flea Beetle zu bestimmen, ist die Verwendung der Naturführer-App Snappit.

Was ist der/die/das länge von Shiny Flea Beetle?

1 cm

Was ist der/die/das flügelspannweite von Shiny Flea Beetle?

1-2 cm

Was ist der/die/das gewicht von Shiny Flea Beetle?

0.00001-0.00003 kg

Was ist der/die/das lebenserwartung von Shiny Flea Beetle?

1 Jahre

Was frisst Shiny Flea Beetle?

Feeds almost exclusively on the leaves of specific host plants, particularly within the Verbenaceae and Lamiaceae families, chewing small, characteristic holes in the foliage.

Wo findet man Shiny Flea Beetle normalerweise?

Typically found in subtropical scrublands, forest edges, and fields, particularly where host plants in the verbena or mint families are abundant.

Wie jagt Shiny Flea Beetle?

Grazing