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.

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

外見

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.

界Animalia門Arthropoda綱Insecta目Coleoptera科Chrysomelidae属Asphaera

Shiny Flea Beetle

カテゴリ

昆虫

レア度

Common

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

スナップ

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おもしろい事実

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.

特殊能力

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.

サイズと詳細

長さ: 1 cm
翼開長: 1-2 cm
体重: 0.00001-0.00003 kg
寿命: 1 年
一度の産卵数: 20-100
抱卵期間: 7-14 日

食性と食事

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

年齢による違い: Larvae feed underground on the roots of host plants, whereas adults feed aerially on the foliage.

主な食物

Lantana leaves
Verbena foliage
Wild sage leaves

採餌方法

Grazing

生態系とのつながり

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.

特徴

このオブジェクトにはまだ特徴バッジが割り当てられていません。

別名

まだ別名はありません。

コレクション

テーマが追加されると、このオブジェクトのコレクションがここに表示されます。

安全性

危険度

1/5 · 非常に低い

まだ特別な安全上の注意はありません。

よくある質問

Shiny Flea Beetleを見分けるには？

Shiny Flea Beetleを識別する最も簡単な方法は、Snappit自然識別アプリを使用することです。

Shiny Flea Beetleの長さは何ですか？

1 cm

Shiny Flea Beetleの翼開長は何ですか？

1-2 cm

Shiny Flea Beetleの体重は何ですか？

0.00001-0.00003 kg

Shiny Flea Beetleの寿命は何ですか？

1 年

Shiny Flea Beetleは何を食べますか？

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

Shiny Flea Beetleは通常どこに生息していますか？

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

Shiny Flea Beetleはどのように狩りをしますか？

Grazing