''Cryptocephalus sericeus'' is a species of beetle of the family

Chrysomelidae The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle ...

, subfamily

Cryptocephalinae The Cryptocephalinae are a subfamily of the leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae), and belong to the group of case-bearing leaf beetles called the Camptosomata. The tribes Fulcidacini and Clytrini The Clytrini are a tribe within the leaf beetle sub ...

Subspecies

Subspecies In biological classification, subspecies is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (morphology), but that can successfully interbreed. Not all species ...

include: *''Cryptocephalus sericeus sericeus'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the ...

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of Systema Naturae, 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the sta ...

) *''Cryptocephalus sericeus zambanellus'' (Marseul, 1875) (

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Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

) *''Cryptocephalus sericeus intrusus'' (Weisw, 1882) (

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

)

Distribution

This species can be found in most of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

, in the eastern

Palearctic realm The Palearctic or Palaearctic is the largest of the eight biogeographic realms of the Earth. It stretches across all of Eurasia north of the foothills of the Himalayas, and North Africa. The realm consists of several bioregions: the Euro-Sibe ...

from Siberia east to northwestern China, and in the

Near East The ''Near East''; he, המזרח הקרוב; arc, ܕܢܚܐ ܩܪܒ; fa, خاور نزدیک, Xāvar-e nazdik; tr, Yakın Doğu is a geographical term which roughly encompasses a transcontinental region in Western Asia, that was once the hist ...

. It is not present in the British Isles.

Habitat

These beetles inhabit lawns and meadows, especially with yellow flowers of

Apiaceae Apiaceae or Umbelliferae is a family of mostly aromatic flowering plants named after the type genus ''Apium'' and commonly known as the celery, carrot or parsley family, or simply as umbellifers. It is the 16th-largest family of flowering plants ...

species.

Description

''Cryptocephalus sericeus'' can reach a length of about . The body of these little beetles is squat, cylindrical and almost oval. Elytra are irregularly punctured, not arranged in longitudinal rows. They do not completely cover the last part of the abdomen. Pronotum and elytra are golden green in males, while females show a metallic bronze color, with green-blue, orange or yellow reflections. The antennas are thread-shaped and relatively long. The head, the legs, and antennae are dark colored. This species is rather similar to '' Cryptocephalus aureolus'', '' Cryptocephalus praticola'', '' Cryptocephalus solivagus'', '' Cryptocephalus therondi'' and '' Cryptocephalus hypochoeridis''.

Biolib

Adults can be found from April to July. The feed on pollen, especially on the yellow flowers of

species. Larvae feed on leaves of the host plants. They live in a housing that consists of their own droppings. The pupation takes place in the soil.

Gallery

File: Cryptocephalus (Cryptocephalus) sericeus sericeus.JPG, ''Cryptocephalus sericeus sericeus'' File: Cryptocephalus sericeus front.JPG, Front view File:Cryptocephalus sericeus LC0295.jpg, ''Cryptocephalus sericeus'' of varying colors

References

* Michael Chinery, Insectes de France et d'Europe occidentale, Paris, Flammarion, 2012, 320 p. (), p. 282-283 * Novak, P., 1964 - I Coleotteri della Dalmazia - Atti Mus. civico Storia Nat., Trieste, 24: 53-113 * Petitpierre, E., 2000 - Fauna Iberica. Vol. 13. Coleoptera Chrysomelidae I. - Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas, Madrid, 521 pp.

External links

* * * Borowiec L.
Culex.biol.uni.wroc.pl Chrysomelidae of Europe
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1250648 sericeus Beetles of Europe Beetles described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus