''Galeruca tanaceti'' is a species of
leaf beetle found in the
Palearctic realm, and is the type species of the genus ''
Galeruca''. It was first described by
Carl Linnaeus in his 1758
10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''.
Distribution
This species is present in the
Palearctic realm from Portugal to Japan. It is also present 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 ...
and in
North Africa. It has been introduced in northern America.
Habitat
These beetles inhabit dry and sunny areas, meadows and grassy places.
Description
''Galeruca tanaceti'' can reach a length of . These leaf beetles have a broadly ovate, convex and glabrous body. The head, pronotum and elytra are matt black and densely punctured. Lateral margins of the elytra are explanate. Also legs are entirely black, relatively long and slender.
[
The females are longer than the males. At the time of oviposition the abdomen is greatly enlarged and filled with eggs so much that the elytra cover just one half of the length of the belly. The larvae are dark, covered with bristles on fleshy outgrowths.
]
Biology
Adults can be found between June and August persisting until October. Eggs are laid during September or October. They are attached to a leaf, a stem or flowers of dry grasses and other herbaceous plants and are protected by the secretion of these beetle. The larvae emerge only after the winter, at the end of April and during May. Pupation occurs in the ground during late May or June.[
Beetles and larvae are polyphagous, feeding on '' Asteraceae'' ('' Tanacetum vulgare'', '' Achillea millefolium'', '']Centaurea nigra
''Centaurea nigra'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names lesser knapweed, common knapweed and black knapweed. A local vernacular name is hardheads.
It is native to Europe but it is known on other ...
'', '' Tussilago'', '' Cirsium arvense''), '' Brassicaceae'' (''Cardamine pratensis
''Cardamine pratensis'', the cuckoo flower, lady's smock, mayflower, or milkmaids, is a flowering plant in the family Brassicaceae. It is a perennial herb native throughout most of Europe and Western Asia. The specific name ''pratensis'' is Latin ...
'', ''Sinapis arvensis
''Sinapis arvensis'', the charlock mustard, field mustard, wild mustard, or charlock, is an annual or winter annual plant of the genus '' Sinapis'' in the family Brassicaceae. It is found in the fields of North Africa, Asia and Europe. ''Pieris ...
'') and other plants (especially '' Potentilla auserina'', ''Succisa pratensis
''Succisa pratensis'', also known as devil's-bit or devil's-bit scabious, is a flowering plant in the honeysuckle family Caprifoliaceae. It differs from other similar species in that it has four-lobed flowers, whereas small scabious and field s ...
'', ''Scabiosa columbaria
''Scabiosa columbaria'', called the small scabious or dwarf pincushion flower, is a widespread species of flowering plant in the genus ''Scabiosa'', native to Europe, Africa, and western Asia, from Sweden to Angola. In the garden it is a short-li ...
'', '' Thymus serpyllum'', '' Veronica'' and '' Hypericum perforatum'').[ Galeruca tanaceti - Watford Coleoptera Group]
/ref>
These beetles have been reported as a pest on oregano
Oregano (, ; ''Origanum vulgare'') is a species of flowering plant in the mint family Lamiaceae. It was native to the Mediterranean region, but widely naturalised elsewhere in the temperate Northern Hemisphere.
Oregano is a woody perennial pla ...
in Crete.
Gallery
File:Galeruca tanaceti, Harlech dunes, North Wales, Sept 2010 2 - Flickr - janetgraham84.jpg, Mating
File: 2016 09 22 Galeruca tanaceti female.jpg, Female of ''Galeruca tanaceti''
File:Galeruca tanaceti, female.ogv, Clip on a female in a meadow
References
{{Taxonbar , from=Q1307197
Galerucinae
Articles containing video clips
Beetles described in 1758
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Beetles of Europe
Beetles of Asia
Beetles of North Africa