''Phratora purpurea'', the aspen skeletonizer, is a species of

leaf beetle 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 ...

in 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 ...

. It is found across North America, including Maryland, New York, Ontario, British Columbia, and the Northwest Territories. It feeds on willows and poplars (''

Populus tremuloides ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, mountain or golden aspen, tr ...

'', ''

Populus grandidentata ''Populus grandidentata'', commonly called large-tooth aspen, big-tooth aspen, American aspen, Canadian poplar, or white poplar, is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America. Name The name ''Populus'' is from the Latin for poplar, and ' ...

'', ''

Populus balsamifera ''Populus balsamifera'', commonly called balsam poplar, bam, bamtree, eastern balsam-poplar, hackmatack, tacamahac poplar, tacamahaca, is a tree species in the balsam poplar species group in the poplar genus, '' Populus.'' The genus name ''Populu ...

'', and '' Salix fragilis''), and is deep purple or coppery red in color. Cavey (1994) provided detailed notes on the life history of populations of ''Phratora purpurea subsp. purpurea'' in Maryland. These notes describe life history patterns that have also been observed in other ''

Phratora Phratora is a genus of Chrysomelidae, leaf beetles. It is synonymous to ''Phyllodecta'' . European ''Phratora'' species can be distinguished based on morphology of female genitalia., but they differ little in size and body form and most sho ...

'' species. Adults emerged from overwintering in spring and were actively mating and laying eggs in mid-June. They disappear as eggs and larvae appear. Eggs are laid in clutches of 6–15, arranged in two rows on the underside of host plant leaves (in this case ''P. grandidentata''). When larvae hatch, they feed in groups side by side in a single row during their first instar (molt), and then feed in smaller groups or solitarily in the second and third instar. When they pupate, they leave the host plant and presumably find a site in the soil until the adult emerges in late summer.

Subspecies

These two

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 ...

belong to the species ''Phratora purpurea'': * ''Phratora purpurea novaeterrae'' Brown, 1951 * ''Phratora purpurea purpurea'' Brown, 1951

Subspecies

References

Further reading