Other Common Names
Cylindrical Leaf Beetle (subfamily), Girdled Leaf Beetle (P. circumcinctus), Scriptured Leaf Beetle (various species)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Revised by Fall (1915) who did a remarkably thorough job.
(1)
Pachybrachys--misspelling
Numbers
Over 150 spp. north of Mexico; many more in Central & South America and the Palearctic Region.
(1)Identification
In general, spp of
Pachy are difficult to separate with external characters alone.
(1)
Small, nearly cylindrical. Pronotum as wide as elytra, no grooves on side for antennae. Base of pronotum margined. Profemora thicker than metafemora. Claws simple.
(2)
Adults found often on flowers, and may resemble caterpillar droppings, giving them some protection from predation.
(3)Range
Throughout the continent, but much more diverse in the south and the drier western and southwestern areas.
(1)Season
Typically seen late spring and early summer. April-July (North Carolina). May-July (Minnesota)
Food
Adults and larvae eat foliage of a variety of plants, including trees such as hickory, willow. Adults also reported to eat pollen.
Life Cycle
Larvae are case-bearing, often gregarious. Pupae are attached to stems and leaves with no cocoons. Typically adults emerge in late summer and overwinter. They disperse in spring or late summer. Most of this is based on Milen's
(3) account for
P. circumcinctus.
Print References
Fall, H.C. 1915. A revision of the North American species of
Pachybrachys. Transactions of the American Entomological Society 41: 291–486.
Full Text
Dillon, pp. 671-673, fig. 482, plate LXX
(2)
Milne, p. 611, fig. 155--P. circumcinctus
(3)
Balsbaugh & Hays, pp. 27-40, fig. 22
(4)
White, p. 293, fig. 127
(5)
Papp, pp. 237-238, figs. 782-784
(6)
Arnett et al., p. 319, fig. 748
(7)
Brimley, p. 222, lists 22 species for North Carolina.
(8)
