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Species Microrhopala vittata - Goldenrod Leaf Miner

Microrhopala vittata Beetle - Microrhopala vittata Goldenrod Leaf Miner - Microrhopala vittata Goldenrod Leaf Miners - Microrhopala vittata - male - female hispine - Microrhopala vittata Microrhopala vittata? - Microrhopala vittata Microrhopala rileyi - Microrhopala vittata Hispine - Microrhopala vittata
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Longhorn and Leaf Beetles)
Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles)
Subfamily Cassidinae (Tortoise Beetles and the Hispines)
Tribe Chalepini
Genus Microrhopala
Species vittata (Goldenrod Leaf Miner)
Explanation of Names
Microrhopala vittata (Fabricius 1798)
vittata 'striped'
Identification
The dull reddish stripes on the elytra, the 8-segmented antennae and the smooth (not serrate/toothed) elytral margins distinguish this species(1)
Fairly variable in coloration: specimens from different host plants having different color patterns which has led to a number of synonyms (Comment by Dr. Staines)
Range
transcontinental (BC-NB to CA-GA)(2)(3)
Food
Goldenrod (Solidago, Asteraceae)(4)
Remarks
adults often found crawling among the leaves of goldenrod bunch galls made by Rhopalomyia solidaginis
Internet References
Fact Sheet (Riley 2006)
Works Cited
1.Identification guide to the Leaf Beetles of Great Smoky Mountains National Park
2.Annotated list of the leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Kentucky: Subfamily Cassidinae
Barney R.J., Clark S.M., Riley E.G. 2007. J. Kentucky Acad. Sci. 68: 132-144.
3.Checklist of beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second edition
Bousquet Y., Bouchard P., Davies A.E., Sikes D.S. 2013. ZooKeys 360: 1–402.
4.Host plants of leaf beetle species occurring in the United States and Canada
Clark et al. 2004. Coleopterists Society, Special Publication no. 2, 476 pp.