Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Long-horned and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae) » Skeletonizing leaf beetles (Galerucinae) » Flea Beetles (Alticini) » Asphaera » Shining Flea Beetle (Asphaera lustrans)

Species Asphaera lustrans - Shining Flea Beetle

Shining flea beetle - Asphaera lustrans - Asphaera lustrans

small red and blue beetle - Asphaera lustrans

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Long-horned and Leaf Beetles)

Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles)

Subfamily Galerucinae (Skeletonizing leaf beetles)

Tribe Alticini (Flea Beetles)

Genus Asphaera

Species lustrans (Shining Flea Beetle)

Other Common Names

In Florida this is sometimes called the Gator beetle - due to the orange and blue-black colors approximating those of the UF Gators...

Explanation of Names

lustr is Latin for: Shining, pure, washed (1)

Numbers

Two species of this large Neotropical genus occur north of Mexico, however records of A. abdominalis [TX & AZ] need confirmation. (2)

Identification

Adult body entirely orange except for blue-black elytra. Generally about 7mm long, 5mm wide. Larva light yellow-orange, to about 10 mm.

Range

Central and Gulf States: TX, AZ, NM, LA, OK, KS, NE, IA, introduced to FL. (3) Also GA per this photo:

Food

Larvae and adults feed on Scutellaria sp. (skullcap), other records such as Salix sp. (Willow) may be incidental. (4)

Remarks

First FL report 1999, now apparently widespread in that state.

Internet References

Texas Entomology- includes range maps

Tamu.edu lists Salix as a host, but not Scutellaria.

Works Cited

1.	Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms By Donald J. Borror

2.	American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea By Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.)

3.	Catalog of Leaf Beetles of America North of Mexico By Ed Riley, Shawn Clark, and Terry Seeno

4.	Host Plants of Leaf Beetle Species Occuring in the United States and Canada By Shawn M. Clark, Douglas G. LeDoux, Terry N. Seeno, Edward G. Riley, Arthur L. Gilbert, and James M. Sullivan. 2004.

Contributed by Hannah Nendick-Mason on 12 September, 2004 - 11:16am
Additional contributions by Joshua Stuart Rose, Mike Quinn
Last updated 2 June, 2007 - 12:36pm

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