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Photo#1202633
Beetles mining (and wandering externally on) Lepidium oblongum - Phyllotreta

Beetles mining (and wandering externally on) Lepidium oblongum - Phyllotreta
Stillwater, Payne County, Oklahoma, USA
March 22, 2016
Size: ranging from 2-4mm
Waste area by Center for International Trade Development. Looks a lot like Mantura.
Collection 1078.

Images of this individual: tag all
Beetles mining (and wandering externally on) Lepidium oblongum - Phyllotreta Beetles mining (and wandering externally on) Lepidium oblongum - Phyllotreta Beetles mining (and wandering externally on) Lepidium oblongum - Phyllotreta Beetles mining (and wandering externally on) Lepidium oblongum - Phyllotreta

Shawn Clark says:
"Most of the species of Phyllotreta with immaculate elytra have not been taxonomically studied since the early 1900's, before genitalia were known to be critical for identifying species in the genus. Even so, based on externally visible characters (non-aedeagal characters), these specimens do not match well with the published descriptions of any of the species known to occur in North America. Most likely, the beetles belong to an undescribed species. However, extensive taxonomic research would be required to confirm this."

Not sure if Alex Konstantinov has worked on this genus at all, but it might be worth rearing some more and sending them his way.

 
Will try....
But I encounter the plant host, as weedy as it is, very infrequently. Nice to know it might be new.

 
They're here in 2017
I just found a reasonably good population of the host (though in a place likely to be herbicided by OSU groundkeepers). There are some early instar larvae mining leaves now. With luck, I can rear these - though I might need to locate more of the host population.

Moved
Moved from Unidentified Leaf Mines.

At least three Phyllotreta species mine leaves of Lepidium, but no leafminer has been reared from L. oblongum specifically. Like Mantura, these will want soil to burrow into when mature.

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