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Subfamily Cryptocephalinae - Case-bearing Leaf Beetles

Cryptocephalus notatus Fabricius - Cryptocephalus notatus Neochlamisus velutinus Karren - Neochlamisus velutinus - male Case-bearing Leaf Beetle - Pachybrachis subfasciatus Pachybrachis? - Pachybrachis jacobyi Smaragdina militaris (LeConte) - Smaragdina militaris Mating ?Neochlamisus - male - female Anomoea flavokansiensis? - Anomoea Dark Insect Larva Decorated with White Fibers
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Longhorn and Leaf Beetles)
Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles)
Subfamily Cryptocephalinae (Case-bearing Leaf Beetles)
Other Common Names
Cylindrical Leaf Beetles
Explanation of Names
Cryptocephalinae Gyllenhal 1813
Numbers
~350 spp. in 22 genera in our area(1), close to 4,000 spp. worldwide(2)
Identification
Compact, subcylindrical to subglobose; head inserted into the prothorax
Habitat
Larvae live in litter on soil surface(1) or on the leaves of host plant (they drop to the ground when threatened)(3)
Food
Larvae mostly detritivorous, a few consume green leaves(1)
Life Cycle
Larvae are casebearers, living in and protected by a case constructed of their fecal matter and sometimes plant debris. The case is shorter than the larva that remains folded inside it.(1)
Eggs are laid in carefully sculpted packets formed from feces and abdominal secretions (S.M. Clark's comment):
Remarks
Chrysomelids with long, thread-like antennae belong to Cryptocephalinae, but not all Cryptocephalinae have such antennae(4)
Internet References
(5)
Works Cited
1.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
2.Chrysomelid males with enlarged mandibles: three new species and a review of occurrence in the family (Coleoptera:Chrysomelidae)
Reid C.A.M., Beatson M. 2013. Zootaxa 3619: 79–100.
3.Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects
Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn. 2004. Brooks Cole.
4.Coleoptera or Beetles east of the Great Plains
Edwards, J. Gordon. 1949. Edwards Brothers, Ann Arbor, MI. 181 pp.
5.Chamorro M.L. (2011) Cryptocephalinae of the World