Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Longhorn and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae) » Case-bearing Leaf Beetles (Cryptocephalinae)

Subfamily Cryptocephalinae - Case-bearing Leaf Beetles

Warty Leaf Beetle - Neochlamisus Chrysomelidae, frontal - Pachybrachis othonus small worm-looking critter that appears to burrow upright on joe-pye weed leaf - Exema what caterpillar? Beetle - Pachybrachis Cryptocephalus castaneus Triachus postremus LeConte - Triachus postremus Pachybrachis bivittatus - Pachybrachis
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 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)
See Also
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
Contributed by Beatriz Moisset on 27 March, 2005 - 6:22pm
Additional contributions by Mike Quinn, ceiseman, v belov
Last updated 28 October, 2023 - 11:07am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Plant Pathology, Entomology and Microbiology at Iowa State University logo