Species Mordellistena convicta

Classification · Explanation of Names · Size · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Internet References · Works Cited

Mordellidae, lateral - Mordellistena convicta - female

Mordellidae, dorsal - Mordellistena convicta - female

black and silver striped tumbling flower beetle - Mordellistena convicta

Mordellistena convicta? - Mordellistena convicta

Mordellidae - Mordellistena convicta - Tumbling Flower Beetle? - Mordellistena convicta

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 Tenebrionoidea (Fungus, Bark, Darkling and Blister Beetles)

Family Mordellidae (Tumbling Flower Beetles)

Tribe Mordellistenini

Genus Mordellistena

Species convicta (Mordellistena convicta)

Explanation of Names

Mordellistena convicta LeConte 1862

Size

Length to apices of elytra 2.5-3 mm, to tip of anal style 3-3.75 mm(1)

Range

e NA (NS-AL to SK-NM)(1)(2)

Food

Common Ragweed Ambrosia artemisiifolia, Calico Aster Symphyotrichum lateriflorum or Aster vimineus, Goldenrod Solidago in galls of Eurosta solidaginis; Rough Cocklebur Xanthium strumarium(3)

Life Cycle

The larva may harm the fly Eurosta that makes the goldenrod (Solidago) galls when feeding on gall plant fibers(3)

Internet References

Sequential radiation of unrelated organisms: the gall fly Eurosta solidaginis and the tumbling flower beetle Mordellistena convicta. W. G. Abrahamson, C. P. Blair, M. D. Eubanks, S. A. Morehead

Works Cited

1.	Monograph of the Family Mordellidae (Coleoptera) of North America, North of Mexico Emil Liljeblad. 1945. University of Michigan Press.

2.	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.

3.	New larval host plant associations of tumbling flower beetles (Coleoptera: Mordellidae) in North America Ford E.J., Jackman J.A. 1996. Col. Bull. 50: 361-368.

Contributed by tom murray on 21 February, 2008 - 4:06pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Mike Quinn, MJ Hatfield, v belov, lee_penner
Last updated 9 August, 2019 - 5:58pm

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