Subject: It’s blue – Trevor’s FAVORITE color
Location: Moore, OK
May 14, 2013 3:36 pm
It’s been about a year since our last submission (a Sumac Flea Beetle June 2012)! On Mother’s Day (May 12) my son found another really cool beetle that we would like to know what it is. Despite being a little guy, it stood out like a sore thumb on the beige ceiling of our back covered porch. Hopefully the picture is sufficient, fingers crossed. We had a really tough time getting the lighting just right to show off the truly bright blue metallic color of its carapace (in the pictures it appears dark but in real life it is lighter and bright). However, you can definitely see the distinct details of its orange head, antennae (not orange but ”segmented”), and its legs are the same bright orange as well.
Hope you can satisfy my 5 year old aspiring entomologist son’s curiosity (I’m pretty anxious too because it is such a beautiful little guy!)
Signature: Trevor’s mom

Shiny Flea Beetle

Dear Trevor’s Mom,
We are happy to hear Trevor’s interest in entomology hasn’t waned.  This is another Flea Beetle in the tribe Alticini.  It sure looks to us like the Shiny Flea Beetle, Asphaera lustrans, a species that is found in Oklahoma according to BugGuide.

Yay!! That’s it!! Trevor is sooooo excited!  I guess our creek in our backyard has all the right food sources for our various little “Leaf Beetle” friends   Thank you so much for your help.  My little entomologist cannot wait to send you his next exciting, but tougher to identify, live discovery.
I also have attached a few other pictures you and your staff might enjoy.  One is of Trevor’s collection that my mom (his Grandma), “Ma-su,” have put together from specimens they’ve gathered…pretty impressive for a 4-5year old kiddo! He also has a pet jumping spider of which we have some fun pictures which I have attached, including his picture with a blow up spider at our local museum’s (Sam Noble Museum in Norman, OK) Bug Exhibit! We also did an ant farm; soon we will order ladybug larvae for his Ladybug Land so we can watch their metamorphosis. Disclaimer: no bugs in the collection picture were harmed intentionally…all were discovered either in the swimming pool skimmer and/or after they had already gone to bug heaven before we found them!
Thanks again,
Trevor’s mom

Trevor’s Insect Collection

Wow, your swimming pool is a magnet for insects, including Caterpillar Hunters, Wheel Bugs, Grasshoppers, Scarabs, Cicadas, a Cottonwood Longhorn Borer, an Io Moth and a Painted Lady.  Trevor looks rapt with his ant farm.

Ant Farm has Trevor’s attention.

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Shining Flea Beetle Flea Beetle Sumac Flea Beetle Flea Beetle: Small Blue Leaf Beetle from Australia