Subject: Beautiful beetle
Location: California
February 21, 2015 3:04 pm
Hello again! I found this lovely iridescent beetle this morning, sitting on a leaf near one of our tiny seasonal creeks. It looks something like Chrysochus auratus, but the references I see for that species say it is found in Northeastern US, and I am in the Sierra Foothills of California (oak savannah terrain). Can you help me identify this one?
Signature: Megan Ralph
Dear Megan,
This is not a Dogbane Leaf Beetle, but we believe your metallic beetle is also a member of the Leaf Beetle family Chrysomelidae. At this time, our research has not produced a visual match.