Subject: Spotted Bug Thailand – Koh Lanta
Location: Thailand, Koh Lanta – Southern part of Thailand
May 25, 2013 8:45 am
Dear Bugman
I spotted this scarab pin my bath room at around 9 pm Thai time. It is bit as my nail, maybe 1 and a half cm. has cream colour shell and black spots and yellow legs.
I have tried to identify it but cannot find anything on the web.
Thank you for your time.
Cheers Aruna
(www.baanraobedandbreakfast.com)
Signature: Aruna Singh
Dear Aruna,
We believe this is some species of Leaf Beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, but like you, we have not had any luck matching any photos on the internet. Leaf Beetles will not pose any threats to you, your structure or your guests.
Thank you Daniel for your quick response. I was actually nor scared of it, was only very curious as I had never seen a beetle like that. Thank you for your time and welcome to Baan Rao anytime.
Cheers
Aruna
Karl provides an identification
Hi Daniel and Aruna:
I believe it is a species in the genus Podontia (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini), probably P. quatuordecimpunctata. The submitted photo is a bit fuzzy but I think the match is pretty close. This link provides quite a lot of good life cycle information, including: “Podontia quatuordecimpunctata is the best-known Podontia species because both adults and larvae defoliate the tree Spondias dulcis. This tree, commonly known as the mak-ok, hog plum, or golden apple tree, is cultivated for its edible fruits in Indonesia, Malaysia, India, Thailand, and the Caribbean…”. Regards. Karl