Chrysolina americana (Linnaeus, 1758)

Taxonomy: Polyphaga > Chrysomeloidea > Chrysomelidae > Chrysolina > Chrysolina americana

Common name: 

Rosemary Beetle

Images

Chrysolina americana
Source:
Roger Key
Chrysolina americana
Source:
Paul Mabbott
Chrysolina americana
Source:
Natural History Museum, London

Description

Size: 6.7-8.1mm
Basic colour: Dark metallic green with metallic red markings
Pattern colour: Dark metallic green background; metallic red markings on pronotum, plus metallic red longitudinal stripes on elytra.
Number of spots: None
Pronotoum: Dark metallic green with metallic red markings
Leg colour: Red
Confusion species: Chrysolina cerealis

Native of southern Europe; in Britain, first recorded in Surrey in 1963. The RHS have a survey for this species here.

Biology

Status: Not threatened
Habitat: Gardens, plant nurseries, parks.
Host plant: Various Lamiaceae; especially rosemary and lavender, also sage and thyme
Overwintering: Unknown location, but adults do overwinter.
Food: Host plants; adults feed on leaves at the tips of shoots, larvae also feed on foliage.
Other notes: Elytra also has red margins, fine punctures in double rows and smooth intervals. Pronotum not punctured.

Articles

Jones, R.A. (2005). The rosemary leaf-beetle, Chrysolina americana (Linnaeus) (Chrysomelidae) reaches Kent where it feeds on garden sage. The Coleopterist 14(1): 38.
Salisbury, A. (2003). Further records of Chrysolina americana (Linnaeus) (Chrysomelidae) in Britain. The Coleopterist 12(2): 61.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)