Chrysolina hyperici (Forster, 1771)

Taxonomy: Polyphaga > Chrysomeloidea > Chrysomelidae > Chrysolina > Chrysolina hyperici

Images

Chrysolina hyperici
Source:
Roger Key
Chrysolina hyperici
Source:
Malcolm Storey / BioImages

Description

Size: 5.0-7.3mm
Basic colour: Dark metallic green or bronze, sometimes reddish, blue-black or almost black.
Pattern colour: None
Number of spots: None
Other colour forms: Sometimes
Pronotoum: As basic colour
Leg colour: As basic colour
Confusion species: Chrysolina brunsvicensis

Biology

Status: Widespread, especially in England and Wales
Habitat: Various
Host plant: Usually St.John's-worts (Hypericum)
Overwintering: Adults do overwinter, although most die by February.
Food: Adults feed on Hypericum leaves & flowers; larvae feed on leaves and stems.
Other notes: Pronotum and elytral interstices dull and very finely punctured. Elytral striae formed of sparse punctures.

Distribution (may take a minute to appear)