Cryptocephalus biguttatus (Scopoli, 1763)

Taxonomy: Polyphaga > Chrysomeloidea > Chrysomelidae > Cryptocephalus > Cryptocephalus biguttatus

Images

Cryptocephalus biguttatus
Source:
Lech Borowiec

Description

Size: 4.5-6.0mm
Basic colour: Black
Pattern colour: Orange-yellow apical spot covering one tenth to one third of the elytra
Number of spots: 1 main apical spot; sometimes a second very small spot slightly forward of this.
Spot fusions: Common
Pronotoum: Black
Leg colour: Black
Confusion species: Cryptocephalus bipunctatus

Biology

Status: Rare, listed as RDB2 'Vulnerable'
Habitat: Wet heathland, bogs, moorlands and commons
Host plant: Cross-leaved heath (Erica tetralix); may be found on other nearby plant species, though probably accidental.
Overwintering: Unknown
Food: Cross-leaved heath
Other notes: Very similar to C. bipunctatus var. thomsoni and requires close examination to separate them. Historically, a number of records of C. biguttatus have been shown to actually be C. bipunctatus var. thomsoni. Easily distinguished from the common form of C. bipunctatus. See Mann & Barclay (2009) and the correction on p.38 of The Coleopterist 19(1) (2010) for more on this.

Articles

Dodd, S.C. & Collins, G.A. (2010). Cryptocephalus biguttatus (Scopoli) (Chrysomelidae) rediscovered in Surrey VC 17. The Coleopterist 19(2): 99.
Mann, D.J. & Barclay, M.V.L. (2009). The identification and distribution of Cryptocephalus biguttatus (Scoploi) and C. bipunctatus (Linnaeus) var. thomsoni Weise (Chrysomelidae) in Britain. The Coleopterist 18(3): 166.

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