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Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Brachycoryna pumila
Brachycoryna pumila

-Animals (Kingdom Animalia)

-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)

-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)

-Insects (Class Insecta)

-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)

-Beetles (Order Coleoptera​​)

-​Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf, and Snout Beetles (Suborder Polyphaga)

-​Cucujiform Beetles (Infraorder Cucujiformia)

-Leaf Beetles and Allies (Superfamily Chrysomeloidea)

-Leaf Beetles Family (Chrysomelidae)

-Tortoise and Hispine Beetles (Subfamily Cassidinae)ssidinae)

-Genus Brachycoryna

-Brachycoryna pumila


Brachycoryna pumila is indeed a member of the subfamily Cassidinae, which includes tortoise and hispine beetles. This subfamily is part of the family Chrysomelidae. As a member of the Cassidinae subfamily, Brachycoryna pumila feeds primarily on the leaves of various plants, particularly those in the Asteraceae family (the daisy family) and other herbaceous plants.

Diet

  • Adults: Feed primarily on the foliage of plants in the mallow family (Malvaceae), including Sida, Malvastrum, Abutilon, Gossypium, Waltheria, and related plants. They have also been recorded feeding on plants in several other families.

  • Larvae: The larval feeding habits are less well documented, but Brachycoryna species are associated with feeding on their host plants.

Range

  • Brachycoryna pumila has a broad distribution extending from Mexico and the southern United States through Central America, the Caribbean, and northern South America. Records include Mexico, Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, and Jamaica.

Habitat

  • Found in tropical and subtropical forests, dry woodland, scrub, grasslands, agricultural areas, gardens, and disturbed habitats where suitable host plants occur.

  • Adults are typically associated with low-growing Malvaceae and other herbaceous vegetation.

Size

  • Adult length: approximately 2.5–3.5 mm (0.10–0.14 in).

  • The head is black, the pronotum is brownish-yellow, and the yellow elytra have variable brown markings.

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