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Beetles of Zihuatanejo

ORDER COLEOPTERA

Cloaked Warty Leaf Beetles
Chlamisus (Genus)

-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)​​

-Case-bearing Leaf Beetles (Subfamily Cryptocephalinae)

-Warty Leaf Beetles (Tribe Fulcidacini)

-Cloaked Warty Leaf Beetles (Genus Chlamisus)


Chlamisus is a genus in the Chrysomelidae family, commonly known as leaf beetles. These beetles are particularly distinctive because of their humped, often camouflaged exoskeleton, which resembles leaf debris or bark, providing excellent camouflage against predators. Larvae: Larvae feed on the leaves of host plants, where they create small shelters by folding or cutting leaf edges to protect themselves as they develop.

Diet

  • Adults: Feed primarily on leaves, often specializing on particular woody plants and shrubs. Host plants vary among species and may include members of the Fagaceae, Rosaceae, Fabaceae, and other plant families.

  • Larvae: Feed on the leaves of their host plants, but remain protected inside a distinctive portable case constructed from plant material and faeces.

Range

  • The genus Chlamisus is distributed primarily throughout the Americas, from Canada and the United States through Mexico, Central America, and South America.

  • Numerous species occur in Mexico, including the Pacific coast and Guerrero.

  • Greatest diversity occurs in tropical and subtropical forests.

Habitat

  • Found in tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, woodland edges, secondary forests, scrublands, grasslands, orchards, gardens, and agricultural areas.

  • Adults and larvae occur directly on the foliage of host plants.

  • Larvae are particularly easy to find by looking for their small cases attached to the undersides of leaves.

Size

  • Adult length: approximately 2–5 mm (0.08–0.20 in).

  • Body compact and strongly convex, often with a rough or sculptured surface that resembles a small seed or plant gall.

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