Diet

• Adults: Primarily herbivorous, feeding on leaves of plants in the nightshade family (Solanaceae).

• The species is associated with Datura and other solanaceous plants, where adults chew holes in the foliage.

• Larvae: Feed on plant tissues, although the detailed larval biology of L. confusa is not well documented.

Range

• Lema confusa occurs in Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and parts of the southern United States.

• In Zihuatanejo, it can be considered occasional, particularly where Datura and other wild Solanaceae are growing.

Habitat

• Found in tropical dry forest, tropical deciduous forest, scrub, woodland edges, agricultural areas, roadsides and disturbed vegetation.

• Around Zihuatanejo, look for adults on wild nightshades, Datura and other herbaceous Solanaceae, especially in sunny clearings and disturbed areas.

• The beetles can be relatively easy to overlook despite their contrasting coloration because they remain close to the foliage on which they feed.

Size

• Adult length: approximately 5.5–6 mm (0.22–0.24 in).

• Body elongate and somewhat cylindrical.

• Typically dark brown to black, with conspicuous orange to reddish markings on the elytra.

• The elytra commonly have a dark sutural stripe and an additional dark longitudinal stripe, although the pattern can vary considerably between individuals.