Neochlamisus platani

Neochlamisus platani
Neochlamisus platani
Adults mating on the host plant Platanus occidentalis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Neochlamisus
Binomial name
Neochlamisus platani
(Brown, 1952) [1]

Neochlamisus platani is a species in the leaf beetle genus Neochlamisus. This beetle feeds, mates, and oviposits on their host plant American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). Its common name is the sycamore leaf beetle for this reason.

The adult beetle is bronze to brown in color and about 3.5 to 4 millimeters in length. Its exoskeleton is rough and bumpy, helping it to camouflage as a piece of bark or droppings. Both adults and larvae feed upon the foliage of the sycamore. Heavy infestations can begin to reduce the foliage mass of a tree, damaging its aesthetic value as an ornamental.

References

  1. ^ "Neochlamisus platani". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. http://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=721349. 

External links

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