clay-colored leaf beetle

not listed

NNR - Unranked

not listed

Clay-colored leaf beetle is a relatively large leaf beetle. The body is stout and broad, nearly cylindrical from front to back.

The head and thoracic shield (pronotum) are reddish-brown.

The hardened wing covers (elytra) are reddish-yellow usually with a conspicuous black marking where the elytra meet. The width of the marking is highly variable, from none or a thin line line down the center to a broad ribbon covering more than half of the elytra.

The antennae are short and sawtoothed. The eyes are large and black.

Total length: ¼″ to ⅜″

Shrubby fields, savannas

April to August, but mostly June

The larvae are known as case-bearers. They protect themselves by living in a case created from their own excrement and sometimes also plant debris. The case is shorter than the larva, which is folded within it.

Larvae feed on the ground, consuming decomposing plant and animal parts (detritus).

Leaves of plants in the pea (Fabaceae) family, bush clover, oak, willow, persimmon, honey locust, ragweed, and leadplant.

Sources

7, 24, 27, 29, 30.

Location: Woodbury, Minnesota