Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus) (Fabricius, 1775)

 

Synonyms: Chrysomela aurata

 

 

Chrysochus auratus occurs in southern Canada and the United States, east of the Rocky Mountains; south to Utah and Arizona. It inhabits forest edges, abandoned fields, roadsides, and other disturbed areas. Adults are 8-11 mm in length, iridescent blue-green with a metallic copper or golden lustre. They feeds on the leaves of dogbanes, e.g., Apocynum androsaemifolium and A. cannabinum, and occasionally Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), and the larvae on the roots of host species. Hybridization with the closely related Cobalt Milkweed Beetle (Chrysochus cobaltinus) has been recorded in western North America.

 

		D59276 Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus) Burnt Lands Provincial Park Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D59282 Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus) Burnt Lands Provincial Park Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D59261 Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus) Burnt Lands Provincial Park Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D59266 Dogbane Leaf Beetle (Chrysochus auratus) Burnt Lands Provincial Park Ontario, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
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