Aerarium Leaf Beetle - Paropsisterna sp. (Paropsis aeraria ?)

Subfamily Chrysomelinae, FAMILY CHRYSOMELIDAE

This page contains pictures and information about Aerarium Leaf Beetles that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.


Body length 16mm


We saw this Leaf Beetle on gum leaf in Karawatha Forest during mid-summer. This is the largest leaf beetle we ever found.



The beetle was shiny reddish-brown in colour with dark brown strips. It did not try to escape from our disturb, not fly away nor drop to ground as other leaf beetles often do.




In a rainy summer day, we found another Aerarium Leaf Beetle resting on gum leaf with antenna and legs under covered, seemed it was sleeping. When we disturbed it, it walked away slowly. It seemed quite tolerant to our approaching.



We found only one beetle on the host plant. We look around and could not find any larvae or eggs neither. For other leaf beetle species, such as the Variole Paropsine Beetle and the Eucalyptus Leaf Beetle, we sometimes find many adults, larvae and eggs on the same plants.



The beetle's case was so shiny that you can see me holding the camera in the reflection.



The beetle was found on a medium size Stringy Bark Gum tree. No other adults or larvae were found on the same tree.


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