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NOTE: As of 2014, the California Beetle Project page is no longer updated. The original database and list of California beetles in the menu on the left will remain for the time being, but the information contained within is not necessarily current. SBMNH Entomology Curator Matthew L. Gimmel has divided up the function of the original database into two conceptual halves:

  1. The SBMNH Entomology specimen-level database, including all SBMNH beetle specimens included in the CBP database, which is now available (and ever-growing) through the ecdysis portal at https://serv.biokic.asu.edu/ecdysis/

  2. A literature- (and available specimen-)based checklist.
  3. of the Coleoptera of California, which is being revised and re-compiled by Dr. Gimmel, and, as of January 2017, is about 85% complete.




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Last updated 01/16/2009

 California Beetle Project > Species Pages > Lytta crotchi

Classification

Scientific name: Lytta crotchi (Horn)
    Order Coleoptera
    Superfamily Tenebrionoidea
    Family Meloidae

Images (click to enlarge)

What it looks like: These beetles are metallic green or greenish blue. They have an orange frontal spot. The pronotum is lined with black. The antennae, tibiae, and tarsi are black. The pubescence is silver or clear and make the beetle look hairy. The beetles can range from 6-10mm long.

Where you'll find it: These beetles can be found in southern coastal California. Previously known from Los Angeles County to San Diego County, they have recently been found in Santa Barbara County as well.

Natural History: The adult beetles eat California lilac and California poppy.

This page was written by Marina Herrera, a 2005 participant in the Quasars to Sea Stars teen program.




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