Forum Entomologi Italiani

Just this photo. On a flower of Solanum. Altitude 2000 m. Family at least (Cleroidea? )
Thanks in advance

Mrek, please specify. Does the specimen come from Ecuador, as stated in the title? Or from Poland, as indicated in the locality? I suppose it comes from Ecuador, and in such a case, please indicate at least the region:Tungurahua, Napo, Morona-Santiago, or whereever you observed it.

We will take care to modify the entry data.

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Maurizio Bollino

Surely there are not flowers of Solanum at 2000 m of altitude in Poland!

Mrek, why did you send this message in this section, and not in the proper one?

P.S. - Melyridae? Something close to Astylus trifasciatus?

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Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/

Sorry for my misbehaviors! I had not switched to English version of the forum so I mixed the things. Surely the photo was made not in Poland but in Ecuador. As far as I know, the beetle is suspected for making some damage to the leaves of potatoes in an experimental field. In this case I am only a proxy in the effort for identification of this beetle.

cheers

I move it to the right section and change locality.

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Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/

Thanks!
more precise about the issue:

"This cockhafer was found in three places- Imbabura province - canton Pimampiro- on tomato trees - young plantations, as well as on potato flowers in Otavalo province and in Imbabura province. I aware that this bug don't feed in the leaves.
However, the people told that will spray against it, because that believe that it devours the leaves of tomato tree".

the only picture of very alike specimen found in the Web here

Astylus species E 002 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

any hint?

I repeat that in my opinion it's an Astylus, or something very close to it.

Usually adult Melyridae don't feed on leaves. They go on flowers, but most of them are predators of other small insects. Larvae are also predaceous. Sometimes I find them inside dead steams of Onopordon, Ferula, Foeniculum, etc.

_________________
Maurizio Gigli
http://utenti.romascuola.net/bups
http://bup.xoom.it/

Astylus bourgeoisi Kirsch, 1889.

Vedere: Constantin, R. (2011). A contribution to the genus Astylus Laporte de Castelnau, 1836, in Ecuador, with descriptions of three new species (Coleoptera, Melyridae). Entomologica Basiliensia et Collectionis Frey, 33, 39–61.

Se il lavoro interessa a qualcuno, può mandarmi un MP.

G.