| Cryptocephalus |
| Rearing
Cryptocephalus beetles in captivity |
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| Cryptocephalus
leaf beetles possibly have some of the most
interesting life histories of any of our resident
beetles. Aside from many UK
species being nationally rare or endangered, Cryptocephalus
beetles are also renowned for their larvae living in
purpose built 'pots' constructed from their own faeces. |
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| These pots are initially
constructed by the female immediately after egg laying,
with the egg being held between the rear metatarsi and
then covered by faeces produced by the female.
Construction of the pots varies between species, some
being more articulate than others. Once covered, the pots
are then dropped to the ground amongst the leaf litter,
which (in the wild at least) generally forms the larvae's
staple diet. Finding
photographs of both pots and the larval stages on the
internet has also proved to be a very difficult task and
to help fill the gap, we are currently rearing five
species in captivity, for the purpose of photographing
their various stages of development.
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| Photographs
of the species currently being reared include C.
coryli, C. fulvus, C. labiatus, C.
moraei and C. querceti, with more
photographs being added as and when they become
available. Clicking on any of the thumbnail images for
the species below, will take you to pages showing larger
images with some accompanying notes. |
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