Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf beetles)

Crepidodera aurea (Geoffroy, 1785)

Goldener Erdfloh

Synonyms and other combinations:

Altica aurea Geoffroy, 1785 | Chrysomela cyanea Marsham, 1802 | Haltica gaudens Stephens, 1831 | Haltica metallica Duftschmidt, 1825 |

  • Crepidodera aurea  3116
    Crepidodera aurea (Geoffroy, 1785)  Goldener Erdfloh   
    Crepidodera aurea
    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald; 2005-04-23 15:04:56
    Image number: 3116

    DE, Chemnitz, Zeisigwald
    2005-04-23 15:04:56

  • Crepidodera aurea  3153
    Crepidodera aurea (Geoffroy, 1785)  Goldener Erdfloh   
    Crepidodera aurea
    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz; 2006-04-30 12:34:47
    Image number: 3153

    DE, Chemnitz, Hutholz
    2006-04-30 12:34:47

  • Crepidodera aurea  4364
    Crepidodera aurea (Geoffroy, 1785)  Goldener Erdfloh   
    Crepidodera aurea
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2010-04-18 12:31:41
    Image number: 4364

    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2010-04-18 12:31:41

  • Crepidodera aurea  8079
    Crepidodera aurea (Geoffroy, 1785)  Goldener Erdfloh   
    Crepidodera aurea
    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald; 2017-09-22 14:21:12
    Image number: 8079

    DE, Chemnitz, Harthwald
    2017-09-22 14:21:12


Classification:
Crepidodera aurea belongs to the subfamily Galerucinae, tribe Alticini.
Distribution:
Europe, east to east Siberia.
Habitat:
Brook floodplains, forest edges.
Description:
Length 2.5 - 3.8 mm; body metallic red gold, copper red, ore brown, golden green, green, blue or violet; pronotum ± strong, mostly unevenly dotted; pronotum points mostly strong, but not conspicuously coarse and deep, mostly less crowded and scattered, mixed with very fine, strongly contrastive points; transverse impression of pronotum rather flat, sometimes as fine narrow furrow, sometimes almost diminished, often slightly bent backwards.
Crepidodera aurea is built slightly wider than the similar, smaller Crepidodera fulvicornis.
Biology:
Crepidodera aurea is a macropterous and airworthy species that forms one generation per year. The imagines can be found on their host plants from May to October (with peaks in early June and mid September). They live oligophagously on plants of the willow family (Salicaceae), especially on poplars [aspen (Populus tremula), black poplar (Populus nigra) and white poplar (Populus alba)], less frequently on willows [goat willow (Salix caprea ) and grey willow (Salix cinerea)].
Crepidodera aurea hibernates as an imago. After a maturation feeding, the eggs are laid. The larvae develop in summer and live on the roots of their host plants. The new beetle generation can be found outside from late summer.

References, further reading, links:
  1. Rheinheimer, Joachim, & Hassler, Michael: Die Blattkäfer Baden-Württembergs, 2018, 928 pages, Kleinsteuber Books (Karlsruhe), ISBN 978-3-9818110-2-5
  2. Arved Lompe: Die Käfer Europas - Ein Bestimmungswerk im Internet