''Calligrapha'' is a large genus of
American Chrysomelinae (a subfamily of
leaf beetle
The beetle family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as leaf beetles, includes over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making it one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous s ...
s), with over 100 species occurring from North America through Central America.
Biology
Some members of the subgenus ''Zygogramma'' are agricultural pests, while others are used as biological control agents. ''
Calligrapha exclamationis
''Calligrapha exclamationis'', commonly known as the sunflower beetle, is a species of leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, in the subgenus ''Zygogramma'', which was formerly a genus.Shawn M. Clark, Hume B. Douglas, Daniel J. Cavan ...
'' is a pest species of sunflower crops in North America.
At least two species have also been used as a form of
biological pest control
Biological control or biocontrol is a method of controlling pests, whether pest animals such as insects and mites, weeds, or pathogens affecting animals or plants by using other organisms. It relies on predation, parasitism, herbivory, or ot ...
: ''
Calligrapha bicolorata
''Calligrapha bicolorata'', variously referred to as the Parthenium beetle or Mexican beetle, is a species of leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, in the subgenus ''Zygogramma'', which was formerly a genus.Shawn M. Clark, Hume B. Do ...
'' was introduced to
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
as a biocontrol agent for the weed ''
Parthenium hysterophorus'',
and ''
Calligrapha suturalis
''Calligrapha suturalis'', commonly known as the ragweed leaf beetle, is a species of leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, in the subgenus ''Zygogramma'', which was formerly a genus.Shawn M. Clark, Hume B. Douglas, Daniel J. Cavan ...
'' was introduced to Russia as a control for ''
Ambrosia artemisiifolia
''Ambrosia artemisiifolia'', with the common names common ragweed, annual ragweed, and low ragweed, is a species of the genus ''Ambrosia'' native to regions of the Americas.
Taxonomy
The species name, ''artemisiifolia'', is given because the lea ...
'' (common ragweed).
Selected species
Gallery
File:Calligrapha sp. (9534115661).jpg, ''Calligrapha'' sp.
Calligrapha aeneovittata - inat 247293667.jpg, ''Calligrapha aeneovittata'', México
Calligrapha aladina - inat 149950899.jpg, ''Calligrapha aladina'', México
CalligraphaAmator.jpg, ''Calligrapha amator''
Calligrapha anabelae - inat 412285106.jpg, ''Calligrapha anabelae'', México
Calligrapha ancoralis - inat 348997094.jpg, ''Calligrapha ancoralis'', Arizona
Calligrapha argus - inat 188112447.jpg, ''Calligrapha argus'', Panamá
Calligrapha arizonica - inat 352033802.jpg, ''Calligrapha arizonica'', Arizona
Calligrapha barda - inat 165926063.jpg, ''Calligrapha barda'', México
Calligrapha bigenera - inat 124788695.jpg, ''Calligrapha bigenera'', Costa Rica
Calligrapha confluens - inat 133491714.jpg, ''Calligrapha confluens'', Canada
Calligrapha discrepans - inat 10808585.jpg, ''Calligrapha discrepans'', México
Calligrapha elegantula - inat 78763049.jpg, ''Calligrapha elegantula'', Costa Rica
Calligrapha eupatris - inat 88122162.jpg, ''Calligrapha eupatris'', México
Calligrapha felina - inat 153309493.jpg, ''Calligrapha felina'', México
Calligrapha fulvipes - inat 200149451.jpg, ''Calligrapha fulvipes'', Guatemala
Calligrapha guttulosa - inat 108256301.jpg, ''Calligrapha guttulosa'', Nicaragua
Calligrapha gyllenhali - inat 4008516.jpg, ''Calligrapha gyllenhali'', México
Calligrapha heterothecae - inat 430908860.jpg, ''Calligrapha heterothecae'', Texas
Calligrapha intermedia - inat 2466367.jpg, ''Calligrapha intermedia'', México
Calligrapha knabi - inat 24285810.jpg, ''Calligrapha knabi'', Canada
Calligrapha matronalis - inat 167793610.jpg, ''Calligrapha matronalis'', Bolivia
Calligrapha mexicana - inat 83117844.jpg, ''Calligrapha mexicana'', México
Calligrapha multiplagata - inat 453060187.jpg, ''Calligrapha multiplagata'', Argentina
Calligrapha multipustulata - inat 418346657.jpg, ''Calligrapha multipustulata'', México
Calligrapha opifera - inat 321396890.jpg, ''Calligrapha opifera'', México
CalligraphaPhiladelphica2.jpg, ''Calligrapha philadelphica''
Calligrapha pnirsa - inat 13374099.jpg, ''Calligrapha pnirsa'', Canada
Calligrapha polyspila - inat 454918657.jpg, ''Calligrapha polyspila'', Brasil
Calligrapha pruni - inat 85700847.jpg, ''Calligrapha pruni'', Illinois
Calligrapha rhoda 298469689.jpg, ''Calligrapha rhoda'', Massachusetts
Calligrapha spiraeae - inat 5860429.jpg, ''Calligrapha spiraeae'', West Virginia
Calligrapha sylvia - inat 300496047.jpg, ''Calligrapha sylvia'', México
Calligrapha violaceomaculata - inat 1736969.jpg, ''Calligrapha violaceomaculata'', Costa Rica
References
External links
Images of some ''Calligrapha'' species at BugGuide.net*
Chrysomelidae genera
Chrysomelinae
Taxa named by Louis Alexandre Auguste Chevrolat
Beetles of North America
Beetles of Central America
Long stubs with short prose
{{Chrysomelinae-stub