Belair National Park BeetlesJewel Beetle (Castiarina crenata) White-spotted Pintail Beetle (Hoshihananomia leucosticta)
The White-spotted Pintail Beetle (Hoshihananomia leucosticta), also commonly known as the Pintail or Tumbling Flower Beetle is easily recognisable with the white spots on the elytra, and the body shape of the prolong end of the abdomen giving the beetle the pintail shape and its common name.
They are a small to medium size beetle approximately 10 mm in length and unlike many other beetle species, the head displays a degree of articulation between the head and the thorax.
Belonging to the family Mordellidae, and at time the of writing, with 9 described species, They are also commonly know as Mordella Leucosticta Beetles. Their body shape makes for easy identification. They are usually black or dark brown in colour, with some species having the white spotted pattern. They are known for the behaviour of jumping and tumbling when disturbed.
The adult Pintail Beetles feed on a variety of flowers. Some members of the genus are known to be predators, others are parasites, with others being leaf or stem miners or fungi feeders.
- Scientific classification
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Informal: Pterygotes
- Order: Coleoptera
- Suborder: Polyphaga
- Superfamily: Tenebrionoidea
- Family: Mordellidae
- Subfamily: Mordellinae
- Tribe: Mordellini
- Genus: Hoshihananomia
- Species: Hoshihananomia leucosticta
Footnote & References
- Hoshihananomia leucosticta, Photographs © Marianne Broug
- Hoshihananomia leucosticta, mariannebroug, iNaturalistAU, https://inaturalist.ala.org.au/observations?place_id=any&subview=map&user_id=mariannebroug&verifiable=any&taxon_id=829186
- Hoshihananomia leucosticta (Germar, 1848), Atlas of Living Australia, https://bie.ala.org.au/species/https://biodiversity.org.au/afd/taxa/3042c04b-4aa6-43e0-a029-9079649091a8
Belair National Park BeetlesJewel Beetle (Castiarina crenata) White-spotted Pintail Beetle (Hoshihananomia leucosticta)
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