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Cereal leaf beetle


Cereal leaf beetle
Photo Information
Copyright: Felipe Mateo and Cristina (extramundi) Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1880 W: 338 N: 4268] (13178)
Genre: Animals
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2004-09-04
Categories: Insects
Camera: Sony DSC-F717
Exposure: f/3.2, 1/125 seconds
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Beetles and Bugs of the world [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2004-10-02 13:56
Viewed: 4546
Points: 28
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Cereal leaf beetle - Oulema melanopa -
Here we ave anothe tiny habitant of this planet, the Cereal leaf beetle.
Once again thanks very much Paul for the identification.
Description
- Adult: elongate; 5-6 mm long; elytra blue, green, rarely black and provided with obvious lines of punctures; scutellum, femora and tibiae orange-red; head and tarsi black, antennae 11-segmented, as long as half the body.
- Larva: body very curved; up to 4.5 mm long; slug-like; back covered with a layer of yellowish-grey and sticky excrement; cuticle yellowish; head capsule stout and dark brown; legs thick.
Biology
Host plants mainly include cereals, especially wheat, barley, rye, oats and sometimes maize. Other Gramineae, e.g. rye-grass are also infested.
- Number of eggs produced: 100, 300 at the very maximum.
- Duration of egg development: about 8-10 days.
- Duration of pupation: about 2 weeks.
- The whole developmental period lasts about 40 days.
Life Cycle
- There is 1 generation per year (occasionally 2 in the South and South-East of Europe owing to weather conditions).
Adults overwinter in plant debris in the soil. After leaving their shelter in the spring, they feed on wild Gramineae and, in June, young wheat.
- From mid-May, eggs are deposited in rows on the upper side of leaves. Larvae infest winter wheat from the ear emergence period to the end of milky ripeness. In dry weather, ear emergence may be prevented and growth hampered.
- Pupation takes place in a cocoon situated 3-5 cm in the soil. After hatching in late July, young adults infest late wheat fields or wild Gramineae, taking cover in late October.
- High temperatures in spring and summer favour egg-laying and induce a rise in population numbers. However, temperatures below 16 or 17°C in May-June and heavy rainfall lead to a high mortality of larvae and pupae.
Damage
- Spring maturation feeding by adults cause characteristic 'windowing' of the leaves. Larvae also cause such depredations on the upper surface of cereal leaves. Young adults feed mainly on wild Gramineae, larvae feeding mainly on the flag leaves of summer cereals and sometimes causing severe damage, with a reduction in yield of up to 60%.
- Oulema melanopa is a vector of certain viruses affecting Gramineae.
Common Names
DE: Buntes Getreidehänhchen, Rothalsiges Getreidehähnchen ES: Babosilla del trigo FR: Criocère des céréales IT: Criocera dell'orzo PT: Larva-lesma da cevada GB: Cereal leaf beetle

The info comes from this site

Hope you like!

The photo was taken at noon in a cloudy day, just before it began to rain.
PP: Crop, Levels, NI, Frame, resize.
Signal-Womb, japie, marhowie, gerhardt, Robbrown, RAP, TAZ, AndyB, ellis49, jhm, Callie, PDP, carper has marked this note useful
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Critiques [Translate]

Excellent capture Felipe and great use of DOF. Great note also.

  • Great 
  • japie Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1814 W: 100 N: 1904] (5187)
  • [2004-10-02 16:20]

I like this shot a lot. The DOF and detail is excellent. I would have considerred to crop off some of the bottom which falls outside the band of DOF.

Thanks for posting and I like your note too.

Felipe, You've done very well with this size - better than I. I think I had too much against me when I shot my crab spider with respect to available light & the surface my subject was on. In my super macro mode my flash is disabled & I've yet to purchase external lighting. You've cropped well showing the wooded surface leading into your beetle. I probably cropped my image too far which didn't help sharpness. I have other WA versions of the crab spider & may post them at a later date to show what I mean...

The composition is very interesting. The rings and the bug on the edge gives it a nice "feel" Well done.

  • Great 
  • RAP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2524 W: 345 N: 2373] (7405)
  • [2004-10-02 18:44]

Bonito el chiquitin... y más aun la composicion a partir de él.
Bellos tonos, con excelente POV y presentacion.
Completa la nota... como siempre.

I like it very much. the DOF is very good as well.
thanks for posting

Samion

  • Great 
  • TAZ Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 2241 W: 47 N: 3167] (10926)
  • [2004-10-03 1:40]

Jolie petite bête, bonne utilisation de la PdC et composition bien pensée !
Well done !

  • Great 
  • AndyB Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1366 W: 32 N: 1351] (3982)
  • [2004-10-03 4:14]

A nice shot and excellent detail of something so tiny.
Nice textures and very good DoF.
Great work,very well done.

Very good Felipe.
Great DOF , good composition , good details and
a good note.
Well done.

  • Great 
  • jhm Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Note Writer [C: 893 W: 0 N: 507] (1853)
  • [2004-10-03 6:38]

A very great note, Felipe, the beetle is very sharp and clear, the colours are really and beautiful. Good job!

Bom Dia, Felipe
You posted some nice fungi over the last weeks!
This is a very pleasing picture, like the POV nd the concentric semi-cirle affect of the beetle's prop!

  • Great 
  • PDP Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor [C: 2821 W: 344 N: 3779] (11769)
  • [2004-10-03 14:13]

I really like the perspective created by the growth rings in teh wood. Superb composition to show this beetle off. Great work and note.

  • Great 
  • carper Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 1973 W: 119 N: 2582] (8439)
  • [2004-10-03 14:28]

This little guy I almost miss,
But I saw it on time, very good composition Felipe, The sharpness is great, and the dof is really perfect, very good job

Hola Felipe y Cristina,
Esta foto es excelente me gusta mucho la perspectiva de la superficie en donde está parado el escarabajo, y la nitidez con que se ve ese bichito de colores hermosos.
10puntos
Saludos
Hernán

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