Tumbling flower beetle (Mordella sp.)

CENTRAL FLORIDA CRITTER OF THE DAY:

Tiny. about 1/4 inch.

“Larvae are believed to eat plant material in decaying wood, etc. Some are leaf and stem miners. Some are predaceous. Adults visit flowers.”

Learn: http://bugguide.net/node/view/144

Learn more: https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/tumbling-flower-beetle/

http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1987-02-14/business/0110070069_1_flower-beetle-beetle-species-tumbling-flower

9 species documented in the Florida State Collection of Arthropods (source: http://www.fsca-dpi.org/Coleoptera/Mike/mordell.htm)

Learn host associations for this genus: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4009273 pages 361-368 (account needed to access all pages, available for free)

Shown on Florida Native Plant: OAKLEAF FLEABANE (Erigeron quercifolius) 

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