Stats

Lifespan: A few months
Size: Medium
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate forest
Range: Australia
Movement: Walking
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Uncommon

About

A chunky, dome-shaped leaf beetle native to eastern Australia that specialises on eucalyptus foliage. Its larvae feed in tight gregarious clusters, stripping leaves shoulder-to-shoulder before dispersing to pupate in the soil.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Paropsis
Species: Paropsis atomaria