Chrysolina quadrigemina

Description

Chrysolina quadrigemina is a beetle of the family Chrysomelidae. The species was described by Suffrian in 1851. It is native to Europe and North Africa. It feeds on Hypericum perforatum and other members of the genus. This plant is an introduced invasive pest in North America and Australia. The beetle was introduced in these regions as a biological control. Chrysolina is a large genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Chrysomelinae. Most species are distributed in Europe, Asia and Africa with a small number of species inhabiting North America (including introduced European ones) and introduced species in Australia. The species Chrysolina cerealis and C. graminis are protected in the United Kingdom. All species of Chrysolina are phytophagous, feeding on specific food plants, and some of them have been used for biological control of weeds. To control Hypericum perforatum (St John's wort), C. hyperici was successfully naturalized in Australia in the 1930s and several species, especially C. quadrigemina, were introduced to California in the late 1940s.