Geographic Range
Calligrapha philadelphica
can be found in the eastern half of North America, in the Nearctic region. In Canada,
specimens have occasionally been spotted as far west as British Columbia.
Habitat
Calligrapha philadelphica
is found on dogwood plants in temperate forests. In areas where there is an abundance
of dogwood,
C. philadelphica
can be found forming small colonies. This chrysomelid beetle has also been found
on willow plants in areas where dogwood and willow are present together.
- Habitat Regions
- temperate
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- forest
- Other Habitat Features
- suburban
Physical Description
All
Calligrapha
share common features such as an oval, rounded form, an unjointed terminal tarsal
joint without teeth underneath, and divergent claws.
Calligrapha philadelphica
has white elytra with dark markings arranged in a pattern of longer lines, smaller
curving lines, and dots which are described in its Latin name meaning "beautiful +
writing."
C. philadelphica
is usually 8 to 9 mm in length. It has elytra with a thin subsutural line. The body
of this beetle is robust, convex, and shiny. The aedeagus of the male
C. philadelphica
has lateral apical spiculi and does not have an apical truncate projection. Egg coloration
of
C. philadelphica
varies from creamy white to coral.
- Other Physical Features
- ectothermic
- heterothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Development
Adults hibernate during the winter in the ground or sheltered within the bark of trees.
Upon the arrival of spring, mating and oviposition occur during which single or multiple
eggs can be laid. Approximately a week after oviposition occurs in May or June, larva
emerge, feed quickly, and pupate shortly thereafter in the soil. Adults emerge around
early July and feed until late September. They then overwinter until the following
spring.
- Development - Life Cycle
- metamorphosis
- diapause
Reproduction
As a chrysomelid,
Calligrapha philadelphica
can likely find host plants to feed on due to chemical senses and cues. This suggests
that
C. philadelphica
uses these same chemicals or scents to find mates. Both males and females have been
observed to mate with other species,
C. rowena
and
C. vicina
.
- Mating System
- polygynandrous (promiscuous)
Calligrapha philadelphica
utilizes diploid bisexual reproduction. Eggs are laid either singly or in masses
of up to 32 eggs. Over the course of a season, a female can lay between 100 and 450
eggs. Most eggs are generally deposited before June.
Calligrapha
is highly variable in terms of intra and inter-specific sex ratio. In some similar
species, female-producing parthenogenesis may occur, indicated by the high ratio of
females to males. In past collections of
C. philadelphica
, females have made up 50% to 100% of the collection, suggesting this species may
also be parthenogenic.
Calligrapha philadelphica
is a bisexual diploid. Little study has focused on identifying whether certain species
of
Calligrapha
are sister species.
C. philadelphica
will mate with other species,
C. rowena
and
C. vicina
(which utilizes tetraploid parthenogenesis). A population of
C. philadelphica
has been known to mate with another population differing only in supernumerary chromosomes.
Robertson (1966) finds that there is variation in whether or not the spermatogonial
complement of
C. philadelphica
contained supernumerary chromosomes. Variation of the supernumerary chromosomes within
the study ranged from 0 to 10 in Ottawa, Canada, whereas in Quebec the study found
that spermatogonial complements contained 22 autosomes, one X chromosome, and an average
of seven supernumerary chromosomes. This polymorphism may be an adaptation that helps
populations survive and is an indicator of potential speciation.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- parthenogenic
- sexual
- fertilization
- oviparous
Other than provisioning of eggs, there is no parental involvement in this species.
- Parental Investment
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
It takes approximately 2 to 3 months for
C. philadelphica
to develop from an egg to an adult. After emerging from pupation, adults continue
to feed for another 2 to 3 months until overwintering and emerging again the following
spring.
Behavior
Calligrapha philadelphica
will amass in small colonies in areas where there is an abundance of the host dogwood
plants. Otherwise it is a solitary species.
C. philadelphica
can fly, though it does not fly far from the patches of dogwood that it inhabits.
- Key Behaviors
- flies
- motile
- sedentary
- hibernation
- solitary
Home Range
Dogwood, the host plant of
Calligrapha philadelphica
, has an expansive range in North America and therefore
C. philadelphica
is also widely dispersed throughout the eastern half of the United States. Individuals
stay mainly within a patch of host plant.
Dogwood, the host plant of
Calligrapha philadelphica
, has an large range in North America. Since
C. philadelphica
lives and feeds on dogwood, it is also found throughout the eastern half of the United
States. These beetles stay mainly within a patch of dogwood plant.
Communication and Perception
Calligrapha philadelphica
, as a chrysomelid, can most likely recognize host plants via visual acuity and chemical
cues. It can perceive both the environment and other members of the species (as well
as similar species) visually and chemically.
Food Habits
Calligrapha philadelphica
feeds on the leaves of dogwood plants,
Cornus stolonifera
and
Cornus obliqua
.
- Plant Foods
- leaves
Predation
No information is available on this topic.
Ecosystem Roles
Chrysomelidae
, including
C. philadelphica
are important phytophagous beetles which are host-specific in terrestrial habitats
and modify their ecosystems in a host-specific way.
C. philadelphica
specifically effects the population of dogwood plants,
Cornus stolonifera
and
Cornus obliqua
, as the beetles devour the plant leaves.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
There are no known positive effects of Calligrapha philadelphica on humans.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known adverse affects of Calligrapha philadelphica on humans.
Conservation Status
Calligrapha philadelphica has no special conservation status.
Additional Links
Contributors
Rachael Gingerich (author), University of Michigan Biological Station, Angela Miner (editor), Animal Diversity Web Staff, Brian Scholtens (editor), University of Michigan Biological Station.
- Nearctic
-
living in the Nearctic biogeographic province, the northern part of the New World. This includes Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands, and all of the North American as far south as the highlands of central Mexico.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- temperate
-
that region of the Earth between 23.5 degrees North and 60 degrees North (between the Tropic of Cancer and the Arctic Circle) and between 23.5 degrees South and 60 degrees South (between the Tropic of Capricorn and the Antarctic Circle).
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- suburban
-
living in residential areas on the outskirts of large cities or towns.
- ectothermic
-
animals which must use heat acquired from the environment and behavioral adaptations to regulate body temperature
- heterothermic
-
having a body temperature that fluctuates with that of the immediate environment; having no mechanism or a poorly developed mechanism for regulating internal body temperature.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- metamorphosis
-
A large change in the shape or structure of an animal that happens as the animal grows. In insects, "incomplete metamorphosis" is when young animals are similar to adults and change gradually into the adult form, and "complete metamorphosis" is when there is a profound change between larval and adult forms. Butterflies have complete metamorphosis, grasshoppers have incomplete metamorphosis.
- diapause
-
a period of time when growth or development is suspended in insects and other invertebrates, it can usually only be ended the appropriate environmental stimulus.
- polygynandrous
-
the kind of polygamy in which a female pairs with several males, each of which also pairs with several different females.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- parthenogenic
-
development takes place in an unfertilized egg
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- fertilization
-
union of egg and spermatozoan
- internal fertilization
-
fertilization takes place within the female's body
- oviparous
-
reproduction in which eggs are released by the female; development of offspring occurs outside the mother's body.
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- sedentary
-
remains in the same area
- hibernation
-
the state that some animals enter during winter in which normal physiological processes are significantly reduced, thus lowering the animal's energy requirements. The act or condition of passing winter in a torpid or resting state, typically involving the abandonment of homoiothermy in mammals.
- solitary
-
lives alone
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- visual
-
uses sight to communicate
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- herbivore
-
An animal that eats mainly plants or parts of plants.
- folivore
-
an animal that mainly eats leaves.
References
Arnett, R. 1960. The beetles of the United States . Washington, D.C.: The Catholic University of America Press.
Blatchley, W. 1910. Catalogue of the Coleoptera of Indiana . Indianapolis, Indiana: WM. B. Burford, Contractor for State Publishing and Printing.
Dickinson, J. 1997. Multiple mating, sperm competition, and cryptic female choice in the leaf beetles. Pp. 164-183 in The Evolution of mating systems in insects and arachnids . Cambridge, United Kingdom: The Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge.
Jaques, H. 1971. How to know the beetles . United States of America: WM. C. Brown Company Publishers.
Mitchell, B. 1988. Adult leaf beetles as models for exploring the chemical basis of host-plant recognition. Insect Physiology , 34: 213-225.
Robertson, J. 1966. The chromosomes of bisexual and parthenogenetic species of Calligrapha ( Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae ) with notes on sex ratio, abundance and egg number. Canadian Journal of Genetics and Cytology , 8: 695-732.