About the Mint Beetle
Chrysolina coerulans, also known as the blue mint beetle or blue mint leaf beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is a member of the subgenus Synerga of the genus Chrysolina. It is native to a wide range of countries between Central and Eastern Europe and lives alongside rivers and in meadows, it feeds on various plant members of the mint family.
It was first spotted in the UK in 2011, when it was first reported to the Royal Horticultural Society's entomology department in July. In 2012, it was found breeding in Kent, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire. It has further spread throughout the UK.
The larvae of Chrysolina coerulans are soft-bodied, rounded in shape and black in colour. Th adult beetles are 6–10 mm (0.24–0.39 in) long, with black legs and antennae. It has a smooth head, without longitudinal groove, and parallel-sided thorax. The pronotal disk (which is found at the top of the first thoracic segment) of C. coerulans has fine punctures.
It has a smooth elytra (hardened forewing), which is distinctly metallic blue, or iridescent blue. These beetles should not be confused with the 'green mint beetle' (or Chrysolina herbacea), as it is... Wikipedia →