{"id":4557,"date":"2023-07-22T17:00:12","date_gmt":"2023-07-22T17:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pawel.stefanoff.pl\/bugs\/?p=4557"},"modified":"2026-08-01T15:24:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T15:24:22","slug":"2023-07-meeting-phratora-atrovirens-in-sweden-en","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pawel.stefanoff.pl\/bugs\/posts\/2023-07-meeting-phratora-atrovirens-in-sweden-en\/","title":{"rendered":"Dazzling looks, custom toxins: Meeting Phratora laticollis in Sweden"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The willow leaf beetle (likely <em>Phratora laticollis<\/em>) is a small, dazzling insect native to Europe belonging to the leaf beetle family (<em>Chrysomelidae<\/em>). Unlike its cousin, the brassy willow leaf beetle\u2014which steals defensive chemicals from the plants it consumes\u2014<em>Phratora atrovirens<\/em> manufactures its own chemical security system. Its larvae produce a toxic, autogenous secretion from their own glands to deter predators. Both adults and larvae feed heavily on trees in the willow family (Salicaceae), and the larvae are famously known as &#8220;leaf skeletonizers.&#8221; Instead of devouring the whole leaf, they consume only the soft tissue, leaving the tough, vein-like network completely untouched and turning the foliage into intricate, lace-like patterns. I met this fascinatingly cute beetle during a forest walk in J\u00e4rf\u00e4lla, Sweden.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The willow leaf beetle (likely Phratora laticollis) is a small, dazzling insect native to Europe belonging to the leaf beetle [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4564,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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