Psilothrix viridicoerulea

This beetle is mainly present in most of Europe (Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Croatia, France, Germany, Ireland, Latvia, Malta, North Macedonia, Slovenia, Sweden and Switzerland) and in the Near East. [https://fauna-eu.org/cdm_dataportal/taxon/4c6ffa98-0870-4d15-b034-7e00f8f5cdeb Fauna europaea] There are also additional localized populations in England, mostly on the southern coastline.

They are quite common in summer on meadows, pastures, and grasslands, to be seen on a variety of flowers.

The adults grow up to {{convert|4.8|-|6.6|mm}} long. [http://www.lavalledelmetauro.org/standard.php?lingua=it&id_sezione=8&id_sottosezione=31&id_sottosottosezione=10&record=9918 La valle del Metauro] {{in lang|it}} The colour of this beautiful insect is brilliant metallic bluish-green. Body is rather long and narrow. Head is slightly longer than wide, with a flat face, large, round eyes and short, green-metallic, hairy antennae, composed by eleven short inwards protruding articles. Pronotum and elytra are thickly, deeply and strongly punctuated and covered of black erect hairs. Elitra are very elongated, square at the base. Legs are long and slender, greenish and hairy. Pygidium (last male tergite) shows a deep but small V-shaped notch. G. Liberti [http://www.mapress.com/zootaxa/2009/f/zt02318p385.pdf The Dasytidae (Coleoptera) of Sardinia] This species is rather similar to Psilothrix aureola.

The larvae initially feed on dead insects, then become phytophagous. They bore longitudinal galleries in the stems of some annual weeds (Ferula, Magydaris, Carlina, Cirsium, etc.). Metamorphosis takes place in late winter within. The adults leave the pupal chamber in following spring. This species is often associated with graminaceous grasses.

File: Dasytidae - Psilothrix viridicoerulea.JPG|Mating couple

File: A.hispanicum-flor-1.jpg|Feeding on pollen of Aizoanthemum hispanicum

File: Psilothrix viridicoeruleus (Geoffroy in Fourcroy, 1785) (16774575602).png|Mounted specimen

• La faune de la France illustrée - Rémy Perrier - Tome VI Coléoptères 2nd part

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• [http://listadoentomologicobenimamet.blogspot.com/2010/04/psilothrix-viridicoerulea-geoffroy-1785.html Listado entomologico]
• [http://denbourge.free.fr/Insectes_coleoptera_Dasytidae_Psilothrix_viridicoerulea.htm Entomolane] {{in lang|fr}}

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Category:Melyridae

Category:Beetles of Europe

Category:Beetles described in 1785

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