Blue leaf beetle ID

[squishy]

4-5mm long.

I'm assuming it's a Chrysomelid.

Thanks for any help .

[basquesteve]

I suspect its Phyllotreta nigripes Flea beetle it appears to have the enlarged hind femora

lovely picture

[nutmeg]

I'm not sure what it is, but just wanted to say that I think it's a really nice photo.

[squishy]

I've done some more looking, and I reckon it's Agelastica alni or closely related.
Anyone got other suggestions or confirmations?

[Rossco]

The pronotum looks like the wrong shape for Agelastica alni and it's a bit too small. As basquesteve says the hind femora is quite enlarged, so it's probably one of the flea beetle genera.

I'd go for an Altica spp., but the six UK members of this genus are almost impossible to identify without collecting and dissecting the genitalia. Food plant information can be useful, but often insects aren't helpful enough to be sitting on their preferred food.

UK Altica spp. are:
A. brevicollis
A. ericeti
A. helianthemi
A. lythri
A. oleracea
A. palustris

[squishy]

That looks like a better fit.

Thanks .

[Jason Green]

Morning Adam,

I agree - impossible to identify from a photograph. I collected/pinned one recently and went through about 13 couplets (hard work, I might add!) and only then got to Altica sp.!

Annoying wasn't the word, but shows the value of collecting/preserving. A couple of things I had to look at was the arrangement of punctuation on the elytra, shape of rear tarsi, ventral coxae detailing, and of course antennal segmentation.

Try this key to European genera: Key to Palearctic Alticine Genera, Couplet #1

Take care,

Jason

[squishy]

sounds like hard work Jason.

This photo is now in the Gallery just labelled Altica sp.