Baffled by this beetle...

[Lindsay-c]

Sorry the picture isn't very clear but i found this beetle, i think, at the beach and I'd never seen one like it and as u can see it is bright blue. Underneath it was a dark brown / black. Closest i can get is a mint leaf beetle - except thats green .... any ideas ?

[Gatekeeper]

Hello Lindsay,

I can't say for certainty what your beetle might be, but my best suggestion would be a species of Erotylidae, and (with less certainty) possibly Triplax aenea, hopefully an expert will come to your assistance.

http://www.thewcg.org.uk/Erotylidae/0335G.htm

[Klaas Reißmann]

Hi,

the photo is very bad and I'm everything but sure in my identification, but it is close to the Chrysomelidae Sermylassa halensis. Maybe you have a better picture to make it sure?

Regards
Klaas

[Lindsay-c]

yes it's a terrible picture and I'm afraid I haven't a better one...

However I'm planning another trip to the beach soon to add more pictures to my coastal nature file I shall see if I can find more and hopefully get a clearer picture

[Lindsay-c]

and if it helps it was on a blade of marram grass and when I approached it it fell of onto its back. Seemed like a self-defense mechanism to make it harder to see by falling onto it's brightly coloured shiney back and exposing it's dark underside... *shrugs*

[Klaas Reißmann]

"dark underside" is not typically Sermylassa halensis, not for the german ones. I don't know how about the british.

I'm a silly German, so I don't get "marram grass". But I try aunt google and we'll see.

Regards
Klaas

[tristanba]

this looks like Sermylassa halensis to me - I have seen it in sand dunes late in the year (October) in north Wales. This beetle feeds on bedstraws.

[Lindsay-c]

ah ha ! I believe you're right Tristanba.

Looked it up and that's what it looked like Thanks !