About Smaragdina salicina (Scopoli, 1763)
Smaragdina salicina (Scopoli, 1763) is a species of short-horned leaf beetle that belongs to the subfamily Cryptocephalinae of the Chrysomelidae family. This leaf beetle is found in Europe, the eastern Palearctic realm, and the Near East. Adult Smaragdina salicina measure between 4.5–6.5 millimetres (0.18–0.26 inches) in length. The head and elytra of this beetle are dark blue, the pronotum is reddish, and the legs are yellowish. These beetles feed mainly on Salix and Crataegus species, but will also feed on the leaves of various other plants including blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) and Trifolium species. When laying eggs, females wrap their eggs in an envelope made from their own excrement. They then manoeuvre with their hind legs to drop the wrapped eggs from above onto the ground.
