Among the green leaves that vibrate gently blown by the cool morning breeze, there is a tiny creature that is enjoying a delicious meal. It is a herbivorous ladybug, one of the beetles from the epilachnini tribe. The beetle is very small but has a very beautiful costume with black and reddish orange patterns. The color is very captivating like a living gem placed on a natural canvas.
At first glance, this beetle looks like an ordinary ladybug or a pest-eating ladybug known as a garden guard. Which is often praised by farmers because of its fondness for preying on pests. But wait, this one beetle is very different. It will not hunt pests but the beetle is more interested in the leaves of plants that are trying to grow well.
Like when I met this, the beetle was enjoying the leaves of wild plants. He was very greedy eating the leaves without caring about my presence near him. Even the leaves where he perched had many holes. He left the bite marks as a memento for the plant. Judging from the number of bite marks, it can be said that the leaves have a very delicious taste.
| Latin name | Suku Epilachnini |
|---|---|
| Observation date | 17 Mar, 2025 |
| Camera used | realme 7 Pro |
| Photographers | @reachdreams |
| Location | Aceh, Indonesia |
| Link to original community |
|---|
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/265642351
| Latitude | Longitude | Map |
|---|---|---|
| 4.695135 | 96.7493993 | https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=4.695135&mlon=96.7493993 |