I found a small beetle that was quite striking among the leaves of wild plants in the garden near the house. After I documented and matched them, I identified this insect as Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata, also known as the 28-spot pumpkin leaf beetle.
This beetle has a characteristic reddish orange color with 28 black spots on its wings (elytra)—14 on each side. Unlike most lady beetles which are known as predators of pests such as aphids, this species is actually a herbivore and can be a pest of plants from the pumpkin family (Cucurbitaceae) such as pumpkins, cucumbers and bitter melon.
I found this beetle sitting on a leaf that showed signs of bites or damage, most likely caused by it or its colony. They are small, around 6–8 mm, and not too difficult to photograph because they move slowly when feeding or resting.
NOTE: I first wrote the article above in Indonesian, which is my own language, then I translated it using English with the help of Goggle.
| Latin Name | Observation date | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata | 27 04 2024 | North Acèh Regency, Acèh, Indonesia |
| Camera used | Smartphone |
|---|---|
| Lens | Macro |
| F-stop | - |
| Iso speed | ISO |
| Focal length | MM |
| Photography | Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata |
| Location | Aceh Indonesia |
| Photographer | @bananaklatbarat |
| Link to original | community | |
|---|---|---|
| Link | https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/276990909 | |
| Latitude Longitude | Map | |
| - | - | |
| =5.1977333333 | =96.917725 | https://www.openstreetmap.org/?mlat=5.1977333333&mlon=96.917725#map=12/5.1977/96.9177 |
