Zygogramma leaf beetles, Arizona
Leaf beetles such as these brightly marked Zygogramma constitute one of the largest evolutionary radiations- the Chrysomelidae- among all animals. This family of beetles owes its tremendous diversity to an herbivorous association with flowering plants.
photo details: Canon MP-E 65mm 1-5x macro lens on a Canon EOS 20D
ISO 100, 1/250 sec, f/13, indirect strobe fired into white box
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Zygogramma and the related Calligrapha form a fascinating though spectacularly frustrating group of beetles. Their exquisite, infinitely variable designs at once invite and confound efforts to classify them. All the available keys are useless - the described species seem to have been arbitrarily carved out of a vast sea of hyper-variability.
Okay, maybe not that bad, but they're tough!