The Rosemary Beetle (Chryolina americana) is a small insect in the Chrysomelidae family of leaf beetles. 

The Rosemary Beetle is metallic, iridescent green with purple-brown stripes on its ridged elytra (wing shields), from its pronotum (neck shield) to its tail. It has short wings hidden underneath the elytra. It can fly, but only for short distances. Most tend to walk. It has six little brown legs. Its body is slightly domed with a rounded tail end. It has round, black eyes. Its antennae are light-brown and look like a string of beads. 

It grows to about 1 centimetre (a third of an inch) long. 

It is native to southern Europe, north Africa, the Near East, and the Middle East (but not native to America as the species name indicates). It is seen from May to October, usually on rosemary and lavender plants.

The Rosemary Beetle feeds on aromatic plants. 

Its life cycle is egg, larva, pupa, adult. The female lays eggs, which hatch into larvae (grubs). The larvae do not look like the adults. The larvae have elongated bodies with armour and tiny hair-like spines. They have six legs but no wings. As the larvae grow, they change into pupae (casings). Inside each pupa, the larva becomes a beetle, and the adult beetle emerges in springtime. This is called metamorphosis.

Location of photographs: Paris, France

Photographer: Martina Nicolls

Martina Nicolls: SIMILAR BUT DIFFERENT IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM