Clay-colored Leaf Beetle

Clay-colored Leaf Beetle (Anomoea laticlavia)

I found this little fellow (a quarter of an inch or so) on a daisy flea bane leaf right after a thundershower. It is fairly common in the eastern United States and feeds on a wide variety of forbs and shrubs, all of which we have here in the Ozarks. Persimmon Leaf Beetle is another common name.

Clay-colored leaf beetles are members of the casebearer beetle family. Their larvae live in the ground litter and protect themselves by constructing cases made from their own fecal matter and (sometimes) plant debris.

Additional Resources:
BugGuide on Clay-colored Leaf Beetles
BugGuide on casebearer beetles
US Forest Service Insect Images

Clay-colored Leaf Beetle