Neochlamisus platani is a species in the leaf beetle genus Neochlamisus

Neochlamisus

Leaf beetles of the genus Neochlamisus are sometimes known as the warty leaf beetles. They are members of the case-bearing leaf beetle group, the Camptosomata. Measuring 3-4 millimeters in length as adults, they are cryptic, superficially resembling caterpillar frass...

. This beetle feeds, mates, and oviposits on their host plant American sycamore

American sycamore

Platanus occidentalis, also known as American Sycamore, American plane, Occidental plane, and Buttonwood, is one of the species of Platanus native to North America...

 (Platanus occidentalis). Its common name is the sycamore leaf beetle for this reason.

The adult beetle is bronze to brown in color and about 3.5 to 4 millimeters in length. Its exoskeleton

Exoskeleton

An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...

 is rough and bumpy, helping it to camouflage as a piece of bark or droppings. Both adults and larvae feed upon the foliage of the sycamore. Heavy infestations can begin to reduce the foliage mass of a tree, damaging its aesthetic value as an ornamental

Ornamental plant

Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...

.

External links

• A study of N. platani