Polychalca punctatissima

Polychalca punctatissima
	Polychalca punctatissima
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Chrysomelidae
Subfamily:	Cassidinae
Genus:	Polychalca
Species:	P. punctatissima
Binomial name
	Polychalca punctatisima; (Wolf, 1818)
Synonyms
	Cassida variolosa Weber, 1801 nec Olivier, 1790; Cassida punctatissima Wolf, 1818; Desmonota variolosa (Weber) Hope, 1840; Polychalca variolosa (Weber) Dejean, 1837; Cassida formosa Broun, 1880; Canistra formosa (Broun) Spaeth, 1914; Cassida smaragdina Vigors, 1826;

Polychalca punctatissima is a species of tortoise beetles belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, that is noteworthy for its use in Victorian jewelry.

Description

Polychalca punctatissima can reach a length of about 13–17 millimetres (0.51–0.67 in). These beetles feed on Black Sage (Cordia cylindrostachya, Boraginaceae).

Distribution

This species can be found in Brazil and Argentina.

Polychalca punctatissima from Brazil. Mounted specimen

Use in jewelry

The new wave of Victorian Egyptomania following the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 increased the demand for Egyptian jewelry, especially scarabs. This, combined with an increased interest in the natural world, lead to the import of Polychalca punctatissima carapaces from South America for use in jewelry as "scarabs". ^[1]^[2]

References

^[1] ^[2]

This Cassidinae article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

^ ^a ^b Vandor, Dara. "Beetlemania: Insects in Victorian Jewellery". Waddingtons. Retrieved 6 June 2025.
^ ^a ^b navettejewellery. "Unlikely Jewellery – scarabs". Navette Jewellery. Retrieved 6 June 2025.

[Beetlemania-1] Vandor, Dara. "Beetlemania: Insects in Victorian Jewellery". Waddingtons. Retrieved 6 June 2025.

[Unlikely_Jewellery-2] vettejewellery. "Unlikely Jewellery – scarabs". Navette Jewellery. Retrieved 6 June 2025.

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