Polychalca punctatissima

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

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

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.

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  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]