Cychramus luteus

2020-05-13

"Celebrating the anniversary of the discovery of an insect in Portugal may be unusual, but when the species itself seems to want to remind us of the event, we cannot resist… A few days ago, José Manuel Grosso-Silva, curator of entomology at the MHNC-UP, came across a specimen of ‘Cychramus luteus’ which will soon be part of the museum’s collection, on the balcony of his house in Vila Nova de Gaia. This is a very small - only 3 to 6 mm long – and harmless beetle, orange in color and with dark antennae that are thicker at the ends. Bearing in mind that the first occurrence of this species in the country had been described some time ago by himself, José checked the exact date of that first meeting and, surprise! In only a few days, 20 years would have been passed since he had first seen it in Mire de Tibães, Braga, on May 13, 2000.
Why not try to find it yourself on your balcony or garden? It is often found in the arum lily… From this episode, one could say that any day - or place! – is good for an encounter with entomology!
If you want to know more about the records of the occurrence of this species in Portugal, please check:
Grosso-Silva, 2002 - https://tinyurl.com/sl944o4 (in Portuguese);
Grosso-Silva e Diamantino, 2009 - https://tinyurl.com/uld9sru
Grosso-Silva e Soares-Vieira, 2009 - https://tinyurl.com/yx7ss83j
Photo credits: José Manuel Grosso-Silva"