Key to the Alabama Species of Capraita
Capraita indigoptera (LeConte)
Capraita thyamoides (Crotch)*
Capraita saltatra (Blatchley)
Capraita quercata (Fabricius)
Capraita sexmaculata (Illiger)
Capraita suturalis (Fabricius)
Capraita circumdata (Randall)
Capraita obsidiana obsidiana (Fabricius)
Capraita obsidiana blakeae (Leng and Mutchler)
Capraita scalaris (Melsheimer)

Key to the Alabama Species of Capraita

1. Elytra with inconspicuous umbones and basal callosities; explanate margins narrow….. 2
    Elytra with distinct umbones and basal callosities; explanate margins wide….. 3
2. Elytra entirely dark blue-black (Fig. 31)….. C. indigoptera
    Elytra black with margins yellow or yellow with large discal black spot….. C. thyamoides
3. Dorsal profile broadly oval, sides of elytra arcuate….. 4
    Dorsal profile elongate, sides of elytra subparallel….. 5
4. Elytra dark brown-black with apex broadly and lateral margins narrowly light yellow      -brown….. C. saltatra
     Elytra entirely dark brown-black….. C. quercata
5. Head coarsely punctate….. 6
    Head faintly punctate, nearly smooth….. 7
6. Pronotum coarsely punctate, elytra irregularly fasciate and maculate….. C. sexmaculata
    Pronotum impunctate or only with very fine punctures, elytra with red sinuate sutural vitta     or rarely entirely red with faint yellow spots….. C. suturalis
7. Elytra with prominent basal callosities; eyes large, interocular space subequal to 1/3 width of      head….. 8
    Elytra lacking basal callosities; flatter, less convex; eyes small, interocualr space subequal to      1/2 width of head….. C. circumdata
8. Small (length 3.5-4.7 mm.), elytral punctation fine….. 9
    Large (length 4.7-5.6 mm.), elytral punctation coarse….. C. scalaris
9. Pronotum and elytra dark brown or black, lateral margins pale….. C. obsidiana obsidiana
    Pronotum and elytra yellow marked with dark brown or black fasciae and spots, not entirely     dark with light margins….. C. obsidiana blakeae

Capraita indigoptera (LeConte) (Fig. 31)

Oedionychis indigopthera LeConte, 1878, Proc. Amer. Philos. Soc. 17: 416.
     Elongate oval. Head and pronotum red-brown; elytra blue-black. Head alutaceous, finely sparsely punctate. Antennal segments 1 thorugh 4 smoother dark red-brown, 5-11 finely reticulate, black. Pronotum alutaceous, very finely punctate. Elytra alutaceous, densely punctate, not very convex, entirely blue-black; humeri only slightly prominent with slight interhumeral depressions. Length 3.5-4.9 mm. Width 1.9-2.5 mm.
     Alabama records: 21 specimens from Lee¹, Macon¹, and Mobile^2,3 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: April 7-September 13.

Capraita thyamoides (Crotch)*

Oedionychis thyamoides Crotch, 1873, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 25: 63.
     Oval. Head and prothorax yellow brown, elytra black with yellow margin or variable width. Head alutaceous, relatively coarsely but sparsely punctate. Prothorax alutaceous, finely punctate. Elytra alutaceous, densely, strongly punctate; margin moderately explanate. Length 4.2-4.6 mm. Width 2.3-2.5 mm.
     Alabama records: 2 specimens from Marion¹ and Marshall¹ counties.
     Seasonal distribution: July 12-28.
     Remarks: Blake (15) recorded Teucrium canadense as host plant.

Capraita saltatra (Blatchley)

Oedionychis saltatra Blatchley, 1923, Canadian Entomol. 55: 32.
     Oval. Head and prothorax yellow-brown. Elytra piceous with lateral margins near humeri narrowly yellow and apexes yellow or dirty brown (lighter than disc). Surface shining, not at all or slightly alutaceous. Length 4.2-4.9 mm. Width 2.5-3.0 mm.
     Alabama records: 6 specimens from Lee, Mobile^2,3, and Russell counties.
     Seasonal distribution: January 14, March 16-August 10.
     Remarks: These beetles have been taken January 14 under bark (75). It is possible that comparisons of the aedeagi will further indicate the conspecificity of this and C. quercata (Fabricius). There are specimens in Loding's collection from Chastang, Mobile County, January 14, which are intermediate between these two species.

Capraita quercata (Fabricius)

Galleruca quercata Fabricius, 1801, Syst. Eleuth. I., p. 495.
     Oval. Head and prothorax yellow-brown. Elytra entirely piceous with lateral margins near humeri slightly ferruginous. Surface minutely alutaceous. Length 4.2-5.4 mm. Width 2.5-3.3 mm.
     Alabama records: 8 specimens from Baldwin¹ and Mobile^1,2,3 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: January 1-July.
     Remarks: Capraita saltatra may be found to be conspecific with C. quercata.

Capraita sexmaculata (Illiger)

Haltica sexmaculata Illiger, 1807, Mag. Insektenk. 6: 104.
Haltica palliata Randall, 1838, Boston Jour. Nat. Hist. 2: 47.
Chloephaga creticus Jacoby, 1886, Entomol. Zeit. 47: 215.
     Oblong. Head alutaceous, clypeus and frons yellow-brown, vertex dark brown, punctate with wide punctures. Pronotum strongly alutaceous, coarsely punctate, light yellow to tan laterally and midbasally, remainder of disc with brown to black irregular maculae. Elytra densely, coarsely punctate with submarginal plica; yellow with piceous maculae: humeral spots, basal medial cordate spot, confluent mid- and subapical lateral spots, and elongate broad medial subapical spots, latter occasionally as broad fascia. Length 3.2-4.0 mm. Width 1.8-2.1 mm.
     Alabama records: 16 specimens from Baldwin³, Clay¹, DeKalb¹, Houston¹, Lee¹, Mobile^2,3, and Tallapoosa¹ counties.
     Seasonal distribution: January 9, April 25-June 25.
     Remarks: Capraita sexmaculata has been reported from on Fraxinus sp. and Chionanthus virginica (15).

Capraita suturalis (Fabricius)

Galleruca suturalis Fabricius, 1801, Syst. Eleuth. I., p. 499.
     Oblong oval. Frons and vertex usually red-brown but in some specimens yellow. Pronotum yellow. Elytra yellow or yellow (entirely so in some samples), but usually with midbase, scutellar area, and suture red, or rarely varying to nearly entirely red with only faint subapical yellow spots and lateral margins lighter basally. Length 3.8-4.4 mm. Width 2.1-2.5 mm.
     Alabama records: 19 specimens from Baldwin¹ and Mobile^2,3 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: March 31-August 27.
     Remarks: We have collected this species in Baldwin County both in the day and at night by beating plants of the Family Ericaceae.

Capraita circumdata (Randall)

Haltica circumdata Randall, 1838, Boston Jour. Nat. Hist. 2: 48.
Aedionychis limbalis Melsheimer, 1847, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 3: 162.
Oedionychis quercata Crotch, 1873, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 25: 63 (not Fabricius).
     Oblong oval. Head, prothorax, and mesothorax ventrally, yellow-brown; occiput slightly darker. Elytra black, margined with yellow, margin slightly wider at apex, rarely with two small oblique yellow spots at basal 1/3; somewhat shining, sides subparallel, margin explanate; umbone well defined with depression between it and basomedial callosity. Metasternum and abdomen black. Length 3.9-4.9 mm. Width 2.1-2.8 mm.
     Alabama records: 80 specimens from DeKalb¹, Etowah¹, Lee¹, Macon¹, Madison¹, Mobile², Tallapoosa¹, and Winston^1,2 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: March 27-August 3.
     Remarks: We have most frequently taken these beetles by beating Vaccinum spp.; however, Blake (15) has taken them on Fagus grandifolia, Juglans cinerea, Plantago lanceolata, and Verbena urticifolia. We also collected a single specimen on Rubus sp. upon which it may have been only resting.

Capraita obsidiana obsidiana (Fabricius)

Galleruca obsidiana Fabricius, 1801, Syst. Eleuth., I., p. 499.
Oedionychis quercata Horn, 1889, Trans. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 16: 194 (not Fabricius).
     Oblong oval. Labrum and clypeus yellow, frons and occiput black, alutaceous, punctate. Pronotum alutaceous, finely punctate, lateral margins yellow. Elytra black, basally alutaceous, punctate; lateral margins yellow to basal 1/3, apexes yellow forming an arcuate emargination into black color of disc. Length 3.5-4.2 mm. Width 2.0-2.5 mm.
     Alabama records: 24 specimens from Barbour², Houston¹, and Mobile³ counties.
     Seasonal distribution: April 25-August 10.
     Remarks: Nearly all of the Houston County specimens were taken by beating Vaccinium sp.

Capraita obsidiana blakeae (Leng and Mutchler)

Oedionychis obsidiana flava Blake, 1927, Proc. U. S. Nat. Mus. 70(23): 40 (var.) (not Gmelin).
Oedionychis obsidiana blakeae Leng and Mutchler, 1933, 2nd and 3rd Supp. to Cat. of Coleopt.      of America N. of Mexico, p. 45.
     Oblong oval. Labrum and clypeus yellow, frons and occiput dark brown to piceous, alutaceous, punctate. Pronotum alutaceous, very finely punctulate, yellow with two brown discal spots, spots frequently confluent. Elytra yellow, punctate with black maculae of various configurations; sometimes basal or subapical fasciae, or lateral spots joined in tandem. Length 3.9-4.7 mm. Width 1.9-2.5 mm.
     Alabama records: 44 specimens from Baldwin¹, Barbour², Clay¹, Lee¹, Lowndes¹, Macon¹, Marengo¹, Mobile², and Talladega¹ counties.
     Seasonal distribution: March 27-August 27.
     Remarks: This subspecies has also been collected on Vaccinium sp. Specimens intermediate between the lighter forms of C. obsidiana blakeae and the nominate subspecies have been collected in Baldwin County.

Capraita scalaris (Melsheimer)

Oedionychis scalaris Melsheimer, 1847, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 3: 163.
Oedionychis lobata LeConte, 1859, Coleopt. Kans., p. 24.
     Broadly oblong oval. Head yellow, sometimes with brown spot on occiput, eyes large and closely set. Pronotum 2 1/2 times as wide as long, yellow, with broad explanate margin. Elytra shining, rather strongly, closely punctate; umbones distinct with depression between them and basomedial callosities; yellow with black markings: usually suture irregularly vittate to apical declivity, often with postbasal, midelytral, and preapical fasciae. Length 4.7-5.6 mm. Width 2.5-2.8 mm.
     Alabama records: 5 specimens from Lee¹, Macon¹, and Mobile² counties.
     Remarks: Blatchley, according to Blake (15), collected this species in Florida on ericaceous plants. Since there is some difficulty encountered in separating specimens of this species from those of C. obsidiana blakeae, aedeagi were extracted and compared. The results of the comparison indicated the specfic distinctness of these forms. "It is to be separated from the banded forms of obsidiana var. flava (synonym of blakeae L. & M.) by its relatively larger size and coarser punctation" (15).