Overview
These bugs strongly resemble beetles, being ovoid, dorsally convex (arched) and often shiny.
The plataspids are plant feeders though little is known of the biology of the Australian species. Host data is available for one species,
Coptosoma aciculata
, which has been recorded from the legume
Desmodium latifolium
. Most foreign plataspids are also known from legumes.
Distribution
The Australian plataspid fauna is composed of 2 genera and 19 species. The genus
Brachyplatys
contains 3 species, 2 of which are found in north-east Queensland. The genus
Coptosoma
contains the remaining 16 species most of which are also found in north-east Queensland.