February 2012. A request to iodentify the beetle (thought to be a cerembycid) that was found feeding on soybean and lab-lab bean leaves in South Africa.

It was identified as the Maize spotted beetleAstylus atromaculatus a Melyrid beetle. It was thought likely tha the beetle was feeding on senescing plant tissue, but there is evidence that they feed on pollen. Two references were given to the beetle:

http://beetlesinthebush.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/bichos-argentinos-13-spotted-maize-beetle/
www.biodiversityexplorer.org/beetles/melyridae/astylus_atromaculatus.htm

It is found on many crops, including beans, soybeans and sunflowers, and is generally not regarded as a problem species. A little more information and some photos may be seen in the maize section of ‘Pests of Field Crops of Southern Africa’ (www.pestsandcrops.com ).