Eucalyptus seedling herbivory by a species of Cadmus Erichson (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae)

An infestation of cryptocephaline larvae (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) is recorded in a south-east Australian forest. The beetle species concerned was probably Cadmus aurantiacus Chapuis. Larvae occurred in huge numbers on the ground (up to 1000 m(-2)) where they not only ate dead plant material but also girdled and killed eucalypt seedlings. The larvae have the capacity to significantly alter succession sequences in south-east Australian forests, and may be important where burning and reseeding are used as forest management techniques.