Timarcha is a genus of
leaf beetles in the family
Chrysomelidae, with more than 100 described species in three subgenera. The most widely known species is T. tenebricosa, the
bloody-nosed beetle. All species are black, wingless organisms. Timarcha are herbivorous species, living mostly on plants belonging to
Rubiaceae and
Plumbaginaceae, although a few can feed on
Brassicaceae and
Rosaceae. Timarcha is the only member of the tribe Timarchini.
Gómez-Zurita J, Juan C, Petitpierre E (February 2000). "The evolutionary history of the genus Timarcha (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) inferred from mitochondrial COII gene and partial 16S rDNA sequences". Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 14 (2): 304–17.
doi:
10.1006/mpev.1999.0712.
PMID10679162.