Asparagus caterpillar - Crioceris asparagi

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… john and jane balaban, 2 July, 2008 - 9:07pm

Maybe Crioceris asparagi

A little hard to see at this angle. It looks like it may be the larva of Crioceris aspargi, the Asparagus Leaf Beetle. One centimeter seems a little large for a C. asparagi larva, though. What I mean is I just went out and looked at the ones in my garden and they were well under a centimeter, but maybe mine were a couple of instars younger than yours.

--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com

… Stephen Cresswell, 14 June, 2005 - 5:53am

I cast my vote for

...asparagus beetle larvae. It's a shame the adults are so destructive as they are exquisitely beautiful little creatures, with their blend of blue and red.

… Clifford, 14 June, 2005 - 7:33am

Attractive and Destructive

You're right, the adults are nice looking but destructive. As I understand it the larvae don't do much damage, feeding primarily on the little red fruits.

--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com

… Stephen Cresswell, 14 June, 2005 - 9:00am

Crioceris asparagi or C. duodecimpunctata

Both Crioceris asparagi and C. duodecimpunctata feed on exclusively on Asparagus. (1) And both spp. reported for PA. (2)
However, Crioceris asparagi is the more likely of the two to be pestiferous on asparagus...

… Mike Quinn, 21 January, 2006 - 2:39pm

I believe that larvae of C. a

I believe that larvae of C. asparagi feed on the foliage whereas those of C. duodecimpunctata feed on the berries. C. duodecimpunctata is a much rarer species in NA will less range than C. asparagi.

… John R. Watts, 2 July, 2008 - 8:32pm