Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Photo#209704
Pigweed Flea Beetle  (male & female???) - Disonycha

Pigweed Flea Beetle (male & female???) - Disonycha
Georgetown, Floyd County, Indiana, USA
August 3, 2008
Size: 1/4 inch
Is the black beetle the same as the striped Pigweed beetle but a different gender? There were many striped ones on a weed in our garden, but only the one black one.

Moved
Moved from Leaf Beetles.

Moved
Moved from Beetles.

By no mean an expert but...
I would agree with the Striped beetle being a Pigweed Flea Beetle



However I would think that the dark one might be:

Disonycha politula


You could look through the whole collection of Disonycha and you wouldn't find many specimens noted as male or female. I don't know how the difference is determines unless the female is gravid.

 
Possibly...
Or could it be the Spinach flea beetle (Disonycha Xanthomelas)? That group was on the next page (after D. Politula) in the bugguide. They both look just alike to me. Anyone know how to tell the difference?

 
Disonycha xanthomelas
I don“t think politula occurs in your area. The dark head and dull elytra make me think of xanthomelas anyway

 
Agreed.
Agreed. Although we can't see the last tarsal segment to be certain it isn't Kuschelina it certainly isn't D. glabrata and the host would tentatively place it as another Disonycha.