HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

Calendar

BugGuide Gathering
Smoky Mountains
University of Tennessee Biological Field Station
August 8-10, 2008

Photos from the gathering

Photos from the 2007 gathering in Minnesota

TaxonomyBrowse

Info

ImagesLinksBooksData

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Long-horned and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae) » Tortoise Beetles and the Hispines (Cassidinae) » Chalepini » Odontota » Locust Leaf Miner (Odontota dorsalis)

Species Odontota dorsalis - Locust Leaf Miner

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Internet References · Works Cited

Caterpillars inside leaf - Odontota dorsalis

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Long-horned and Leaf Beetles)

Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles)

Subfamily Cassidinae (Tortoise Beetles and the Hispines)

Tribe Chalepini

Genus Odontota

Species dorsalis (Locust Leaf Miner)

Explanation of Names

Locust Leaf Miner larvae feed inside the leaves of locust trees. (1)

Numbers

Nine species comprise this genus (2)

Size

6-6.5mm (1)

Identification

Adult has overall orange-colored pronotum and elytra, with a widening black stripe along the elytra.

Range

Eastern North America (3)

Food

Robinia pseudoacacia (Fabaceae) is an especially favored larval and adult host (4)

Remarks

Odontota dorsalis lays eggs on leaf undersides in masses of 3-5, and a brown spot appears on the upper leaf surface above the egg mass. The larvae enter the leaf through one hole and together form a single blotch mine. On the other hand the lepidopteran mines on locust leaves have one larva per mine, and their legs are not as well developed as those of Odontota. (From comment here).

Print References

Butte, J. G. 1968c. The revision of the tribe Chalepini of America north of Mexico. III. Genus Odontota Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 22(4): 101-124.

Internet References

Forest Pests Page has images of adults and larval/pupal stages, as well as plant damage.

Odontota dorsalis - Leaf Beetles of Great Smoky Mountains NP - Edward G. Riley

Works Cited

1.	Peterson Field Guides: Beetles By Richard E. White

2.	American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea By Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.)

3.	Catalog of Leaf Beetles of America North of Mexico By Ed Riley, Shawn Clark, and Terry Seeno

4.	Host Plants of Leaf Beetle Species Occuring in the United States and Canada By Shawn M. Clark, Douglas G. LeDoux, Terry N. Seeno, Edward G. Riley, Arthur L. Gilbert, and James M. Sullivan

Contributed by Mike Boone on 16 February, 2004 - 12:32pm
Additional contributions by Beatriz Moisset, Mike Quinn
Last updated 3 October, 2008 - 9:49am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2008 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by Iowa State University Entomology.

Printer Friendly Version