This should be fun-NOT-beetle larvae? - Leptinotarsa juncta

Leptinotarsa juncta

Jo, I believe this is Leptinotarsa juncta, the False Potato Beetle. I base this on the very regular rows of punctures that line each stripe on the elytra. The Colorado Potato Beetle would have irregular and more random punctures.

There are other differences in the striping, but these would best be seen with a rear view of the beetle. They are described on this very nice University of Florida page:

http://creatures.ifas.ufl.edu/veg/leaf/potato_beetles.htm

Thanks to Troy for setting me straight about the two species and for letting me know about the University of Florida page.

--Stephen

Stephen Cresswell
Buckhannon, WV
www.stephencresswell.com

… Stephen_WV, 18 October, 2005 - 5:26am

The Adult I agree

that seems clear now it's Leptinotarsa juncta

Now the larvae have me confused.
the light pink and the bright red match the descriptions of the Colorado-the gray one looks like a swamp beetle or something and the yellowish one-sigh........ I thought they were all the same. They all came from "similar" eggs-on the same plant. I have to hunt up the egg photo. I took there before i started using better settings and sizes-sorry.

thanks

Jo

… Jo Ann Poe-McGavin, 18 October, 2005 - 3:14pm

You should really unlink these images, too.

Thumbnails would be a better way to keep them all in view without implying they are of a single individual. In fact, none of them are, right?
Interesting puzzle - I hope you manage to sort them all out!

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 18 October, 2005 - 4:22pm

they are links only becaue I

they are links only becaue I don't know if they are the same or not.

they were all found in the same place. at about 2 weeks intervals.

Jo

… Jo Ann Poe-McGavin, 18 October, 2005 - 10:25pm

Different specimens

I unlinked them as same specimen and included the thumbnails below only because they were found in the same area and presumed at one time to be the same species.

. Jo, it would be nice to have the dates for each of them, especially if they were found in different years.
Now, if they are the same or different species, let us hope that somebody help us with this.

… Beatriz Moisset, 24 May, 2006 - 7:43am

Now I'm more confused.

You wrote they were found in "mid-July in 2003, 2004, 2005" on the first one (below). Which is correct?

… Hannah Nendick-Mason, 19 October, 2005 - 7:15am