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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Longhorn and Leaf Beetles (Chrysomeloidea) » Leaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae) » Skeletonizing Leaf Beetles and Flea Beetles (Galerucinae) » Flea Beetles (Alticini) » Crepidodera Genus Group » Epitrix » Eggplant Flea Beetle (Epitrix fuscula)

Species Epitrix fuscula - Eggplant Flea Beetle

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Print References · Works Cited
flea beetle - Epitrix fuscula Eggplant Flea Beetle - Epitrix fuscula horse-nettle flea beetle - Epitrix fuscula small beetle on eggplant leaf - Epitrix fuscula small beetle on eggplant leaf - Epitrix fuscula Flea Beetles - Epitrix fuscula Canaan Valley flea beetle - Epitrix fuscula beetle - Epitrix fuscula
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Chrysomeloidea (Longhorn and Leaf Beetles)
Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles)
Subfamily Galerucinae (Skeletonizing Leaf Beetles and Flea Beetles)
Tribe Alticini (Flea Beetles)
No Taxon (Crepidodera Genus Group)
Genus Epitrix
Species fuscula (Eggplant Flea Beetle)
Other Common Names
EPFB
Explanation of Names
Epitrix fuscula Crotch 1873
fusc (L). 'dusky, brown' (1)
Numbers
12 spp. n. of Mex. (2)
Size
Adult length: 2 mm
Identification

Det. E. G. Riley, 2011
Range
e US (TX-FL-NY-NE) (2)
Season
mostly: May-Aug (BG data)
Food
Eggplant, potato, horsenettle, tobacco (all family Solanaceae). Non-solanaceous records are probably not normal hosts and/or are likely incidental associations. (3)
Life Cycle
Eggs are laid in the soil in spring. Larvae fed on roots and tubers for 2 - 3 weeks. They pupate in the soil and emerge as adult beetles 7 - 10 days later. Beetles feed on leaves for about two months. There may be to four generations per year. This species overwinters as an adult beetle in the soil or in crop debris.
Remarks
May be very damaging to root crops in the larval stage and to young seedlings when feeding on the leaves as an adult.
Print References
Crotch, G.R. 1873. Materials for the study of the Phytophaga of the United States. Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia 25: 19-83.
Works Cited
1.Dictionary of Word Roots and Combining Forms
Donald J. Borror. 1960. Mayfield Publishing Company.
2.Catalog of Leaf Beetles of America North of Mexico
Ed Riley, Shawn Clark, and Terry Seeno. 2003. Coleopterists Society.
3.Host plants of leaf beetle species occurring in the United States and Canada
Clark et al. 2004. Coleopterists Society, Special Publication no. 2, 476 pp.
Contributed by Mike Boone on 27 September, 2006 - 1:30pm
Additional contributions by Hannah Nendick-Mason, Mike Quinn
Last updated 23 August, 2017 - 4:25pm

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