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Photo#858461
Willow Beetle, lower Mackenzie River (Itai Katz,Tsiigehtchic, NWT) - Altica bimarginata

Willow Beetle, lower Mackenzie River (Itai Katz,Tsiigehtchic, NWT) - Altica bimarginata
at our fish camp on the Mackenzie River, up river from Tsiigehtchic., Northwest Territories, Canada
August 15, 2013
At our fish camp on the Mackenzie River, a few KM upriver from Tsiigehtchic. We never seen these kinds of beetles before, hundreds of them were clustered together on some small willow plants (about 1 to 1.5 feet tall). The willows normally grow below the high water mark and are found along the shore. As time past it become clear they were feeding on the willow leaves as the plant became bare naked afterwards. The beetles were stationary on the same willow plant for many days, 10 days easy. We had a few days with high east wind and it seemed that the wind blew most of them away over time. Back in town we googled and identified the beetles as "blue willow beetles" however we know very little about them. Please provide us with updated information regarding these beetles. We are interested in knowing if they are new beetles in our area or we just never noticed them before.
Thanks, Itai

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Willow Beetle, lower Mackenzie River (Itai Katz,Tsiigehtchic, NWT) - Altica bimarginata Willow Beetle, lower Mackenzie River (Itai Katz,Tsiigehtchic, NWT) - Altica bimarginata Willow Beetle, lower Mackenzie River (Itai Katz,Tsiigehtchic, NWT) - Altica bimarginata

Moved tentatively
Moved from Flea Beetles.

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Periodic outbreaks
are common in this genus. Nothing to worry about and not new to the aeria, I'd say
A congeneric species Altica ambiens, does the same to little alder trees in Arizona http://arizonabeetlesbugsbirdsandmore.blogspot.com/2010/08/young-beetle.html

location data needs correction
reads "...Tsiigehtchic., Northwest Territories, Northwest Territories"
please refer to the filling instructions provided in the submission form and correct; thanks
suggest deleting the "at our fish camp on the" part and replace with something like "Mackenzie River ___ km upstream of Tsiigehtchic"; the info provided elsewhere in the form should not be repeated in the Remarks

 
looks like
flea beetles (chrysomellidae) in the genus Altica

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