ENY 3005 Family Identification

Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae

 Common names: leaf beetles, flea beetles, rootworms

A diverse family difficult to characterize (White 1983). Identifying characteristics for the family Chrysomelidae include:

• Elongate-subcylindrical to oval shaped beetles, 1- to 16-mm in length.
• Antennae generally less than 1/2 the length of the body.
• Eyes generally not notched.
• Tarsi generally appear 4-4-4, actually 5-5-5.

• About 175 genera and 1474 species in North America make the Chrysomelidae the 4th largest family of beetles.
• Adults commonly occur on flowers and foliage and larvae feed on leaves and roots; many species are serious pests.
• Chrysomelids with a body shape like the coccinellids can be distinguished by the tarsi appearing to be 4-4-4 rather than 3-3-3.
• Cerambycid-like chrysomelids are distinguished by having shorter antennae and eyes usually lacking a notch.

References:

• Pages 198-200 and plate 8 in D. J. Borror and R. E. White. 1970. A Field Guide to the Insects. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co.
• Pages 289-303 and plates 11-12 in R. E. White. 1983. A Field Guide to Beetles of North America. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co. 368 p.
• Page 455 in D. J. Borror, C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. 1989. An Introduction to the Study of Insects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders College Publishing. 875 p.
• Page 227 in R. G. Bland and H. E. Jaques. 1978. How to Know the Insects, 3rd ed. Dubuque, Iowa: Wm. C. Brown Co. 409 p.
• Page 480 in H. V. Daly, J. T. Doyen, and A. H. Purcell III. 1998. Introduction to Insect Biology and Diversity, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press. 680 p.

• Golden Tortoise Beetle
• Cucumber Beetles
• Bean Leaf Beetle
• Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf Beetles), San Francisco Bay Biodiversity Project