Texas Beetle Information

Return to Texas Entomology - Compiled by Mike Quinn

Cottonwood Leaf Beetle

Chrysomela scripta Fabricius

Family Chrysomelidae, Subfamily Chrysomelinae, Tribe Chrysomelini

cf: Chrysomela knabi

Juno Beach, Palm Beach Co., Florida
July 2, 2004 (Tony DiTerlizzi)

State Records for Chrysomela scripta

State Record Data per Riley et al. 2003

Range: All of US except west coast states, NV and AZ (Riley et al. 2003).

Hosts: This species feeds on Salix spp., and Populus spp., Salicaceae (Clark et al. 2004).

Adult Activity: April 1 to September 18 in Alabama based on 92 specimens (Balsbaugh & Hays 1972).

Similar Species:

Sixteen species of this Holarctic genus occur in the US and Canada (Arnett et al. 2002).

Texas Taxa: (per Riley et al. 2003)

Chrysomela interrupta Fabricius
Chrysomela knabi Brown
Chrysomela scripta Fabricius
Chrysomela texana (Schaeffer)

Photos:

cottonwood leaf beetle - Forestry Images
cottonwood leaf beetle - Forestry Images

References:

Arnett, R.H., Jr., M.C. Thomas, P.E. Skelley & J.H. Frank. (editors). 2002. American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press. 861 pp.

Balsbaugh, E.U. & K.L. Hays. 1972. Leaf beetles of Alabama. Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 441:1-223.

Brown, W. J. 1956. The New World species of Chrysomela L. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Can. Entomol. 88: 1-54.

Clark, S.M., D.G. LeDoux, T.N. Seeno, E.G. Riley, A.J. Gilbert and J.M. Sullivan. 2004. Host plants of leaf beetle species occurring in the United States and Canada (Coleoptera: Megalopodidae, Orsodacnidae, Chrysomelidae exclusive of Bruchinae). Coleopterists Society, Special Publication no. 2, 476 pp.

Lawson, F.A. 1991. Chrysomelidae (Chrysomeloidea) Pp. 568-593. in: Stehr, F.W. (editor) Immature Insects. Volume 2. Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Dubuque, Iowa. xiv + 975 pp.

Lowe, V.H. 1898. The cottonwood leaf-beetle. New York Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin no. 143: 3-24.

Peterson, A. 1951. Larvae of Insects: Part II, Coleoptera, Diptera, Neuroptera, Siphonaptera, Mecoptera, Trichoptera. Edwards Bros., Inc., Ann Arbor. 416 pp.

Riley, E.G., S.M. Clark, & T.N. Seeno. 2003. Catalog of the leaf beetles of America north of Mexico (Coleoptera: Megalopodidae, Orsodacnidae and Chrysomelidae, excluding Bruchinae). Coleopterists Society, Special Publication no. 1, 290 pp.