flea beetle
flea beetle, (subfamily Alticinae), any member of a subfamily of leaf beetles found worldwide. Flea beetles are important pests of cultivated plants: the adults feed on the leaves and the larvae on the roots. Some flea beetles carry plant diseases such as early potato blight. They are unrelated to true fleas.
Physical description
Flea beetles are tiny beetles, usually less than 6 mm (0.25 inch) in length, and are often dark or metallic in color. The enlarged hindlegs are adapted for jumping.
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Coleoptera
- Family: Chrysomelidae
- Subfamily: Alticinae
See also list of beetles.
Major species
The grape flea beetle (Altica chalybea), 4 to 5 mm (0.16 to 0.2 inch) long and dark steel-blue in color, eats grape buds in early spring; both the adults and larvae feed on grape leaves in the summer. They can be controlled by spraying arsenical poisons or other insecticides on the grape leaves.
The striped flea beetle (Phyllotreta striolata) infests cabbage and similar plants. The cucumber beetle (Epitrix cucumeris) feeds on cucumbers and melon vines, E. hirtipennis attacks tobacco plants, and E. fuscula eats tomatoes and potatoes.
The flea beetle Aphthona flava has been released in the United States and Canada as a biological control for the weed leafy spurge.
