Latest Chrysomelidae Stories
Simply by eating the leaves of an invasive tree that soaks up river water, an Asian beetle may help to slow down water loss in the Southwestern United States.Two scientists from UC Santa Barbara, working with colleagues from the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, have published the first substantive data showing water savings that can result from using Asian beetles for the biological control of tamarisk, an invasive tree of western rivers. The study is now...
Only five species of these so-called 'flea' beetles, out of a global total of 60, had been found to date in New Caledonia, in the western Pacific. A three-year study has now enabled Spanish researchers to discover two new herbivorous beetles "“ Arsipoda geographica and Arsipoda rostrata. These new beetles hold a secret "“ they feed on plants that the scientists have still not found on the archipelago."The study, financed by the National Geographic, went some way beyond merely...
One of the worst pests of corn in the world, the corn rootworm, may owe its worldwide success partly to its larvae's nasty, sticky blood.U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist Jonathan G. Lundgren and his colleagues discovered this recently, working with CABI researchers in Delémont, Switzerland, and Hódmezővásárhely, Hungary. The discovery could lead to development of ways to overcome these defenses as part of sustainable, ecologically based pest management...
The search is on for insects, mites, microbes or nematodes that could be used in a biologically based approach to controlling silverleaf nightshade, an invasive weed from the Americas that has spread to southern Europe, Africa, India, Australia and elsewhere.According to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) entomologist Walker Jones, the perennial weed, Solanum elaeagnifolium, is being targeted for its ability to outcompete native plants, reduce crop yields and diminish pasture productivity....
DES MOINES, Iowa, Oct. 26 /PRNewswire/ -- DuPont (NYSE: DD) today announced that its 2010 North America agricultural seed market share for its Pioneer Hi-Bred business has risen to 35 percent for corn and to 31 percent for the soybean seed market. "The revised numbers are consistent with the positive feedback we hear from customers," said Paul E. Schickler, president - Pioneer Hi-Bred. "With the strong value we are delivering to growers, Pioneer has the opportunity for additional share...
A new beetle that could be used to control the invasive weed skunk vine has been identified by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators.The insect, named Himalusa thailandensis, was found in Thailand by entomologists Bob Pemberton (now retired), with the ARS Invasive Plants Research Laboratory (IPRL) in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Tony Wright, with the ARS Australian Biological Control Laboratory (ABCL) in Brisbane, Australia; and Amporn Winotai, a cooperator with the Thailand...
Nematodes vanquish western corn rootworm pestThe larvae of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera beetles wreak havoc on maize. Feasting on the plants' roots, they are estimated to cause $1 billion of damage every year in the US. Ted Turlings from the University of Neuchâtel, Switzerland, explains that the pest, known as western corn rootworm, only arrived in Serbia in the 1990s, but since then it has marched through at least 11 European countries. 'Pesticides work to control the pest, but they...
A new insect that will help control the invasive weed waterhyacinth has been released by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators.Waterhyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) is a free-floating aquatic plant native to South America that has infested freshwater ecosystems from North Carolina to California but is especially problematic in the southeastern United States. The plant is a real menace, affecting water traffic, water quality, infrastructure for pumping and hydroelectric...
WILMINGTON, Del., May 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- MEDIA ALERT: DuPont will host a teleconference Monday, May 3, at 10 a.m. EDT/ 9 a.m. CDT for members of the media regarding this announcement. A question-and-answer session will immediately follow opening remarks. The teleconference number is: 866-837-9787, passcode: 156206. DuPont (NYSE: DD) announced the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) granted the historic commercial registration of Optimum® AcreMax(TM) 1 insect protection...
The western corn rootworm beetle, a pest that feasts on corn roots and corn silk and costs growers more than $1 billion annually in the U.S., also can survive on the perennial grass Miscanthus x giganteus, a potential biofuels crop that would likely be grown alongside corn, researchers report.Rootworm beetle larvae can survive to adulthood on Miscanthus rhizomes, and adult beetles will lay their eggs at the base of Miscanthus plants grown near cornfields, the researchers found. Their study,...
Latest Chrysomelidae Reference Libraries
The Scarlet Lily Beetle (Lilioceris lilii) is native to Europe but is now widely found in North America. Larvae damage cultivated lily and Fritillaria plants. Photo by Keith Edkins The beetle family Chrysomelidae, or leaf beetles is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera. Leaf beetles are recognizable by their tarsal formula and distinguished from long-horned beetles (family Cerambycidae) by their short, filiform antennae. Adult and larval leaf beetles feed on all...
PHOTO CAPTION: The common asparagus beetle Crioceris asparagi is an important pest of asparagus crops. Photo by Keith Edkins 2003 The Common Asparagus Beetle (Crioceris asparagi) is an chief pest of Asparagus crops both in Europe and in North America; asparagus is its only food plant. The adult beetles and the larvae strip the needle-like leaves off the asparagus fronds which deprives the plants of the ability to build food reserves for future years. They also damage the shoots, thereby...
PHOTO CAPTION: Goliath Beetle Beetles are one of the main groups of insects. Their order, Coleoptera (meaning "sheathed wing"), has more species than any other order in the entire animal kingdom. Forty percent of all described insect species are beetles (about 350,000 species), and new species are regularly discovered. Estimates put the total number of species at between 5 and 8 million. When J. B. S. Haldane, a British geneticist, was asked what his studies of nature revealed about...
The beetle family Chrysomelidae, or leaf beetles, is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera. Leaf beetles are recognizable by their tarsal formula and distinguished from long-horned beetles (family Cerambycidae) by their short, filiform antennae. Adult and larval leaf beetles feed on all sorts of plant tissue. Many are economically important pests of agriculture, for example the colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), the asparagus beetle (Crioceris...
