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Spotted Cucumber Beetle

Diabrotica undecimpunctata

Photo by SusanEllison
Published on Project Noah
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Field Notes

Description:

found this bug on the flower.
The spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) is a major agricultural pest insect . In the adult form it eats and damages leaves of many crops, including cucumbers, soybeans, cotton, beans and many others. In the larval form, which is known as the southern corn rootworm, it tunnels through the roots of young plants, stunting or killing them. These native pests have a wide range of host plants, but will readily infest a field of crop plants, most notoriously corn.

Adult beetles are greenish-yellow with twelve large black spots on each elytron. They are about half a centimeter long. The larvae are yellowish and wormlike.

The spotted cucumber beetle has three subspecies, each with a different common name;
the Spotted cucumber beetle (a.k.a. Southern corn rootworm) is Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi
the Western cucumber beetle is Diabrotica undecimpunctata tenella
the Western spotted cucumber beetle is Diabrotica undecimpunctata undecimpunctata.

Species ID Suggestions

Spotted cucumber beetle

Diabrotica undecimpunctata

Comments (4)

You should consider joining the Beetles in Texas mission and adding this siting to the mission: http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/11377042
Only if you are growing cucumbers! :)
Thanks Karen...now it has a name not a good bug though
We have lots of these guys in Tennessee at the moment too!
Photographed
PublishedOctober 21, 2011

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