Spinach Flea Beetle – Disonycha xanthonelas
Spinach Flea Beetle – Disonycha xanthomelas
Common Name: Spinach Flea Beetle
Latin Name: Disonycha xanthomelas
Appearance:
The Spinach Flea Beetle is a small insect that is about 3 to 4 mm long. Its body is oval-shaped and has unique marks that are often a mix of black, yellow, and reddish-brown colors. Its back legs are bigger so it can jump, which is similar to how fleas do it.
Host Plant:
This flea beetle is known to feed on plants in the spinach family (Chenopodiaceae), especially spinach and other leafy greens that are similar.
Territory:
Spinach Flea Beetles can be found in many farming areas where their target plants are grown. It can be common in veggie fields, farms, and other places where spinach and other similar crops are grown a lot.
Damages caused by Spinach Flea Beetle:
Adult and larval Disonycha xanthomelas bugs eat the leaves of spinach and other plants that are linked to it. Their eating can leave the small, shot-hole-like marks on leaves that are so recognizable. Individual bugs might not do much damage, but large groups of them can cause leaves to fall off and hurt the target plants’ health as a whole.
Life History and Habitat:
The Spinach Flea Beetle goes through different steps in its life:
- Egg Stage:Bugs that are adults lay their eggs in the ground near plants that they eat.
- Larval Stage:Larvae eat plant roots after hatching from eggs.
- Pupal Stage:Larvae that are fully grown pupate in the ground.
- Adult Stage:The adult stage is when the beetles come out of their pupae and start eating the leaves of host plants.