Eggs:The eggs are oval, 0.5 mm long and 0.2 mm wide, whitish, with a reticulate surface.
Larva:Larvae in their first instar are about 1 mm long and are white to cream. Final-instar larvae are slender and cylindrical, 5.3 mm long and 0.8 mm wide, whitish with a brown head.
Pupa:The pupae are all white, 2.5 mm long, and 1.5 mm wide across the mid-thorax.
Adult:Adults are 1.5 to 2 mm long, dull black to reddish black, and have brown to yellow antennae. As you move toward the tarsi, the legs get lighter and red. They have larger hind femurs.
Host Plant:
Tuber Flea Beetle is a pest primarily found in Solanaceae, feeding on foliage and underground roots or tubers, with potatoes being the most significant host. Other solanaceous crop hosts like aubergine, Chinese lantern, ground cherry, tomato, and tobacco are less critical. Adults can also attack beans, cabbages, chard, cucumbers, and weeds.
Territory:
This pest lives in western North America and British Columbia. It hurts potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant the most.
Damages caused by Tuber Flea Beetle:
The tuber flea beetle’s damage to potato roots is similar to that of symphylans, and it is tough to tell them apart. Tobacco flea bugs and symphylans can live together in the same field.
Life history and habitat:
Tuber flea beetles spend the winter hidden in the ground in and around potato fields as adults. Flea beetles are most common in rising places west of the Cascade Mountains, where there are two to three generations a year. The overwintered adult flight from late May to late June is the start of the first generation. It can take up to a month for birds to mate and lay eggs. Usually, the juvenile stage lasts three weeks, and then the pupation stage lasts two weeks.
