Subject: Flea Beetles Eating Up Texas Primrose?
Location: Coryell County, central Texas
April 28, 2013 11:04 pm
Are these Flea Beetles, perhaps even Altica litigata, eating the Texas primrose? Bug Guide lists primrose as a food for the A. litigata, but I’m not sure if that’s what these insects are. They look like miniature Egyptian scarabs to me. I’ve included a photo of a healthy Texas primrose as contrast to the eaten ones. Warm, sunny weather today, 80 degrees. Thank you so much.
http://bugguide.net/node/view/492289
(Last entry for awhile, back to work for me! I enjoy your website so much. Makes me think, helps hone my research skills, and it’s all so interesting.)
Signature: Ellen
Hi again Ellen,
We agree that these are Flea Beetles. We haven’t the necessary skills to key them down to a species level, but based on the stated food plants, we believe your identification of Altica litigata is most likely correct.
Update: June 7, 2015
Because of a new submission and new research, another possibility is that these are Apple Flea Beetles, Altica foliaceae, a member of the genus previously identified. According to BugGuide: “Larvae develop on evening primrose (Oenothera); adults disperse to feed on a wide range of plants including Epilobium, Gaura, Zauschneria, grape, crabapple, and willow” and “In recent years, several outbreaks of this insect have occurred throughout Colorado.”