Spotted cucumber beetle

The spotted cucumber beetle or southern corn rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) is a species of cucumber beetle that is native to North America. The species can be a major agricultural pest insect in North America. Spotted cucumber beetles cause damage to crops in the larval and adult stages of their life cycle. Larvae feed on the roots of the emerging plants, which causes the most damage since the young plants are more vulnerable.[1] In the adult stage the beetles cause damage by eating the flowers, leaves, stems, and fruits of the plant[2] The beetles can also spread diseases such as bacterial wilt and mosaic virus.[3]

Spotted cucumber beetle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Diabrotica
Species:
D. undecimpunctata
Binomial name
Diabrotica undecimpunctata
Spotted cucumber beetle

Description

The spotted cucumber beetle has three subspecies, each with a different common name:

  • D. u. howardi – spotted cucumber beetle or southern corn rootworm[4]
  • D. u. tenella – western cucumber beetle[5]
  • D. u. undecimpunctata – western spotted cucumber beetle[6]

In the adult form, it eats leaves of many crops, including squash, cucumbers, soybeans, cotton, beans, and corn. Adult beetles lay eggs in the soil near a cucurbit plant. The eggs hatch around mid spring and take 6–9 days to hatch under favorable conditions.[7] The larval stage lasts around 2–3 weeks[8] and the larvae are yellowish and wormlike.[9] After the larval stage insects become pupae, this stage lasts for 6–10 days.[10] After 6–10 days the adult beetle emerges. Adult beetles are greenish-yellow with six large black spots on each elytron. They are about 0.5 cm long.[11]

Distribution

This species is found throughout southern Canada, the continental USA, and the central highlands of Mexico.[12]

References
  1. "spotted cucumber beetle - Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber". entnemdept.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  2. "spotted cucumber beetle - Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber". entnemdept.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  3. Almanac, Old Farmer's. "Cucumber Beetles". Old Farmer's Almanac. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  4. "Cucumber beetles". extension.umn.edu. UMN Extension. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  5. "D. undecimpunctata tenella LeConte". USDA-APHIS Identification Technology Program. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
  6. "Identification & Management of Major Pest & Beneficial Insects in Potato" (PDF). US Pest. Oregon State University. Retrieved 21 May 2019.
  7. "spotted cucumber beetle - Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber". entnemdept.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  8. "spotted cucumber beetle - Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi Barber". entnemdept.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  9. "Spotted Cucumber Beetle? - Diabrotica undecimpunctata". bugguide.net.
  10. Treat, Asher E. (1970-03-16). "Wormlike Objects (Nematode Larvae?) on Two Gamasine Mites Taken from Noctuid Moths". Annals of the Entomological Society of America. 63 (2): 619–620. doi:10.1093/aesa/63.2.619. ISSN 1938-2901.
  11. "Spotted Cucumber Beetle? - Diabrotica undecimpunctata - BugGuide.Net". bugguide.net. Retrieved 2020-04-25.
  12. "Diabrotica undecimpunctata" (PDF). Data Sheets on Quarantine Pests. European and Mediterranean Plant Protection Organization. Retrieved 2012-06-20.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.