The Potato Beetles Of Florida

True “potato beetles” are members of the beetle genus Leptinotarsa, with 32 species in North America, including Mexico; 10 species in the continental United States, including 2 species in Florida. The most notable is the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say), found in Florida and most of the United States, and introduced into Europe and parts of Asia. It is a serious pest of potatoes and other solanaceous plants.

The family Chrysomelidae, or leaf beetles, is one of the 7 largest families of Coleoptera. All members are phytophagous, both as larvae and as adults. Some feed on roots, others on stems or leaves of herbaceous plants, and some mine the leaves of woody plants. They belong to the subfamily Chrysomelinae represented by over 2,000 species distributed throughout the world. Most larvae of the Chrysomelinae live openly on plants while feeding, and they usually burrow into soil to pupate. Many economically important species are found in this subfamily.