| Lesser Striped Flea Beetle (Phyllotreta undulata (Kutschera, 1860)) |
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Scientific name: Phyllotreta undulata (Kutschera, 1860) Common name: Lesser Striped Flea Beetle French name: Petite Altise des Crucifères, Altise des navets. Order: Coleoptera Family: Chrysomelidae Wingspan : 2 -2.8 mm. Biotope: Forests, roadsides, hedges, meadows, cultivated areas. Adults feed on leaves, larvae on roots. Geographic area: Palearctic region. Introduced to North America, Oceania, Australia and New Zealand. Observation period : Year round, active from early spring to autumn with a peak from May to July. |
Flea beetles are small leaf beetles of the Alticinae subfamily. They are characterized by their ability to jump thanks to their highly developed hind legs. They feed on plant leaves and can cause damage to crops. The Lesser Striped Flea Beetle has a black body with sometimes a faint metallic sheen. Each elytron bears a longitudinal yellow band with roughly parallel edges. This band is slightly narrower in the centre and curves at the end towards the apex of the elytron. The antennae are black except for the first three segments which are yellowish. The legs are black except for the base of the tibiae and tarsi which are yellowish. As a result the legs appear clearly two-tone. The Lesser Striped Flea Beetle overwinters as an adult. There are several similar species, that is to say black with yellow bands with roughly parallel edges. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate them with only a photo. Here is what I found for the species of metropolitan France. The Barley Flea Beetle (Phyllotreta vittula) is very punctuated. There is a large lateral black spot on the front of the elytron. The yellow band therefore narrows considerably at this point and it seems that it does not reach the base of the elytron. The Large Striped Flea Beetle (Phyllotreta nemorum) has uniformly yellowish-brown tibiae and tarsi. They do not appear bicoloured as on Phyllotreta undulata. The Horseradish Flea Beetle (Phyllotreta armoraciae), found in the east, has very broad yellow bands, leaving only a small black margin on the costal edge of the elytron. The shoulder appears completely yellow. There remains Phyllotreta christinae for which I found little information. However, in all the photos observed, the tibiae and tarsi do not appear clearly two-tone. |
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The shape of the yellow bands and the distinctly two-tone tibiae and tarsi seem to indicate the Lesser Striped Flea Beetle. |
André Bon October 2024