Colorado potato beetle
Also known as Leptinotarsa decemlineata, Colorado beetle, ten-striped spearman, ten-lined potato beetle, potato bug
species of insect
AI overview
The Colorado potato beetle is an insect species that feeds on potato plants and other crops in the nightshade family. It is considered a significant agricultural pest because of the damage it causes to crops and the challenges it presents for farmers trying to control it.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Species
Colorado Potato Beetle
species
Observations17,920
via
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Colorado potato beetle.jpg
Article
The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata; also known as the Colorado beetle, the ten-striped spearman, the ten-lined potato beetle, and the potato bug) is a beetle known for being a major pest of potato crops. It is about 10 mm (3⁄8 in) long, with a bright yellow/orange body and five bold brown stripes along the length of each of its wings. Native to the Rocky Mountains, it spread rapidly in potato crops across the United States and then Europe from 1859 onwards.
The Colorado potato beetle was first observed in 1811 by Thomas Nuttall and was formally described in 1824 by American entomologist Thomas Say. The beetles were collected in the Rocky Mountains, where they were feeding on the buffalo bur, Solanum rostratum.