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Epitrix cucumeris

Epitrix cucumeris, the potato flea beetle, is a species of flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is a major pest of potatoes in North America.

Last revised
May 31, 2026
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Wikipedia ↗
Epitrix cucumeris
Epitrix cucumeris, Oklahoma
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Chrysomelidae
Tribe: Alticini
Genus: Epitrix
Species:
E. cucumeris
Binomial name
Epitrix cucumeris
(Harris, 1851)
Synonyms
  • Haltica cucumeris Harris, 1851
  • Haltica seminulum LeConte, 1861

Epitrix cucumeris, the potato flea beetle, is a species of flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae.123 It is a major pest of potatoes in North America.4

Distribution

It is native to North America15 and occurs widely in the Americas;54 it has also been introduced to the Azores5 and the continental Europe (Portugal and Spain).46

Description

Epitrix cucumeris is a small oval and convex beetle measuring 1.5–2 mm (0.059–0.079 in) in length. It is difficult to distinguish from many other Epitrix without detailed examination.4

As a pest

It is a major pest of potatoes in North America, mostly damaging the foliage as adults. The larvae can sometimes damage the tubers.4 It can also feed on many other Solanaceae species.3

References

References

  1. "Epitrix cucumeris (Harris, 1851)". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  2. "Epitrix cucumeris (Harris, 1851)". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  3. "Epitrix cucumeris Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 22 January 2025.
  4. Eyre, Dominic; Giltrap, Neil (2013). "Epitrix flea beetles: new threats to potato production in Europe". Pest Management Science. 69 (1): 3–6. Bibcode:2013PMSci..69....3E. doi:10.1002/ps.3423. PMID 23169596.
  5. Riley, Ed; Clark, S.; Seeno, T. (2003). Catalog of Leaf Beetles of America North of Mexico. Coleopterists Society. ISBN 9780972608718.
  6. "Epitrix cucumeris (EPIXCU)". EPPO Global Database. EPPO. 30 May 2018. Retrieved 19 June 2018.
Further reading

Further reading

  • Lobl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2013). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Volume 6: Chrysomeloidea. Apollo Books. ISBN 978-90-04-26091-7.