Bacterial-wilt-vector
Guides
Acalymma
striped cucumber beetles, cucumber beetles
Acalymma is a genus of leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae comprising approximately 72 described species in the Western Hemisphere. The genus is primarily distributed in the New World, with most species occurring in North America including Mexico. Two species, A. vittatum (striped cucumber beetle) and A. trivittatum (western striped cucumber beetle), are major agricultural pests of cucurbit crops. Acalymma species are specialists on plants in the family Cucurbitaceae, with adults feeding on leaves, flowers, and fruit, and larvae feeding on roots.
Acalymma trivittatum
Western Striped Cucumber Beetle
Acalymma trivittatum, the western striped cucumber beetle, is a specialist leaf beetle native to western North America. It is a key agricultural pest of cucurbit crops including melons, cucumbers, squash, and pumpkins. The species is closely related to the eastern striped cucumber beetle (Acalymma vittatum), with which it shares similar biology and damage potential. Both adults and larvae cause significant economic injury through direct feeding damage and transmission of bacterial wilt pathogen Erwinia tracheiphila.