Dioscorea
Guides
Lilioceris cheni
air potato leaf beetle
Lilioceris cheni is a leaf-feeding beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, native to China and Nepal. It was introduced to Florida in 2012 as a classical biological control agent to combat the invasive air potato vine (Dioscorea bulbifera). The beetle has established successfully and is now widely distributed across the southern United States. Mass rearing programs produce over 50,000 beetles annually for release. Both larvae and adults feed on air potato foliage, causing significant damage that reduces vine density and bulbil production.