Galerucinae
Guides
Altica obliterata
Altica obliterata is a flea beetle (family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Galerucinae) described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1859. Like other members of the genus Altica, adults possess enlarged hind femora adapted for jumping, a characteristic trait of the tribe Alticini. The species occurs in North and Middle America, though specific details regarding its host plants, habitat preferences, and life history remain poorly documented in the available literature.
Altica probata
Altica probata is a species of flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, first described by Fall in 1910. It is a member of the large and diverse genus Altica, which contains numerous species associated with various host plants. The species is recorded from western North America, including British Columbia in Canada. Like other Altica species, adults are likely small, metallic, and capable of jumping when disturbed.
Aulacothorax
Aulacothorax is a genus of leaf beetles comprising 51 described species distributed worldwide, with the highest diversity in the Indomalayan realm. The genus was historically misclassified among flea beetles (Alticini) due to superficially similar enlarged hind femora, but lacks the metafemoral spring that enables jumping. A 2023 phylogenetic study established its placement in the distinct tribe Serraticollini. The genus name dates to 1858, though the original type species was later reassigned, resulting in the synonymy of Orthaltica with Aulacothorax in 2017.
Crepidodera opulenta
Crepidodera opulenta is a flea beetle (subfamily Galerucinae, tribe Alticini) first described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1858. As a member of the genus Crepidodera, it belongs to a group of small leaf beetles characterized by their jumping ability. Very little specific information is available about this particular species, though the genus is known to contain species associated with various host plants. The species name 'opulenta' suggests a reference to richness or abundance, possibly alluding to coloration or some other distinctive feature noted by LeConte.
Disonycha alabamae
Disonycha alabamae is a flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, described by Schaeffer in 1919. The species is known from limited records in North America. As a member of the genus Disonycha, it belongs to a group of leaf beetles often associated with specific host plants. Available data on this species is sparse, with only three observations documented in iNaturalist.
Dysphenges
Dysphenges is a genus of flea beetles (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) established by Horn in 1894. The genus comprises four described species distributed in North America and Central America. Three species were described by Gilbert and Riley in 2002: D. penrosei, D. rileyi, and D. secretus. As members of the Alticini tribe, these beetles possess the enlarged hind femora characteristic of flea beetles, enabling their distinctive jumping locomotion.
Dysphenges rileyi
Dysphenges rileyi is a species of flea beetle (subfamily Galerucinae, tribe Alticini) in the leaf beetle family Chrysomelidae. The species was described in 2002 by Gilbert and Andrews. It occurs in Central America and North America.
Dysphenges secretus
Dysphenges secretus is a species of flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, described by Gilbert and Riley in 2012. It was one of three new species of the genus Dysphenges described from the United States in a paper published in The Pan-Pacific Entomologist. The genus Dysphenges belongs to the tribe Alticini, a large group of leaf beetles known for their enlarged hind femora that enable jumping.
Erynephala texana
Erynephala texana is a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. The genus Erynephala belongs to the subfamily Galerucinae, which contains many herbivorous beetles commonly known as skeletonizing leaf beetles or flea beetles. This species has been documented in the southwestern United States, including Texas, consistent with its specific epithet. The genus is relatively small and poorly studied, with limited published information on its biology and ecology.
Eusattodera pini
Eusattodera pini is a species of skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is a member of the flea beetle tribe Alticini, characterized by enlarged hind femora adapted for jumping. The species is native to North America and feeds on pine foliage.
Isotes
Isotes is a genus of skeletonizing leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Galerucinae. The genus contains approximately 180 described species and is restricted to the Neotropical region. Species in this genus feed on leaf tissue between veins, producing a characteristic skeletonized damage pattern on host plants.
Longitarsus ferrugineus
Longitarsus ferrugineus is a small black flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Galerucinae. It belongs to a large genus of leaf beetles characterized by their enlarged hind femora adapted for jumping. The species has a broad distribution across much of Europe, with records from Great Britain through Central Europe to Italy and the Baltic states.
Luperini
Luperini is a tribe of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) within the large subfamily Galerucinae, containing approximately 5800 species. The tribe includes economically significant genera such as Diabrotica, Acalymma, and Aulacophora, many of which are associated with cucurbit host plants. Members exhibit specialized chemical ecology involving detection of cucurbitacins, bitter triterpenoid compounds that serve as kairomones for host location.
Margaridisa
Margaridisa is a genus of flea beetles (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae) comprising at least 16 described species. The genus was established by Jan Bechyné in 1958. Species are distributed primarily in the Neotropical region, with records from Central and South America. Many species were described by Bechyné and his collaborators between the 1950s and 1990s.
Monoxia
Monoxia is a genus of skeletonizing leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, subfamily Galerucinae. The genus contains approximately 16-18 described species distributed in North America and the Neotropics. At least one species, Monoxia obesula, has become invasive in Europe and North Africa. Members of this genus are associated with host plants in the family Amaranthaceae, particularly Atriplex and Chenopodium species.
Ophraea
Ophraea is a genus of skeletonizing leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae. The genus contains approximately eight described species, with twelve species names listed in taxonomic records. Members are distributed across North America and the Neotropics. These beetles are characterized by their leaf-feeding behavior, specifically skeletonizing plant tissue between leaf veins.
Ophraella bilineata
Skeletonizing leaf beetle
Ophraella bilineata is a species of skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. The species is characterized by its distinctive striped elytra and is found across North America. As a member of the Galerucinae subfamily, it exhibits the typical leaf beetle morphology with compact body form and herbivorous feeding habits.
Phydanis
Phydanis is a genus of flea beetles (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) containing two described species. The genus was established by Horn in 1889. Species in this genus are uncommonly encountered and poorly documented in the literature. One species, P. bicolor, has been recorded from Texas with a confirmed adult host association, though specific host plants are not detailed in available sources.
Phyllobrotica
skeletonizing leaf beetles, flea beetles
Phyllobrotica is a genus of leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, containing at least 18 described species in North America. Members are small, often brightly colored beetles known as skeletonizing leaf beetles and flea beetles. Most North American species are extreme host specialists, feeding almost exclusively on plants in the mint family (Lamiaceae), particularly genera Scutellaria and Stachys. One species, P. physostegiae, has been documented on Physostegia, representing an unusual host transfer to a related mint family genus in dry prairie habitats.
Phyllobrotica decorata
Phyllobrotica decorata is a species of skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is distributed across North America, with records from Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba) and the United States. Like other members of the genus Phyllobrotica, it is believed to be a host specialist, though specific host plant associations for this species remain poorly documented compared to congeners.
Pseudolampsis
Pseudolampsis is a genus of flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticini) established by G.H. Horn in 1889. The genus has been subject to taxonomic revision regarding distribution patterns and synonymy. The most studied species, Pseudolampsis guttata, has been evaluated as a biological control agent for invasive aquatic ferns.
Scelida
Scelida is a genus of skeletonizing leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, established by Chapuis in 1875. The genus comprises at least four described species distributed across North America and the Neotropics. Members of this genus are classified within the subfamily Galerucinae and tribe Luperini. As skeletonizing leaf beetles, they are presumed to feed on leaf tissue between leaf veins.
Scelolyperus smaragdinus
Emerald Skeletonizing Leaf Beetle
Scelolyperus smaragdinus is a skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. The species is found in North America and belongs to a genus of leaf-feeding beetles that characteristically skeletonize plant foliage by feeding on the tissue between leaf veins. The specific epithet "smaragdinus" refers to its emerald green coloration.
Synetocephalus
Synetocephalus is a genus of skeletonizing leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, containing approximately 10 described species. The genus was established by Fall in 1910 and is restricted to North America. Species in this genus are small leaf-feeding beetles that skeletonize plant foliage. One species, Synetocephalus penrosei, was described in 2012 from California and named in honor of the coleopterist Richard L. Penrose.
Synetocephalus diegensis
A small leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, described from California. The species epithet refers to San Diego, indicating its type locality. Very few observations exist in biodiversity databases, suggesting it is either rare, undercollected, or restricted to specific habitats. It belongs to a genus of flea beetles characterized by enlarged hind femora adapted for jumping.
Synetocephalus vandykei
Synetocephalus vandykei is a species of skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, described by Blake in 1942. The species is known from North America. As a member of the tribe Alticini (flea beetles), it likely possesses enlarged hind femora adapted for jumping, a characteristic of this group.
Triarius nigroflavus
Triarius nigroflavus is a skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, described in 2001. The species belongs to a genus known for feeding on morning glories and related plants in the family Convolvulaceae. It is recorded from North America.
Trirhabda
skeletonizing leaf beetles, goldenrod beetles
Trirhabda is a genus of skeletonizing leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, comprising over 30 described species distributed in North America and Mexico. These beetles are specialist herbivores primarily associated with plants in the Asteraceae family, particularly goldenrods (Solidago), asters, and related composites. The genus has been extensively studied in ecological research due to its host-specific feeding habits, density-dependent dispersal behaviors, and potential keystone species effects on plant community dynamics. Several species are notable for sequestering defensive compounds and exhibiting complex movement behaviors in response to landscape structure and host plant quality.
Trirhabda attenuata
skeletonizing leaf beetle
Trirhabda attenuata is a skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, distributed across North America. The species is one of several in the genus Trirhabda, which are known for their specialized feeding on particular host plants. Like congeners, it exhibits the characteristic skeletonizing feeding pattern of removing leaf tissue between veins. The species was described by Thomas Say in 1824.
Trirhabda diducta
skeletonizing leaf beetle
Trirhabda diducta is a species of skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, first described by George Henry Horn in 1893. The genus Trirhabda comprises approximately 26 North American species, most of which are associated with goldenrod (Solidago) and related Asteraceae hosts. Like congeners, T. diducta is expected to be a specialist herbivore with larvae that mine leaves and adults that skeletonize foliage. The species occurs across North America, though specific host associations and detailed biology remain poorly documented compared to better-studied relatives such as T. canadensis and T. virgata.
Trirhabda manisi
Trirhabda manisi is a species of skeletonizing leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae, first described by Hogue in 1971. Like other members of the genus Trirhabda, it is expected to feed on leaves of specific host plants, skeletonizing the tissue between the veins. The species is known from North America, though specific details about its biology and distribution remain poorly documented. It is one of approximately 30 species in the genus Trirhabda, most of which are associated with Asteraceae host plants.
Yingabruxia apicalis
Yingabruxia apicalis is a species of flea beetle (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) in the genus Yingabruxia. The genus Yingabruxia was established relatively recently in leaf beetle systematics. As a member of the Alticini, this species possesses the enlarged hind femora characteristic of flea beetles that enable jumping locomotion. No specific ecological or biological studies have been published on this species.