Mint-family

Guides

• Phyllobrotica nigritarsis

  Phyllobrotica nigritarsis is a rare leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) endemic to the central United States. The species was historically known from only four specimens collected in Missouri during the late 1800s until a small series was collected in 1987. It is an extreme host specialist, feeding exclusively on Scutellaria parvula (small skullcap), a member of the mint family (Lamiaceae). Like other Phyllobrotica species, it inhabits wet bottomland habitats rather than dry prairies.

  leaf-beetleChrysomelidaerareendemichost-specialistScutellariamint-familyMissouriwetlandbottomland