Seedling-pest
Guides
Zygogramma exclamationis
sunflower beetle
Zygogramma exclamationis, the sunflower beetle, is a leaf-feeding chrysomelid beetle native to North America. Adults emerge from hibernation in late spring to early summer, coinciding with sunflower seedling emergence, and feed on young leaves. Larvae develop through summer, feeding nocturnally on foliage while hiding in flower bracts during daylight hours. The species completes one generation per year, with new adults emerging in late summer before overwintering in soil. It is a recognized pest of cultivated sunflowers, particularly damaging to seedlings, and serves as host for parasitoid tachinid flies including Myiopharus neilli.