Colorado potato beetle

Colorado potato beetle
a black and yellow leaf beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, originally of Colorado and neighboring states but now a common pest in all potato-growing regions of the U.S. Also called Colorado beetle, potato beetle, potatobug.
[1865-70, Amer.]

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or potato bug

Leaf beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata, family Chrysomelidae) native to western North America.

It began feeding on the leaves of cultivated potatoes when the plants were introduced into western North America, and by 1874 it had become an important and widespread pest. It has a hemispherical body, about 0.4 in. (10 mm) long, and is orange-red or yellow, with black stripes on the wing covers. Depending on climate, potato beetles may produce one to three generations each year.

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insect
also called  Potato Bug 
 insect pest that attacks the leaves of potato plants. This leaf beetle belongs to the subfamily Chrysomelinae of the family Chrysomelidae (order Coleoptera). It is native to western North America and originally fed on buffalo bur, a wild plant of the potato family abundant in the Rocky Mountain region. It began feeding on cultivated potatoes when they were introduced into western North America. By 1874 the beetle had become an important potato pest, spreading wherever potatoes were cultivated. The Colorado potato beetle is hemispherical in shape, about 10 mm (0.4 inch) long, and orange-red or yellow in colour, with black stripes on its wing covers (elytra). The female deposits between about 300 and 500 eggs on the underside of potato leaves. The red, plump, leaf-feeding larvae pupate underground and are usually not seen until they emerge as adults. Depending on the latitude, from one to three generations may occur each year.

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Universalium. 2010.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • Colorado potato beetle — Potato beetle redirects here. This can also refer to similar Chrysomelidae, e.g. Lema trilineata. Colorado potato beetle Scientific classification Kingdom …   Wikipedia

  • Colorado potato beetle — Potato Po*ta to, n.; pl. {Potatoes}. [Sp. patata potato, batata sweet potato, from the native American name (probably batata) in Hayti.] (Bot.) (a) A plant ({Solanum tuberosum}) of the Nightshade family, and its esculent farinaceous tuber, of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Colorado potato beetle — noun black and yellow beetle that feeds in adult and larval stages on potato leaves; originally of eastern Rocky Mountains; now worldwide • Syn: ↑Colorado beetle, ↑potato bug, ↑potato beetle, ↑Leptinotarsa decemlineata • Hypernyms: ↑leaf beetle,… …   Useful english dictionary

  • Colorado potato beetle — noun Date: 1874 a black and yellow striped beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) that feeds on the leaves of the potato called also potato beetle, potato bug …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • potato beetle — ☆ potato beetle or potato bug n. COLORADO BEETLE * * * Destructive species (Lema trilineata) of leaf beetle (family Chrysomelidae). Less than 0.25 in. (6 mm) long, it is yellow and has three black stripes on its wing covers. Eggs are laid on the… …   Universalium

  • Potato beetle — Potato Po*ta to, n.; pl. {Potatoes}. [Sp. patata potato, batata sweet potato, from the native American name (probably batata) in Hayti.] (Bot.) (a) A plant ({Solanum tuberosum}) of the Nightshade family, and its esculent farinaceous tuber, of… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • potato beetle — noun black and yellow beetle that feeds in adult and larval stages on potato leaves; originally of eastern Rocky Mountains; now worldwide • Syn: ↑Colorado potato beetle, ↑Colorado beetle, ↑potato bug, ↑Leptinotarsa decemlineata • Hypernyms: ↑leaf …   Useful english dictionary

  • potato beetle — noun Date: 1866 Colorado potato beetle …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • potato beetle — Colorado beetle Col o*ra do bee tle (Zo[ o]l.) A yellowish beetle ({Doryphora decemlineata}), with ten longitudinal, black, dorsal stripes. It has migrated eastwards from its original habitat in Colorado, and is very destructive to the potato… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • potato beetle — ☆ potato beetle or potato bug n. COLORADO BEETLE …   English World dictionary

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