Phyllotreta

Phyllotreta

 

turnip flea beetles, a genus of small jumping beetles of the family Chrysomelidae; ubiquitous pests of crucifers.

The most damaging species in the USSR are Phyllotreta undulata (more widely distributed than the others), P. turcmenica, P. nemorum, P. vittata, P. cruciferae, P. atra, and P. fucata. All of these species usually develop in a single generation, but in the south, P. nemorum, P. cruciferae, and P. atra develop in two or three generations. After wintering (from early spring to midsummer), the beetles chew off the leaves of shoots and seedlings. The larvae of P. nemorum live in the stems and leaves of crucifers. Those of the other species live in the ground, feeding on roots and pupating in the soil. V. F. Palii [.3–1174–1]