Aphthona flava
Encyclopedia
Aphthona flava is a beetle
of the genus
Aphthona
. It is native to Eurasia
, and has been introduced into North America
as a biocontrol agent for leafy spurge
.
Adults are brown and difficult to distinguish in the field from A. cyparissiae and A. nigriscutis. A. flava is still the dominant beetle at some Manitoba
release sites, but it is relatively scarce in North Dakota and Minnesota.
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
of the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Aphthona
Aphthona
Aphthona is a genus of beetle, in the leaf beetle family Chrysomelidae, native to Europe and Asia. More specifically, Aphthona are flea beetles, meaning they have enlarged hind legs for jumping away from potential danger....
. It is native to Eurasia
Eurasia
Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
, and has been introduced into North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as a biocontrol agent for leafy spurge
Leafy spurge
Euphorbia esula, commonly known as the Green Spurge or Leafy Spurge, is a species of spurge native to central and southern Europe , and eastward through most of Asia north of the Himalaya to Korea and eastern Siberia.It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1-1.2 m tall, with several stems...
.
Adults are brown and difficult to distinguish in the field from A. cyparissiae and A. nigriscutis. A. flava is still the dominant beetle at some Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
release sites, but it is relatively scarce in North Dakota and Minnesota.