Spotted cucumber beetle

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Spotted cucumber beetle
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Family: Chrysomelidae Genus: Diabrotica Species: D. undecimpunctata
Binomial name
Diabrotica undecimpunctata (L.)

The spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) is a major agricultural pest insect (see also cucumber beetle). In the adult form it eats and damages leaves of many crops, including cucumbers, soybeans, cotton, beans and many others. In the larval form, which is known as the southern corn rootworm, it tunnels through the roots of young plants, stunting or killing them. These native pests have a wide range of host plants, but will readily infest a field of crop plants, most notoriously corn.

Adult beetles are greenish-yellow with six large black spots on each elytron. They are about half a centimeter long. The larvae are yellowish and wormlike.

The spotted cucumber beetle has three subspecies, each with a different common name;

• the Spotted cucumber beetle (a.k.a. Southern corn rootworm) is Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi
• the Western cucumber beetle is Diabrotica undecimpunctata tenella
• the Western spotted cucumber beetle is Diabrotica undecimpunctata undecimpunctata.