Poplar Blackmine Beetle: Appearance, Territory, Damage and Life Cycle

Latin Name: Zeugophora Scutellaris

Appearance: A megalopodid leaf beetle in the Megalopodidae family, Zeugophora Scutellaris is also known as the poplar Blackmine beetle or cottonwood leaf-mining beetle. Europe, Northern Asia (excluding China), and North America are all possible locations. Adults feature an orange-yellow head, thorax, and legs, as well as black wing covers, and are 3 to 4.5 mm in length. The larva is pale in color and has no legs. This beetle’s pupa is often whitish or creamy white, with evident beetle leg development.

Hosts Plants: Poplar leaves and twigs. (Poplar and cottonwood)

Territory: Europe and Northern Asia

Damage Insect Cause: Plants are harmed by both larvae and adults. Beetles skeletonize tiny portions of host plant leaf tissue; larvae dig uneven places between leaf surfaces, which become black. Unless there are large outbreaks, the damage is modest. Insecticides are most effective when used on adults before eggs are deposited. Many locations might benefit from an early to mid-June arrival. See the section on Leafminers in the supplement for particular advice.

Life History and Habits: Adults emerge during the months of May and July. They are around 1/4 inch long, with a black abdomen, and are primarily yellow in color. Adults eat the undersides of leaves, resulting in slight skeletonization. Females also lay their eggs in some of the leaf pits. The growing larvae burrow into the leaves and eat within them until late summer. They then descend to the ground, burrow into the soil, and pupate in cells several inches below the surface of the earth. A new generation is born every year.