Imported willow leaf beetle
Plagiodera versicolora (Laicharting) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
Orientation to pest
Imported willow leaf beetle, Plagiodera versicolora (Laicharting), is an introduced insect in North America of European or Asian origin. Adults overwinter in protected locations near host trees. Adults begin feeding in early spring at leaf expansion and lay clusters of oval yellow eggs on leaves. Both larvae and adults are foliage feeders, skeletonizing and causing shot hole damage, respectively, to the leaves of willows and poplars in both landscape plantings and natural habitats. There are 2 (northern climates) to 4 (southern climates) generations per year.
Hosts commonly attacked
Hosts of imported willow leaf beetle include various species of poplar (Populus) and willow (Salix).
Distribution
This insect is found in North America (throughout the eastern United States and southern Canada, and in parts of Alaska), Central Europe, Japan, and China. The exact native range is not known.
Images of imported willow leaf beetle
| Figure 1. Adult of imported willow leaf beetle, Plagiodera versicolora | Figure 2. Shot-hole type feeding damage caused by adults of imported willow leaf beetle | Figure 3. Larvae and feeding damage of imported willow leaf beetle |
| Figure 4. Clump of willow showing branches defoliated by imported willow leaf beetle | Figure 5. The coccinellid, Neoharmonia venusta, a predator of imported willow leaf beetle eggs. |
Important biological control agents related to this pest species
In North America, the chalcids Schizonotus rotundivenris (Girault) and Schizonotus latus (Walker) parasitize the imported willow leaf beetle. Eggs are eaten by predators, especially the coccinellid Neoharmonia venusta (Melsheimer)
Web links for information on imported willow leaf beetle
Articles
- Wade, M. J. and F. Breden. 1986. Life history of natural populations of the imported willow leaf beetle, Plagiodera versicolora (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Annals of the Entomological Society of America 79: 73-79.
