Dogbane beetle, indigenous to the eastern parts of North America, belongs to the oval leaf beetle (Eumolpinae), a subfamily of the leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) family. The brightest among all the leaf beetle species, it gets its name from the dogbane plant that it primarily feeds on.
Size: 8 – 11 mm (0.31 – 0.43 inches)
Color: It has an iridescent bluish-green body with a crimson, metallic copper or golden shine.
Other Characteristic Features: Since they are a part of the oval-shaped beetle subfamily, the dogbane beetle’s body is oval and convex. They also have a flat, blunt mandible and large hypopharynx, which help them ingest the dogbane plant’s latex with ease.
The larva has a white body and a brown head. It mostly burrows in the soil, feeding on the roots and leaves of its host plants.
The larvae pupate in chambers within the soil from where the pupae emerge.
The eggs are small and round with a width and height of 3mm (0.11 inches) and 2 mm (0.07 inches), respectively.
| Other Names | Golden beetle |
| Lifespan | 6 – 8 weeks |
| Distribution | Throughout eastern North America and southern Canada, mostly in the eastern portions of the Rocky Mountains and parts of Utah and Arizona |
| Habitat | Forest, streambanks, forest edges, fields with gravelly or sandy soil, grasslands, railroad tracks, and everywhere else where their host plants grow |
| Common Predators | Birds, wasps |
| Seasons active from | June – August |
| Host Plants | Dogbane, (also milkweed occasionally) |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Fly-trap dogbane, hemp dogbane, while some even feed on several milkweed species |
The larvae may pull out the roots, though the adults are not known to make holes or cause any other damage to the milkweed plants, as they mostly feed on the sticky sap.
Dogbane beetle, indigenous to the eastern parts of North America, belongs to the oval leaf beetle (Eumolpinae), a subfamily of the leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae) family. The brightest among all the leaf beetle species, it gets its name from the dogbane plant that it primarily feeds on.
Size: 8 – 11 mm (0.31 – 0.43 inches)
Color: It has an iridescent bluish-green body with a crimson, metallic copper or golden shine.
Other Characteristic Features: Since they are a part of the oval-shaped beetle subfamily, the dogbane beetle’s body is oval and convex. They also have a flat, blunt mandible and large hypopharynx, which help them ingest the dogbane plant’s latex with ease.
The larva has a white body and a brown head. It mostly burrows in the soil, feeding on the roots and leaves of its host plants.
The larvae pupate in chambers within the soil from where the pupae emerge.
The eggs are small and round with a width and height of 3mm (0.11 inches) and 2 mm (0.07 inches), respectively.
| Other Names | Golden beetle |
| Lifespan | 6 – 8 weeks |
| Distribution | Throughout eastern North America and southern Canada, mostly in the eastern portions of the Rocky Mountains and parts of Utah and Arizona |
| Habitat | Forest, streambanks, forest edges, fields with gravelly or sandy soil, grasslands, railroad tracks, and everywhere else where their host plants grow |
| Common Predators | Birds, wasps |
| Seasons active from | June – August |
| Host Plants | Dogbane, (also milkweed occasionally) |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Fly-trap dogbane, hemp dogbane, while some even feed on several milkweed species |
The larvae may pull out the roots, though the adults are not known to make holes or cause any other damage to the milkweed plants, as they mostly feed on the sticky sap.
