Flea beetles

Distribution: Cosmopolitan.

Psyllodes spp.

Host Range: Potatoes, tomatoes, turnip and eggplant.

Nature of damage and symptoms:

Grubs commonly feed on roots, often riddling them with tunnels or eating off rootlets.
Round holes called “shot holes” chewed in leaves are the most obvious damage caused by adult flea beetles.
On small plants, this "buckshot" damage can result in plant death.
On larger plants these feeding sites provide a good entrance for pathogens causing blights and wilts.

Flea beetles in potato

Identification:

Flea beetles are so named because of their enlarged hind legs with very stout femora with which they jump like fleas i.e. have jumping ability.
The grubs are dirty white or grey with pale white head, 5 mm in length.
The adults vary in colour from shiny black to black and are 1/16 to 1/18 inch long, some have brown legs and antennae.

Flea beetles grub

Life cycle:

· Eggs (50- 80 creamy white eggs per female) are laid in the soil at the base of plants (Fig below).

· From the eggs cylindrical, brown-headed, white larvae (grub) hatch in 5-10 days that are about 1/5 inch long when full grown, molts thrice.

· The pupal stage (8-14 days) is spent in the soil in an earthen cell 0.5 mm long.

· These insect over-winters as adults in trash around field borders and in ditch banks. 7-8 generations per year.