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Aphthona

(Genus)

Overview

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Aphthona is a of beetle, in the leaf beetle family Chrysomelidae. More specifically, Aphthona are flea beetles, meaning they have enlarged hind legs for jumping away from potential danger.

This flea beetle genus is important because of the usefulness of some species in controlling leafy spurge, a major invasive weed in parts of western North America. Several Aphthona species have been taken from Europe and introduced into localized areas of the United States and Canada, and some success against the weed is being seen. Species used for this purpose include A. abdominalis, A. cyparissiae, A. czwalinae, and A. flava.

Species

A. nonstriata

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Genus Aphthona is further organized into finer groupings including:

Sources

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Last Revised: November 20, 2008