Disonycha discoidea

Disonycha discoidea
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Chrysomelidae
Genus: Disonycha
Species:
D. discoidea
Binomial name
Disonycha discoidea
(Fabricius, 1792)

Disonycha discoidea, the passionflower flea beetle, is a species of flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is found in North America.

Description

The adult is large for a flea beetle, roughly 7 mm long and 4 mm wide. The body is oval-shaped and orange-red (some references base the description on preserved specimens, which yellow with age[1]). The antennae are dark, with the basal and apical joints sometimes paler.[2][3]

Two subspecies are recognized, distinguished by elytra coloration:[2][3]

  • D. discoidea discoidea: elytra with a black discoidal spot of variable but large size, not reaching the margins.
  • D. discoidea abbreviata: elytra with alternating longitudinal black and pale yellow stripes.
D. discoidea discoidea
D. discoidea abbreviata

Etymology

Chevrolat coined the genus name Disonycha from the Greek roots δίς (two) and ὄνυξ (claw).[4] The specific epithet discoidea presumably refers to the disc-shaped black spot on the elytra.[2]

Distribution

Disonycha discoidea is found in the eastern United States, from Texas and Kansas in the west to Georgia and Maryland in the east.[2] Some references report a broader range of Colorado to Florida to Rhode Island.[5]

Diet

Several insect larvae on a leaf, with much of the leaf missing and only veins remaining.
Disonycha discoidea larvae skeletonizing the leaf of a yellow passionflower.

As the common name suggests, Disonycha discoidea is a Passiflora specialist, feeding on yellow passionflower and purple passionflower.[2][3][6] These plants contain toxic cyanogenic glycosides which other herbivorous insects are able to take in and sequester,[7] but it is not yet known whether Disonycha discoidea makes use of them.

Disonycha discoidea has also been reported to feed on another plant, Euonymus atropurpureus, but this may be a separate, undescribed species.[6]

Other congeneric Passiflora specialists (D. quinquelineata and D. stenosticha) have been observed cannibalizing eggs.[8]

Life history

One beetle on top of a second.
Two passionflower flea beetles copulating.

The beetle overwinters as an adult, underneath plant leaves or underground.[6] They emerge in spring and lay eggs on or near a host plant. The larvae feed on the leaves, often in groups. They eventually pupate underground.[4]

References

  1. ↑ Evans, Arthur V. (2014). Beetles of Eastern North America. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-13303-4.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Blake, Doris Holmes (1933). "Revision of the beetles of the genus Disonycha occurring in America north of Mexico". Proceedings of the United States National Museum. 82. Smithsonian Institution: 1–66. doi:10.5479/si.00963801.82-2969.1.
  3. 1 2 3 Hays, Kirby L.; Balsbaugh, Edward U. (1972). The Leaf Beetles of Alabama (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) (Report). Auburn University Agricultural Experiment Station Bulletin 441. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  4. 1 2 D'Orbigny, Charles (1845). Dictionnaire universel d'histoire naturelle. Vol. 5. p. 81. doi:10.5962/bhl.title.156428.
  5. ↑ Riley, Edward G.; Clark, Shawn M.; Seeno, Terry N. (2003). Catalog of the leaf beetles of America north of Mexico (PDF) (Report). The Coleopterists Society. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  6. 1 2 3 Clark, Shawn M.; LeDoux, Douglas G.; Seeno, Terry N.; Riley, Edward G.; Gilbert, Arthur J.; Sullivan, James M. (2004). Host plants of leaf beetle species occurring in the United States and Canada (PDF) (Report). The Coleopterists Society. Retrieved 2026-06-06.
  7. ↑ Spencer, Kevin C. (1988). "Chapter 7 - Chemical Mediation of Coevolution in the Passiflora–Heliconius Interaction". Chemical Mediation of Coevolution. Academic Press. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-656855-4.50011-5. ISBN 9780126568554.
  8. ↑ Morrison, Colin R.; Armstrong, Wyatt (2024). "Egg Cannibalism by Passion Vine Specialist Disonycha Chevrolat Flea Beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini)". The Coleopterists Bulletin. 78 (4). The Coleopterists Society: 494–498. doi:10.1649/0010-065X-78.4.494.

Further reading

  • Wikimedia Commons logo Media related to Disonycha discoidea at Wikimedia Commons
  • "Disonycha discoidea species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2019-09-25.
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