Taxonomy
Kingdom:	Phylum:	Class:	Order:	Family:	Genus:	Species:
Animalia	Arthropoda	Insecta	Coleoptera	Chrysomelidae	Aphthona	A.species

Aphthona sp. is a flea beetle, a small, jumping beetle of the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae). It makes up the tribe Alticini which is a part of the subfamily Galerucinae. There are many species within Aphthona genus and some resemble each other very much. Therefore it is difficult to exactly identify the beetle based on the photos I have taken before they jumped away. It could be Aphthona nonstriata but since I do not know for ceratain I stick with just Aphthona sp.

The insect is 2-4mm long. The flea beetles emerge from mid-June through mid-August, and persist into the fall if the weather is warm.



Aphthona sp. are biological control agents imported to the US and Canada from Eurasia to reduce the cover and density of leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) which is an invasive plant there. Because of its persistent nature and ability to regenerate from small pieces of root, leafy spurge is extremely difficult to eradicate. Introducing Aphthona sp. that feeds on leafy spurge helps to control vegetation. Adult flea beetles feed externally on plants, eating the surface of the leaves, stems and petals. Under heavy feeding the small round holes caused by an individual flea beetle's feeding may coalesce into larger areas of damage.