The Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata; also known as the Colorado beetle, the ten-striped spearman, the ten-lined potato beetle, and the potato bug) is a beetle known for being a major pest of potato crops. It is about 10 mm (3⁄8 in) long, with a bright yellow/orange body and five bold brown stripes along the length of each of its wings. Native to the Rocky Mountains, it spread rapidly in potato crops across the United States and then Europe from 1859 onwards.
From Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Is it venomous or poisonous?
Considered poisonous. Public sources list it as such; we have not verified this individually. The note covers its whole genus. Never eat, touch or handle a wild plant, mushroom or animal on the strength of an identification; ask someone qualified.
Easily confused with
- Leptinotarsa tumamoca — considered poisonous
- Leptinotarsa texana — considered poisonous
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Arthropoda
- Class
- Insecta
- Order
- Coleoptera
- Family
- Chrysomelidae
- Genus
- Leptinotarsa
- Species
- Leptinotarsa decemlineata
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