Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods) ➔ Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods) ➔ Class Insecta (Insects) ➔ Order Coleoptera (Beetles) ➔ Family Chrysomelidae (Leaf beetles)

Phyllotreta vittula (Redtenbacher, 1849)

Gebänderter Getreideerdfloh Barley Flea Beetle

  • Phyllotreta vittula 8069
    Phyllotreta vittula (Redtenbacher, 1849)  Gebänderter Getreideerdfloh  Barley Flea Beetle 
    Phyllotreta vittula, conf. Christoph Benisch
    DE, Chemnitz, Markersdorf; 2017-09-17 10:28:22
    Image number: 8069

    DE, Chemnitz, Markersdorf
    2017-09-17 10:28:22
    conf. Christoph Benisch
  • Phyllotreta vittula 8070
    Phyllotreta vittula (Redtenbacher, 1849)  Gebänderter Getreideerdfloh  Barley Flea Beetle 
    Phyllotreta vittula, conf. Christoph Benisch
    DE, Chemnitz, Markersdorf; 2017-09-17 10:24:45
    Image number: 8070

    DE, Chemnitz, Markersdorf
    2017-09-17 10:24:45
    conf. Christoph Benisch

Classification:
Phyllotreta vittula belongs to the subfamily Galerucinae, tribe Alticini.
Distribution:
Widespread and frequent in Central Europe.
Habitat:
Ruderal areas, farmland, sonny grassland.
Description:
Small dark beetle with a body length of 1.5 - 1.8 mm and metallic shiny head and pronotum. The elytra have a yellow, almost equally wide longitudinal stripe. Tibia and tarsi are usually black, the joints lighter.
There are several similar species.
Biology:
Phyllotreta vittula forms one generation per year. The wintered imagines appear at the end of March and start to eat their host plants. Mating season is end of April and May. The females lay their eggs in the ground at a depth of 1 to 4 cm. The hatched larvae feed on roots. They reach a length of up to 3.5 mm. The pupation takes place in the soil. After a pupal period of 2 weeks the imagines of the new generation appear at the beginning of July. These often hibernate in forests or other protected places after maturation feeding.
Phyllotreta vittula lives mainly on grasses (Poaceae) and prefers the couch grass (Elytrigia repens) as a food plant, but also accepts crucifers (Brassicaceae) and some members of other plant families.

References, further reading, links:
  1. Arved Lompe: Die Käfer Europas - Ein Bestimmungswerk im Internet
  2. Interactive Agricultural Ecological Atlas of Russia and Neighboring Countries. Economic plants and their Diseases, Pests and Weeds
  3. Rheinheimer, Joachim, & Hassler, Michael: Die Blattkäfer Baden-Württembergs, 2018, 928 pages, Kleinsteuber Books (Karlsruhe), ISBN 978-3-9818110-2-5