Systena gracilenta might not be a stellar thing to be remembered for as “A First.” And for the record, I’m not sure accolades are forthcoming.
On August 29, at 5:44 a.m. I photographed a tiny bug and uploaded it onto iNaturalist.org. It was quickly identified and annotated at research grade by Mike Quinn.
Mike Quinn is a Texas Entomologist and Curatorial Assistant at the University of Texas Insect Collection, in Austin. He also is an active editor of BugGuide.net. His taxonomic and geographic areas of expertise are beetles and bugs of Texas. Earlier in his career, he was with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and worked in the Rio Grande Valley where he developed the “Caterpillar Food Plants for the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas,” which includes nectar ratings; it is an important pdf that can be found at this link: https://www.texasento.net/RGV_Host_List.pdf
On iNaturalist.org, Mike Quinn is entomike. He often identifies bugs I’ve uploaded and sometimes drops me notes about the finer points of bug identification. Recently, with the Systena gracilenta, a member of flea beetles (Tribe Alticini), he commented: “first iNat record for Cameron Co!!!” – the three exclamation points are his. So, I was pretty proud he called that “first” to my attention and quickly researched it to see if this new-to-Cameron-County bug was helping or hindering our habitat.
Keep in mind, my observation is the first recorded on iNaturalist.org, which only means it has not been uploaded prior to my entry. There are a couple of observations from Hidalgo County and a number throughout Texas up to Wichita Falls in the north of the state. So, are flea beetles and their cousin leaf beetles good or bad?
The short answer is, they are bad if there are hoards of them in an important agricultural crop. A few in the garden probably aren’t harmful, but read on:
Leaf beetles chew and feed on foliage and cause ragged leaves and sometimes cause premature drop of foliage. Leaf beetle larvae chew all the way through foliage or scrape the foliage, giving leaves a windowpane like appearance, something you’ve probably come across and didn’t really think much about it. Birds, spiders and assassin bugs are natural enemies of leaf beetles.
Flea beetles cause pits and small holes in leaves and cause the immediately surrounding tissue to become bleached or whitish. The larvae of flea beetles generally feed on or inside roots or stems.
Worldwide, there are probably at least 50,000 species of leaf beetles and 8,000 species of flea beetles. Both leaf and flea beetles are jumpers and flyers which allows them to be highly mobile. Unless inundated with the wee beetles, a lazy gardener might let nature work itself out. Or, if damage is intolerable, insecticidal soap can be used on both leaf and flea beetles. Different species have different favorite foods and different natural enemies, of course. Locally, some natural predators include lacewing larvae, adult big-eyed bugs, damsel bugs and soldier bugs. Big-eyed bugs are predatory “true bugs” in the genus Geocoris; several species are found in Texas, some especially common in cotton fields.
Other Leaf Beetles
Banded cucumber beetle, Diabrotica balteata – Foe – big foe. They can transmit the bacterial wilt pathogen that can kill cucurbits – cantaloupe and muskmelons are severely affected by bacterial wilt. They damage foliage, blossoms, silks, kernels, plant crown and roots. The larvae feed only on roots. Vegetable crops damaged include cucumber, squash, beet, bean, pea, sweet potato, okra, corn, onions. The adult beetles defoliate; the larvae attack the roots. Secondary plants include tomatoes and then they go on to wild plants, like native amaranth, frostweed and silverleaf nightshade (a good bobwhite quail food).
Spotted cucumber beetle, Diabrotica undecimpunctata .Spotted cucumber beetle larvae are also known as the southern corn rootworm. Adults are active and commonly found. A wide variety of plants are attacked by the larvae.
Red-headed willow leaf beetle, Chrysomela texana. BugGuide.net says willows are their food from southern Oklahoma to northeast Mexico. Black willow trees are native to Texas, especially along streams, riverbanks, resacas and other wet areas; I presume that is the draw here on our acres.
Twin-shielded leaf beetle, Paranapiacaba connexa. This species feeds on members of the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae. Most records of it are along the Gulf Coast. As pretty as the beetle is, it’s in the subfamily of Galerucinae, skeletonizing leaf beetles and flea beetles.
My new favorite leaf beetle is the red and black bug, Griburius lecontii, found from Oklahoma, Texas and Louisiana and south into northeast Mexico. It uses mesquite as its food source. The bug is so tiny, it took a number of attempts (and not a breath of wind) to get a relatively focused photo of it with my phone camera. They are about one-quarter inch long. They are prey to the usual suspects: birds, lizards, praying mantis.
Spotted pink lady beetle, Coleomegilla maculata. Lady beetles – always – are recognized as beneficial insects because both the adults and larvae feed on aphids and other small harmful insects.
An unusual black light moth sheet visitor was this beauty: Anacua tortoise beetle, Coptocycla texana, which feed entirely on the leaves of anacua, Ehretia anacua. Tortoise beetles are generally not dangerous to humans, although some can bite. Tortoise beetles are only a minor pest to plants, not harmful but they do cause cosmetic damage to the leaves. They are good bird and lizard food, if you just want to leave them alone.
Purple-washed stink bug, Kermana imbuta, began appearing most nights at the moth sheet around August and then there were more, but not too many, and then there were none. It is a species that has only 49 observations on iNaturalist, most of them in Cameron and Hidalgo counties and sporadically from San Antonio, through Mexico and down to Peru.
There are about 5,000 species of stink bugs in the world, 300 some in the United States. Stink bugs are generally generalists; not limited to one type of plant. Most can fly well, so can be found nearly anywhere. Stink bugs are true bugs; they have straw like mouthparts adapted for sucking nutrients. Most feed on plants and some are crop pests.
I like stink bugs. I don't touch them, of course. They certainly don't mind being photographed. And, at the end of the day, they'll most likely be some critter's meal. What eats stink bugs? Surprisingly, bats, as well as birds, spiders, assassin bugs, predatory stink bugs and parasitic flies, according to an Orkin (pest control company) Website.
Basically, there’s no need to worry if you find a stink bug – unless they multiply faster than you can control them. They don’t bite people but can leave a stain on your skin if you squash one -- and there’s a reason they are called stink bugs. Best not to squash them; let nature take them on.
Stink bugs are interesting; like other bug groups, some are colorful and attractive. Another great collection by Texas Entomologist Mike Quinn, is worth a look: "Texas Stink Bugs - Family Pentatomidae of 100 stink bug spp in Texas," compiled by Mike Quinn at this link: https://www.texasento.net/TX_Pentatomidae.html
One of my favorite bugs is the spittle bug. Prosapia simulans, commonly called two-lined spittlebug, it's widespread in the eastern half of the United States. It's about one-half inch in length. Spittlebug nymphs create those white foamy bubbles that might be found in the spring on plant stalks. The nymphs suck on plant juices. They eventually turn into what you see in the photo below, commonly called froghoppers because they can leap up over 100 times their body length – the equivalent of a six-foot tall human jumping the height of two football fields, according to an interesting blog called “Roads End Naturalist,” by Amy Breau. When they’re not leaping, the adults also feed on plant sap. Some are considered agricultural pests, if in great numbers.
Generally, spittlebugs do not cause damage to ornamental garden plants but may cause some damage to turf grass, again, if they converge in large numbers. Birds and frogs prey on spittlebugs; nymphs are at the mercy of assassin bugs, various harvestmen and spiders.
A couple of weeks ago, I uploaded a really pretty beetle to the iNat database as a Festive Diabrotica, Diabrotica adelpha, a cucumber beetle that is colorful and festive looking. I’d photographed them in previous years. However, Mike Quinn, with a more critical eye, identified it as milkvine Diabrotica, Diabrotica litterata and commented in the notes section that it is a “relatively new addition to the RGV fauna.” Diabrotica litterata, the species name means literate, which translates as: covered with letters, according to information on BugGuide.net
The milkvine diabrotica beetle’s first record in the U.S. was at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, October 4, 2008, by Mike Quinn. The beetle’s range is southmost Texas, Starr, Hidalgo and Cameron counties and south to Guatemala and Honduras. Its host plant is typically found near water: Funastrum cynanchoides, also known as fringed twinevine, twining milkweed or locally as climbing milkweed – a massive seed producing vine and quite prolific.
As we approach the end of summer, things like the Prairie Walkingstick, Diapheromera velii are all grown up.
Prairie walkingsticks are huge in the whole scheme of things of beetles and bugs – as big as my hand. They are herbivores, nibbling on leaves of shrubs and plants for nutrition; they remain still all day and slowly graze at night. They prefer native plants, according to information on an Insect Identification website. As far as pest/beneficial, they are inconsequential (see page one of the below link).
If you’ve read this far, you deserve a treat. Here’s a link to a fabulous list of pest/beneficial things you might have in your garden:
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