Alder Leaf Beetle Agelastica alni
(c) Gino Brignoli, some rights reserved (CC BY)
OrderBeetles (Coleoptera)
FamilyLeaf Beetles (Chrysomelidae)
GenusAgelastica (Agelastica)
As its name suggests, this leaf beetle has a specialization for alder trees, where it feeds on foliage. Native to Europe and across to northeastern Kazakhstan and Siberia, it made the journey to North America in the 1800s as a stowaway, where it thrives as an introduced species. Its host-specificity makes it a useful indicator of alder presence.
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