Chrysomeloidea


The Chrysomeloidea are an enormous superfamily of beetles, with tens of thousands of species, mostly in the families Cerambycidae and Chrysomelidae, the leaf beetles.

Overview

The Chrysomeloidea, like all other Phytophaga, have the fourth tarsal segment reduced and hidden by the third segment. Several species in these two families are important plant pests. The spotted cucumber beetle is a serious pest of vegetables and is a very common insect on all sorts of flowers. The Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata, attacks potatoes and other members of the Solanaceae. The Asian long-horned beetle is a serious pest of trees where it has been introduced.
Some authorities have suggested removing the Cerambycidae and related families from Chrysomeloidea to create a separate superfamily "Cerambycoidea", but in the absence of evidence to support the monophyly of the resulting groups, this proposal has not yet been accepted by the scientific community.