Parthenium beetle

Calligrapha bicolorata · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae

No source yet on danger. We have no source yet on whether it bites, stings or damages anything.
Parthenium beetle
Photo: Aryan K, CC BY

It originates from Mexico and has been introduced to India and Australia, where adults and larvae are released to control the invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus.

Source: Wikipedia

How to recognize it

The beetle’s elytra are yellow with elongated brown stripes, but the exact pattern can differ among individuals.

Source: Wikipedia

How to get rid of it

In India the beetle is deliberately released as a biological control agent against Parthenium hysterophorus.

Source: Wikipedia

What it eats

Both adults and larvae feed on the leaves of Parthenium hysterophorus, an invasive weed. Larvae are pale yellow, turn white as they grow, and eat leaf tissue for 10-15 days through four growth stages.

Source: Wikipedia

Life cycle

Females lay eggs on the underside of leaves, and sometimes on the upper leaf surface, stems or flowers. The complete life cycle takes just over 100 days.

Source: Wikipedia

Where it comes from

The species is native to Mexico.

Source: Wikipedia

More photos

Parthenium beetle photo 2
Photo: Rodolfo Salinas Villarreal, CC BY
Parthenium beetle photo 3
Photo: Alec McClay, CC BY
Parthenium beetle photo 4
Photo: Aravinth, CC BY
Parthenium beetle photo 5
Photo: Swarochi Tathagath, CC BY

Questions people ask

How is the Parthenium beetle used in pest control?

Adults and larvae are released in India to eat and suppress the invasive weed Parthenium hysterophorus.

Source: Wikipedia

Same family (Chrysomelidae)

Spotted Cucumber BeetleSpotted Cucumber BeetleDiabrotica undecimpunctataDamages trees, gardens or cropsBean WeevilBean WeevilAcanthoscelides obtectusDamages trees, gardens or cropsCowpea WeevilCowpea WeevilCallosobruchus maculatusDamages trees, gardens or cropsSwamp Milkweed Leaf BeetleSwamp Milkweed Leaf BeetleLabidomera clivicollisDamages trees, gardens or cropsAlder Leaf BeetleAlder Leaf BeetleAgelastica alniDamages trees, gardens or cropsDogbane Leaf BeetleDogbane Leaf BeetleChrysochus auratus

Sources

  • Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligrapha_bicolorata

Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia

Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.

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