Leaf beetles

Eucalyptus tortoise beetle (Paropsis atomaria)

• Adult leaf beetles may look like ladybird beetles, but with longer antennae; distinguishing between the two is important because ladybirds are beneficial insects.
• They are up to 10mm long, dome-shaped, and speckled, with metallic pink, yellow, beige or red colours.
• Adults may have finely patterned elytra (wing covers); some of these are strongly patterned with red and black.
• Immature larvae are 2–3mm long and yellow-green; mature larvae have black stripes on the abdomen.
• See additional images.

Eucalyptus leaf beetle (Paropsisterna cloelia)

• Adults are less than 10mm long and dome-shaped.
• They are mostly orange but can be dark brown or black with an orange edge and head.
• Larvae are 2–12mm long and yellow-green to olive-green with dark heads; mature larvae have thin black stripes on the abdomen.
• See additional images.

Flea beetles (Chaetocnema species)

• Adults are 1.5–3mm long, black, shiny and metallic.
• They have puncture marks on their electra (wing covers).
• Enlarged hind legs enable them to jump, hence their common name.
• It is difficult to find individuals on foliage, but they may be identified by their damage.
• They beetles commonly feed in groups and jump when threatened.
• See additional images.

Eucalyptus tortoise beetle (Paropsis atomaria)

• Common and widely distributed throughout south-eastern Queensland and south-eastern Australia.

Eucalyptus leaf beetle (Paropsisterna cloelia)

• Found in south-eastern and northern Queensland.

Flea beetles (Chaetocnema species)

• Found throughout Queensland, from tropical to temperate zones, in coastal and inland areas.

Eucalyptus tortoise beetle (Paropsis atomaria)

• Gympie messmate (Eucalyptus cloeziana)
• Dunn's white gum (E. dunnii)
• Rose gum (E. grandis)
• Blackbutt (E. pilularis)
• Sydney blue gum (E. saligna)
• Forest red gum (E. tereticornis)
• spotted gum (Corymbia citriodora and C. maculata).

Eucalyptus leaf beetle (Paropsisterna cloelia)

• Dunn's white gum (E. dunni)
• rose gum and hybrids (E. grandis)
• large-fruited red mahogany (E. pellita)
• blackbutt (E. pilularis)
• swamp mahogany (E. robusta)
• forest red gum (E. tereticornis).

Flea beetles (Chaetocnema species)

• Large host range, particularly shrubs and herbaceous plants.
• Many acacias, rainforest plants and eucalypts, including:
  • western white gum (E. argophloia)
  • Dunn's white gum (E. dunnii).

Eucalyptus tortoise beetle (Paropsis atomaria) and eucalyptus leaf beetle (Paropsisterna cloelia)

• These beetles usually affect trees less than 3 years old.
• Defoliation is by clusters of feeding larvae, particularly in the soft young growth in the crowns.
• High densities of larvae consume the entire leaf and can stop the central tree stem growing more strongly than side stems (apical dominance). Trees typically develop a 'broom top' appearance.
• Adults feed on mature leaves, leaving characteristic scalloped leaf edges.
• There are often 2 defoliation events per year: in late December to early January, and late March to May. However, in south-eastern Queensland and northern New South Wales, up to 4 generations a year can cause at least 3 peaks in defoliation.
• Repeated, widespread defoliation affects growth and form.

Flea beetles (Chaetocnema species)

• Feeding adults etch the upper surface of the leaf, causing necrotic patches to form.
• Leaves may look as if blasted by a shotgun.
• Damage is most evident in winter.
• Impacts are usually restricted to the lower third of the canopy.
• Loss of growth is not usually significant.

• Eggs are laid on eucalypt leaves and stems, or in the soil (flea beetles).
• Larvae feed on leaves in a group.
• When mature, they drop to the ground to pupate in the soil.
• There can be up to 4 generations per year.

• Natural predators include shield bugs, ladybirds, wasps, spiders and tachinid flies.
• For ornamentals or small numbers of young trees, adults and larvae can be collected into soapy water. Eggs can be scraped off shoots and larvae hosed off foliage.

• Carnegie, A, Lawson, SA, Smith, T, Pegg, GS, Stone, C, McDonald, J, 2008, Healthy hardwoods: a field guide to pests, diseases and nutritional disorders in subtropical hardwoods, Forest and Wood Products Australia, Victoria.
• Jones, DL, Elliot, WR, Jones, SR, 2015, Pests, diseases, ailments and allies of Australian plants, Reed New Holland Publishers Pty Ltd, Chatswood, NSW.
• Nahrung, HF, Duffy, MP, Lawson, SA, Clarke, AR, 2008, Natural enemies of Paropsis Atomaria Olivier (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in south-eastern Queensland eucalypt plantations, Austral Entomology, 47(3):188–194, viewed July 2023.
• Pests and diseases image library (PaDIL)
• Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority (APVMA)