Pest Profile

Photo credit: Frank Peairs, Colorado State University

Common Name: Sunflower

Scientific Name: exclamationis

Order and Family: Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae

Size and Appearance: Length (mm) Appearance Egg 1.5 to 2 mm -Cigar-shaped -Cream-yellow in color Larva 1.5 mm to 10 mm -Yellowish-green with a brown head capsule -Humpbacked in appearance Adult -6 to 12 mm long -The head of the adult is reddish-brown, and the -2 to 4 mm wide thorax is pale cream-colored with a reddish-brown patch at the base. Each wing cover is cream-colored and has three dark stripes that extend its length. A shorter lateral stripe ends at the middle of the wing in a small dot that resembles an exclamation point. Pupa -6 to 12 mm long -Yellow -2 to 4 mm wide

Type of feeder (Chewing, sucking, etc.): Chewing

Host plant/s: Sunflower are generally restricted to cultivated or wild sunflower and a few close relatives. Adults and larvae are observed on wild sunflower including annuus L., H. petiolaris Nuttall, H. nuttallii Torrey and Gray, H. pauciflorus Nuttall, H. maximiliani Schrader, H. tuberosus L., and H. giganteus L. In Texas, they have also been found on woolly leaf bursage, Franseria tomentosa Gray.

Description of Damage: Adults feed predominately on leaf margins while larvae feed over the entire leaf surface. When larvae are numerous, damaged leaves take on a lacy appearance. Most larval feeding occurs at night, and adults will feed during the day. During the daytime, larvae typically rest in the terminal growth area where they are easily found in leaf and flower buds.

References: Cranshaw, W. (2004). Garden of North America: The ultimate guide to backyard bugs. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. Knodel, J., Charlet, L., & Glogoza, P. (2000, March). Biology and Pest Management of the Sunflower Beetle in North Dakota. Retrieved from North Dakota Stste University Extension Entomology: https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extensionentomology/field-crops-insect-pests/Documents/sunflower/e-824- sunflower-beetle