Pyrrhalta viburni (Paykull, 1799)
viburnum leaf beetle
on Viburnum
Haarlemmermeer, 3.viii.2020 © Laurens van der Linde
Viburnum opulus, Belgium, prov. Liége, Ben-Ahin 25.ix.2018 © Stéphane Claerebout
detail
parasite
Before oviposition the female gnaws a mm-sized hole at the underside of a first year shoot, deposits 5-8 eggs, then covers them with a voluminous wad that consists of a mix of frass and bark pulp. She repeats this several times, and often several females oviposits at the same spot, resulting in a long chain of ovipositions. The wads absorb rain water, which contributes to keep the eggs moist. The eggs hatch in spring; the larvae, at the underside of the leaves, first cause window feeding, later make small angular holes. They pupate in the soil in a cocoon made of dirt. In July the adults emerge, that make larger elongate holes in the leaves. Together with the larval feeding they can cause an almost total defoliation.
host plants
Adoxaceae, monophagous
Viburnum lantana, opulus, tinus.
phenology
Unvoltine; hibernation as egg.
distribution within Europe
pupa
See Steinhausen (1996b, 2002a).
synonyms
Galeruca viburni.
notes
Since 1994 an invasive pest in North America.
references
Bukejs (2009d), Desurmont (2009a), Gyeltshen & Hodges (2016a), Ilie (2017a), Kessler (1889a), Kofler (2011a), Rheinheimer & Hassler (2018a), Roques, Cleary, Matsiakh & Eschem (2017a), Steinhausen (1996b, 2002a), Troukens (2012a), Weston, Desurmont & Hoebeke (2007a).