Bug FAQCacoscelis nigripennis
Cacoscelis nigripennis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adults are about 10 mm long, black-bodied with a bright red head and thorax, and measure roughly 4 to 5 mm wide. They feed on the blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea) and can become a problem when present in large numbers.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle has a black body with a bright red head and thorax.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Adults are typically 10 mm long and 4 to 5 mm wide.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds on Passiflora caerulea, especially when many gather together.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to South America.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It belongs to the flea-beetle group in the family Chrysomelidae.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 1 of 51 states and DC. Most records: New Mexico.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does Cacoscelis nigripennis eat?
It feeds on the blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea).
Source: Wikipedia
What does Cacoscelis nigripennis look like?
It has a black body with a bright red head and thorax.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Chrysomelidae)
Spotted Cucumber BeetleDiabrotica undecimpunctataDamages trees, gardens or crops
Bean WeevilAcanthoscelides obtectusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Cowpea WeevilCallosobruchus maculatusDamages trees, gardens or crops
Swamp Milkweed Leaf BeetleLabidomera clivicollisDamages trees, gardens or crops
Alder Leaf BeetleAgelastica alniDamages trees, gardens or crops
Dogbane Leaf BeetleChrysochus auratusSources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cacoscelis_nigripennis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.