Bug FAQHaldeman's Green Potato Beetle
Leptinotarsa haldemani · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Source: Wikipedia
The beetle is small with a black head, antennae, thorax and legs, and a domed body whose wing covers are usually metallic green, sometimes purple or blue. It eats members of the nightshade family, including wild Physalis, Solanum douglasii, Anderson thornbush, and occasionally potatoes, making it a crop pest.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Its body is domed and the wing covers are usually deep metallic green, but can be metallic purple or blue.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It is found in Mexico, Central America, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds on Solanaceae plants such as wild Physalis, Solanum douglasii and Anderson thornbush (Lycium andersonii), and is also occasionally found on potatoes.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 4 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, Arizona, Oklahoma, New Mexico.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What plants does Haldeman's Green Potato Beetle eat?
It feeds on nightshade family plants like wild Physalis, Solanum douglasii, Anderson thornbush, and sometimes potatoes.
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/Leptinotarsa_haldemani
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-24 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-24.