Bug FAQLarger Elm Leaf Beetle
Monocesta coryli · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Adults are 10 to 16 mm long and have orange bodies with metallic blue-green or brown spots. The beetle primarily eats elm leaves, though its name comes from feeding on hazels.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are orange with metallic blue-green spots, but may have brown spots or no spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
They measure about 10 to 16 mm long.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They feed mainly on elm leaves, though they also eat hazel foliage.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
Their native range matches the eastern and southeastern United States as described above.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
It is the only North American species of the large neotropical genus Monocesta.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 15 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Virginia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Georgia, West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in United States. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
How can I tell if I have a larger elm leaf beetle?
Look for a 10 to 16 mm orange beetle with metallic blue-green, brown, or no spots.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is this beetle found in the United States?
In the eastern and southeastern states, from Florida to Kansas and up to Pennsylvania.
Source: Wikipedia
Are there any similar beetles I might confuse it with?
No other Monocesta species occur in the United States, so it has no close look-alikes here.
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/Monocesta_coryli
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-22 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-22.