Bug FAQOrange-shouldered Leafminer
Odontota scapularis · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
The orange-shouldered leafminer is a leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It lives across many parts of North America, from Ontario in Canada down through numerous U.S. states. Adults have been recorded feeding on the plant Apios americana.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Odontota scapularis is a leaf beetle known as the orange-shouldered leafminer.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds on the plant Apios americana.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is found in North America, including Ontario, Canada and many U.S. states such as Florida, Texas, and New York.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 32 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Kentucky, North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Virginia, Kansas, Maryland, New York.
Darker = more records. Counts are museum and citizen-science records, not population size.
Source: GBIF
Status: native in North America; native in Canada. Source: iNaturalist
Months it is reported in the US
Source: GBIF
More photos
Questions people ask
What does the orange-shouldered leafminer eat?
It has been recorded feeding on Apios americana.
Source: Wikipedia
Where is the orange-shouldered leafminer found?
It occurs in North America, from Ontario, Canada to many U.S. states including Alabama, Florida, and Wisconsin.
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/Odontota_scapularis
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-26 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-26.