Bug FAQRagweed leaf beetle
Ophraella communa · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
Source: Wikipedia
Adults are tiny beetles about 3.4 to 4.3 mm long, with yellowish heads marked by dark spots and pale bodies with dark stripes. They eat the leaves and flowers of ragweed, sunflowers and cockleburs, preferring common ragweed. Eggs are laid on the undersides of young host leaves, and pupae develop for one to two weeks before emerging as adults.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The pronotum is pale yellow or brown with three dark spots. The wing covers are pale with dark longitudinal stripes.
Source: Wikipedia
Size
Males measure 3.4 to 4.1 mm and females 3.9 to 4.3 mm in length.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
It feeds almost exclusively on leaves and flowers of Asteraceae, especially ragweed, sunflowers and cockleburs.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Eggs are deposited on the underside of young host leaves. Pupation lasts one to two weeks before the adult emerges.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to North America, including Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 37 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York, California, Maryland, Delaware.
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
How can I recognize a ragweed leaf beetle?
Look for a tiny beetle (about 4 mm) with a yellowish head spotted darkly, a pale pronotum with three dark spots, and wing covers that have dark longitudinal stripes.
Source: Wikipedia
What plants does this beetle eat?
It feeds on ragweed, sunflowers and cockleburs, preferring common ragweed.
Source: Wikipedia
Where does this beetle come from?
It is native to North America, found in Canada, the United States and Mexico.
Source: Wikipedia
How does it develop?
Females lay eggs on the undersides of young leaves, and the pupal stage lasts one to two weeks.
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/Ophraella_communa
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.