Bug FAQRed Aquatic Leaf Beetle
Plateumaris rufa · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Chrysomelidae
The Red Aquatic Leaf Beetle is usually a metallic reddish-copper color, but it can also appear blue, green, or rarely purple.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
Adults are typically metallic reddish-copper, though some individuals are blue, green, or rarely purple. Their legs and antennae are reddish-brown.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
The species is native to the eastern United States and Canada, ranging from West Virginia to Quebec.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it is found in the US
Recorded in 18 of 51 states and DC. Most records: Vermont, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio, New Hampshire.
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 Red Aquatic Leaf Beetle look like?
It is usually metallic reddish-copper, but can also be blue, green, or rarely purple, with reddish-brown legs and antennae.
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/Plateumaris_rufa
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · ITIS · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-27 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-27.