African Cassava Leaf Beetle vs False Blister Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Cassava Leaf Beetle False Blister Beetle
Scientific Name Mesoplatys ochroptera Ischnomera cyanea
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Oedemeridae
Size 4-6 mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Farmland Beaches & Coastal
Diet Herbivores Wood Feeders
Regions Sub-Saharan Africa Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

African Cassava Leaf Beetle

A small, yellowish-brown beetle that is a significant pest of cassava in sub-Saharan Africa. Both adults and larvae feed on young cassava leaves and shoots.

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Did You Know?

Cassava leaf beetles can cause severe defoliation of cassava, one of Africa's most important food security crops feeding over 500 million people.

False Blister Beetle

A metallic blue beetle that develops inside rotting wood near coastal areas.

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Did You Know?

Unlike true blister beetles it does not produce cantharidin.