Large Flax Flea Beetle - Aphthona euphorbiae

1.5 to 2.4 mm. Black but may have a metallic greenish or bronze tinge. The elytra are coarsely punctate and in a confused pattern. Antennae are yellow at the base and becoming black apically. Legs are yellow but with dark femora. As with all Apthona, the pronotum is subquadrate and lacks basal furrows. The tibial spur on the hind leg is located on the outer edge of the apical margin.

A pest of flax and linseed, the adults can also be found on the leaves of a range of other plants including apple and strawberry. It over-winters in various plants and has been found in Ivy.

Spring and summer, but can be beaten from Ivy and other over-wintering sites in the colder months.

Adults are highly polyphagous but common on Flax. Larvae feed on the roots of plants such as flax and linseed, and can damage the plants.

Widespread and locally common in England.

Fairly common in Leicestershire and Rutland. There were a total of 117 VC55 records for this species up to March 2015.