Leafy Spurge, Euphorbia esula L., an exotic herbaceous perennial, has infested over 2.5 million acres, of mostly rangeland, in the Northern Great Plains and the southern provinces of Canada. Since the 1980's, several introduced biological control agents, mainly insects, have been released in the Northern Great Plains, including North Dakota. Aphthona flea beetle species have had the most impact on leafy spurge in North Dakota. Although, not all species have established equally or have had an equal impact on leafy spurge. Field observations have shown that the sex ration of the Aphthona flea beetles to be 1:4 (male:female). Field and laboratory studies indicate that a skewed sex ratio would not affect the population development of Aphthona flea beetles.
Species 1: Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Aphthona lacertosa
Keywords: leafy spurge
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