About Monocesta coryli (Say, 1824)
Monocesta coryli, commonly called the larger elm leaf beetle, is a species of skeletonizing leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae. This species is found in eastern and southeastern North America, with its range extending from Florida west to Kansas and north to Pennsylvania. It is the only species from the large neotropical genus Monocesta that is known to occur in the United States. The species epithet of this beetle refers to its feeding on hazels, which are Corylus species. However, this beetle primarily feeds and lives on elms, which are Ulmus species. Adult Monocesta coryli are easy to identify by their relatively large size, between 10 and 16 mm, and their orange bodies with metallic blue-green spots. Some adults may instead have brown spots, or no spots at all.
