Soybean leafminer: Soybean leafminer, Odontota horni. The adult
soybean leaf miner is a small, flattened, squarish beetle. Its
underside is black and the top of the insect is brick red and
its head is black. In addition to its unique shape and
coloration, there is also a thin black stripe that extends down
the middle of its forewings beginning at the base of its
prothorax. Note that the black stripe does not quite extend to
the tip of the thorax. Another similar beetle the locust
leafminer, Odontota dorsalis, is occasionally found in soybean
(especially near locust trees); however, it is much less common.
The locust leafminer looks similar except the black dorsal
stripe widens toward the tail-end of the beetle and extends to
the end of the forwings. Larvae reach a maximum of 7 mm long, is
cream-colored with a dark brown head and lateral tubercles.
Typically, the larvae are not found exposed on the surface of
the leaf, rather they mine within the layers of the leaf.
Soybean leafminer larva: Soybean leafminer l