Sumac Flea Beatles (Blaspherida rhois) Defoliated 2 Sumac Trees in my Yard

I noticed 2 defoliated sumac trees (Rhus sp.) in my yard, and I thought this would make an interesting topic for my blog. I was going to entitle it “What Defoliated 2 Sumac Trees in my Yard?” I researched all the possible culprits and went outside to photograph the defoliated trees. Lo and behold, I actually found the guilty insect and managed to document a sumac flea beetle with my camera. A sumac flea beetle on a sumac tree branch in my front yard. This is the only branch with leaves left on it. 2 sumac trees were 95% defoliated. Both the larval and adult stages of sumac flea beetles eat sumac leaves. Sumac flea beetle larva form fecal shields to protect themselves from predators. I’ve seen this before, but I didn’t see them in the act of defoliating my trees. Most of the species in the Blapherida genus inhabit tropical regions of Africa and the Americas, but the sumac flea beetle lives in the temperate zone. The adults eat the outside part of the leaves, while the larva feed upon…