Cereal Leaf Beetle Larva

Agricultural fields and gardens containing small grain crops or grasses

Larvae and adults feed on the leaves of cereal crops like wheat, oats, barley, and various grasses

The larvae have a distinctive habit of covering themselves with their own moist, black fecal matter to deter predators; this makes them look like small slugs or wet debris.

Significant agricultural pest that can reduce crop yield by defoliating plants; they have no significant benefits and are often managed with biological controls like parasitic wasps.