Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Coleoptera

Family: Chrysomelidae

Genus: Leptispa

Species: L. pygmaea

Binomial Name: Leptispa pygmaea (Baly, 1858)

It has a distribution throughout the Indian subcontinent. Distribution includes India, Sri lanka, Bangladesh, Eastern, western, and southern African countries, and Central Africa

পোষক পরিসীমা
This pest occasionally causes damage to the paddy, rice, and even sugarcane.

• ডিমঃ Eggs are light green, smooth and oval in shape and 0.20 mm in length.
• লার্ভা: First four instars are light green with a brown head and has two spiny projections on head. Head capsule is small, and body elongated. A tail like projection called urogomphi can be found at the posterior end. Grub has three pairs of thoracic legs. Final instar grub is dirty white in color.
• পিউপাঃ Pupa white at first, but later turns to brown in color and about 3.89 mm in length.
• প্রাপ্তবয়স্কঃ Adult has a metallic greenish yellow body with bluish tinge. Male has long antennae, narrow thorax and a long body, whereas female has short antennae, broad thorax and stout body. Ventrum is white in color.[2] The adults are small, metallic blue beetles with a series of black dots on the elytra.

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The eggs are laid on the paddy leaves. They hatch in about 3-5 days. The grubs feed on exposed surfaces. Adults consume the green matter of the paddy leaves due to which the plant shrivel and leaf lamina roll upward. Then adult female oviposits clutches of up to 8 eggs within these rolled leaf lamina. The incubation period of females is about 4 to 7 days. After hatching, neonate grubs start to migrate to the leaf axil base. Grub undergoes five larval instars which ranges about 11 days. Grubs feed on leaves by scraping. This scaping can induce the formation of leaf rolls from the leaf base. All five instar stages migrate to the new leaves and form new leaf rolls. These larval leaf rolls are well formed and cohesive. Pupation occurs within the leaf roll. The Pupal period is about 4 to 5 days. The larval period lasts for about 12-15 days after which they pupate inside the roll. After 5-7 days the adult emerges. The life cycle is completed in about three weeks. The longevity of adult female is about 18 to 26 days, whereas male with 33 to 43 days.[3][4]

The grubs are surface feeders and they scrap the green matters of the leaves. The adult also feeds upon the leaves but the serious damage is caused only by the grubs. The affected leaf becomes membranous and dries up soon. It is primarily the pest of seedlings.

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Plucking the infected leaves in minor infection and uprooting of the whole plant in case of major infection. The beetle can cause damage to paddy crops. It feeds on paddy leaves by scraping the chlorophyll content. The average yield losses in rice have been estimated to vary between 21-51 percent.

1. Deep and thorough plowing of the field.
2. Crop rotation

• Fungus: The fungus Beauveria bassiana can control grubs and adults.
• Entomopathogenic nematode: The entomopathogenic nematode Heterorhabditis indica can control grubs and adults.

1. Dusting the crop with 5% BHC is beneficial
2. At the time of transplanting the seedlings should be dipped in DDT suspension.
3. Pesticides: Profenophos 50EC @ 2 ml/l can reduce leaf damage by 65.83%.
4. Neem-based pesticides: Sprays with an aqueous neem seed extract (10g/l) at 10 days intervals can repel the beetles. 
5. Insecticides: Heavy and light insecticides can be used to control the beetle. Lime sulfur is effective against all stages of the leaf miner hispa.

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1. https://academic-accelerator.com/encyclopedia/leptispa-pygmaea
2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/271350247_Morphometrics_and_Morphology_of_Rice_blue_beetle_Leptispa_pygmaea_Baly_ColeopteraChrysomelidae
3. https://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/zoology/paddy-blue-beetle-leptispa-pygmaea-distribution-nature-life-history-and-control/23875#google_vignette
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=Rice+AND+leaf+AND+beetle+OR+rice+AND+blue+AND+beetle+OR+leptisa+pygmaea&filter=years.2010-2023