General: Saltcedar Leaf Beetles (Diorhabda elongata, Family Chrysomelidae), also known as Mediterranean Tamarisk Beetles, are native to the Mediterranean region. After much research, beetles collected in Turkey and Greece were released in the southwestern US as a biological control for the invasive Saltcedar tree. So far, they have produced a spectacular result, killing these invasive trees in many areas throughout the Colorado River Basin, including along the Virgin River, Las Vegas Wash, and elsewhere. Native plants are returning to places formerly covered entirely by thick saltcedar.

Adult Saltcedar Leaf Beetles mate and lay eggs on saltcedar trees, where the larvae hatch and begin eating. They can completely defoliate the trees, and after a year or two of losing all of the leaves, the trees die.

The Splendid Tamarisk Weevil (Coniatus splendidulus) is another species that has been imported to work on saltcedar.

For more information, see Wikipedia.