The legs and front segment of the thorax are rust-red. However, body coloration is usually obscured by a black globule of mucus and fecal matter held on the body, giving them a shiny black, wet appearance . Adults overwinter in fallen leaves, ground litter, or other debris, within wooded areas, or other protected sites in the vicinity of last season s grain fields. In the spring, they lay eggs in small grain fields. Eggs hatch in about five days.
Small larvae eat a very small amount, but when full grown have a voracious appetite.
Upon reaching full size, they dig into the ground and pupate. After a short period in the soil, a new summer generation of adult beetles emerges in late-May and June. New beetles move from small grain fields and feed on grass plants, including corn in fields adjacent to the small grain fields. Adult feeding on corn appears like many line-etchings on the leaf blades. Damage is cosmetic rather than yield reducing.