Beetles in the family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles. This is a family of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families.

Leaf beetles are partially recognizable by their tarsal formula, which appears to be 4-4-4, but is actually 5-5-5. They are distinguished with difficulty from long-horned beetles (family Cerambycidae) by the antennae not arising from frontal tubercles. Adult and larval leaf beetles feed on all sorts of plant tissue. Many are economically important pests of agriculture, for example the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), the asparagus beetle (Crioceris asparagi), the cereal leaf beetle (Oulema melanopus), and various flea beetles.