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Adults are 2.5-3.3mm, dorsally flat, elongate oval, black with a bronze lustre and have enlarged hind femurs. Antennae and legs are red-brown. Hind femur colour varies from black to bronze. Head, pronotum and elytra are punctuate (head sparsely; pronotum more coarsely; elytra punctate-striate, with striae feebly impressed). Males have greatly enlarged first anterior tarsal segments and their 5th ventral abdominal segment is grooved. (Balsbaugh and Hays 1972).

One generation per year. Two generations per year possible in warmer portions of range. Adults overwinter in soil, turf or leaf litter near shelterbelts, hedges and fencerows. These emerge in spring to feed on foliage. In spring, 1-4 eggs are deposited near the bases of host plants. Eggs are about 0.4mm long by 0.2 mm wide, oval and light yellow. Mature larvae are approximately 3mm, white to very light brown with a copper-brown head and anal plate and are slender with small legs. Larvae feed on roots and root hairs and pupate in soil. These emerge as adults mid to late summer (Burgess 1977).