Berti and Rapilly (1973) recognized the northern tamarisk beetle as a separate species Diorhabda carinulata (Desbrochers) based on detailed morphology of the endophallus of the male genitalia.

The Extensive literature on the biology and host range of the northern tamarisk beetle in Kazakhstan, China, and Mongolia is found under the names D. elongata and D. e.

Extensive laboratory host range studies verified it is a specialist feeder only on plants of the tamarisk family.

In the late summer and early fall, adults begin to enter diapause in which they cease reproduction and feed to build fat bodies before seeking a protected place to overwinter beneath the tamarisk.

[6] Larvae and adults are sensitive to shorter day lengths as the summer progresses that signal the coming of winter and induces diapause.

Populations taken from around 44°N latitude at Fukang, China, and Chilik, Kazakhstan, were initially released by the USDA Agricultural Research Service in 2001.

Since its release, the insect has defoliated tens of thousands of acres of tamarisk in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming.

In some areas, tamarisk may be replaced by grasslands or shrublands, resulting in losses of riparian forest habitats for birds.

[13] In 2010, the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) officially discontinued its program for release of the beetle in 13 northwestern states [14] over concern for the flycatcher.