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Title: COMPARATIVE MORPHOLOGY OF THE FEMALE GENITALIA AND SOME ABDOMINAL STRUCTURES OF NEOTROPICAL CRYPTOCEPHALINI (COLEOPTERA: CHRYSOMELIDAE: CRYPTOCEPHALINAE)

Author
item CHAMORRO-LACAYO, LOURDES - UNIVERSITY MINNESOTA
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex

Submitted to: The Coleopterists Bulletin
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/26/2006
Publication Date: 7/19/2006
Citation: Chamorro-Lacayo, L.M., Konstantinov, A.S. 2006. Comparative Morphology of the Female Genitalia and some Abdominal Structures of Neotropical Cryptocephalini (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae). The Coleopterists Bulletin. 60(2)113-134.

Interpretive Summary: Leaf beetles are among the most important insects for U.S. agriculture. Many are serious pests and feed on crops destroying valuable plants. Others are important biological control agents that can be used to kill unwanted and invasive weeds. This paper describes the structure of the female genitalia, which are widely used as a source of diagnostic characters and for phylogenetic reconstructions. This study will be important to taxonomists, morphologists, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and any other persons involved in identification of leaf beetles.

Technical Abstract: The female genitalia of New World Cryptocephalini was studied and illustrated based on representatives of 11 of the 13 genera of the tribe. It was found that female genitalia contain pleurites IX, the rare and apparently primitive feature among leaf beetles. In other features cryptocephaline female genitalia are simpler than in other leaf beetles in having poorly sclerotized sternite VIII and lacking tignum and vaginal palpi. It is also hypothesized that vagina is formed by sternites IX (dorsally) and VIII ventrally. A set of characters of diagnostic and possible phylogenetic value was found.