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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #330367
Research Project: Beetle Taxonomy and Systematics Supporting U.S. Agriculture, Arboriculture and Biological Control

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: A comprehensive guide to the Argentinian case-bearer beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae:Camptosomata)

Author
item AGRAIN, FEDERICO - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET)
item Chamorro, Maria
item CABRERA, NORA - National University Of La Plata And Museum
item SASSI, DAVID - Universit Di Milano
item ROIG-JUNENT, SERGIO - Consejo Nacional De Investigaciones Científicas Y Técnicas(CONICET)

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/24/2017
Publication Date: 5/26/2017
Citation: Agrain, F.A., Chamorro, M.L., Cabrera, N., Sassi, D., Roig-Junent, S. 2017. A comprehensive guide to the Argentinian case-bearer beetle fauna (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae:Camptosomata). ZooKeys. 677:11-88.

Interpretive Summary: Leaf beetles are among the most important insects for U.S. agriculture. Many are serious pests, feeding on crops and destroying valuable plants, others are important biological control agents that can be used to control unwanted weeds. This works is the most comprehensive treatment of two leaf beetle subfamilies for Argentina, totaling 190 species. Diagnostic keys to subfamilies, tribes, subtribes and genera of Argentinian Camptosomata, plus species checklists and illustrations for all genera of camptosomatan beetles cited for each political region of Argentina are included. General notes on the taxonomy and distribution, as well as basic statistics are also provided. This contribution represents the definitive reference on these groups for the region. This publication will be useful to biological control workers, taxonomists, ecologists, conservation biologists, coleopterists, morphologists and those interested in plant-feeding beetles.

Technical Abstract: Knowledge of Argentinian Camptosomata has largely remained static for the last 60 years since the last publication by Francisco de Asis Monrós in the 1950’s. One hundred and ninety Camptosomata species (182 Cryptocephalinae and 8 Lamprosomatinae) in 31 genera are recorded herein from Argentina. Illustrated diagnostic keys to the subfamilies, tribes, subtribes and genera of Argentinian Camptosomata, plus species checklists and illustrations for all genera of camptosomatan beetles cited for each political region of Argentina are provided. General notes on the taxonomy and distribution, as well as basic statistics, are also included. This study provides basic information about the Camptosomata fauna in Argentina that will facilitate in the accurate generic-level identification of this group and aid subsequent taxonomic revisions, and phylogenetic, ecological, and biogeographic studies. This information will also facilitate faunistic comparisons between neighboring countries. Two nomenclatural acts are proposed: Temnodachrys (Temnodachrys) argentina (Guérin, 1952), comb. n., and Metallactus bivitticollis (Jacoby, 1907), comb. n. The following are new records for Argentina: Stegnocephala xanthopyga (Suffrian, 1863) and Lamprosoma azureum Germar, 1824. Currently, the most diverse camptosomate tribe in Argentina is Clytrini, with almost twice the number of species of Cryptocephalini. New records for Argentina are predicted.