New contributions to the knowledge of Chinese flea beetle fauna (I); Gansuapteris new genus and Primulavorus new genus (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae; Galerucinae)

Authors: YONG-YING, RUAN - Chinese Academy Of Sciences; Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex; PRATHAPAN, K. - Kerala Agricultural University; XING-KE, YANG - Chinese Academy Of Sciences

Submitted to: Zootaxa
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/27/2017
Publication Date: 6/23/2017
Citation: Yong-Ying, R., Konstantinov, A.S., Prathapan, K.D., Xing-Ke, Y. 2017. New contributions to the knowledge of Chinese flea beetle fauna (I); Gansuapteris new genus and Primulavorus new genus (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae; Galerucinae). Zootaxa. 4282(1):111-122.

Interpretive Summary: Leaf beetles, especially flea beetles, are among the most important insects for U.S. agriculture. Many are serious pests and feed on crops destroying valuable plants costing millions of dollars annually. Others are important biological control agents that can be used to control unwanted and invasive weeds. This work describes two new genera and species from China, providing key characters, description, and illustrations. This study will be useful to biological control workers, taxonomists, ecologists, and anyone interested in plant feeding beetles.

Technical Abstract: Two new genera and species of flea beetles (Gansuapteris gen. nov., Primulavorus gen. nov., Gansuapteris fulvus sp. nov. and Primulavorus maculata sp. nov.) from South-west China are described and illustrated. The morphological differences of new genera and their allies are discussed.