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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #361004
Research Project: Beetle Taxonomy and Systematics Supporting U.S. Agriculture, Arboriculture and Biological Control

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: The genus Lankaphthona Medvedev: new species, synonyms and comments on the modified phallobase and unique abdominal appendage of L. binotata (Baly) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini)

Author
item RUAN, YONGYING - Shenzhen University
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex
item PRATHAPAN, K. - Kerala Agricultural University
item ZHANG, MENGNA - Shenzhen University
item XING-KE, YANG - Chinese Academy Of Sciences

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/12/2019
Publication Date: 6/25/2019
Citation: Ruan, Y., Konstantinov, A.S., Prathapan, K.D., Zhang, M., Xing-Ke, Y. 2019. The genus Lankaphthona Medvedev: new species, synonyms and comments on the modified phallobase and unique abdominal appendage of L. binotata (Baly) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini). ZooKeys. 857:29-58.

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 documents flea beetles of a previously poorly known genus. It clarifies this and related genera classification and describes a species new to science from China. All the species are described and illustrated. The study will be useful to biological control workers, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and anyone interested in plant feeding beetles.

Technical Abstract: The flea beetle genus Lankaphthona Medvedev, 2001 is redescribed and a new species L. yunnantarsella sp. nov. Ruan, Konstantinov & Prathapan is described. Longitarsella Medvedev, 2009 syn. nov. and Philotarsa Medvedev 2009 syn. nov. are newly synonymized with Lankaphthona. Philotarsa laosica Medvedev 2009 is synonymized with Lankaphthona phuketensis (Gruev, 1989), syn. nov. The following new combinations are proposed: Lankaphthona binotata (Baly, 1876), comb. nov.; Lankaphthona costata (Medvedev, 2016), comb. nov.; Lankaphthona cyanipennis (Medvedev, 2017), comb. nov.; Lankaphthona nigronotata (Jacoby, 1896), comb. nov.; Lankaphthona notatipennis (Medvedev, 2009), comb. nov.; Lankaphthona phuketensis (Gruev, 1989), comb. nov., status restored. A never reported before, highly specialized spoon-shaped ‘appendage’ discovered on the first abdominal ventrite of males of Lankaphthona binotata. Additionally, aedeagus of the same species has aberrant sheath-shaped phallobase encircling the median lobe. Morphology and possible function of these structures are discussed.