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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #374150
Research Project: Beetle Taxonomy and Systematics Supporting U.S. Agriculture, Arboriculture and Biological Control

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Moss inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) of the West Indies III: Erinaceialtica, a new genus from Hispaniola

Author
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex
item LINZMEIER, A.M. - University Of Paranaense

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/6/2020
Publication Date: 8/5/2020
Citation: Konstantinov, A.S., Linzmeier, A. 2020. Moss inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) of the West Indies III: Erinaceialtica, a new genus from Hispaniola. ZooKeys. 955:115-145.

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 a discovery of a new genus and five flea beetle species previously unknown to science. The specimens that belong to these new species are among the most colorful among flea beetles, having bright green, blue and purple body surface and numerous black and yellow setae. The genus and species are described, illustrated and compared to known species of the appropriate genera. The study will be useful to biological control workers, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and anyone interested in plant feeding beetles.

Technical Abstract: Erinaceialtica Konstantinov & Linzmeier, a new genus of moss inhabiting flea beetles, containing seven species from the Dominican Republic and Haiti is described and illustrated. Five species are new (E. gabbysalazarae, E. janestanleyae, E. rickstanleyi - the type species, E. rileyi, and E. thomasi) and two species are transferred from Aedmon: A. albicincta (Blake 1945) and A. hugonis (Blake 1943a) new combinations. The new genus is compared to Aedmon Clark, Apleuraltica Bechyne, Andersonaltica Linzmeier & Konstantinov, Distigmoptera Blake and Ulrica Scherer. Key to Erinaceialtica and related genera and to Erinaceialtica species are provided.