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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #376385
Research Project: Beetle Taxonomy and Systematics Supporting U.S. Agriculture, Arboriculture and Biological Control

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: The biology and immature stages of the moss-eating flea beetle Cangshanaltica fuanensis sp. nov. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini), with description of a fan-driven high-power Berlese funnel

Author
item RUAN, YONGYING - Shenzhen University
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex
item DAMASKA, ALBERT - Charles University, Czech Republic
item XING-KE, YANG - Chinese Academy Of Sciences

Submitted to: Insects
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/20/2020
Publication Date: 8/26/2020
Citation: Ruan, Y., Konstantinov, A.S., Damaska, A., Xing-Ke, Y. 2020. The biology and immature stages of the moss-eating flea beetle Cangshanaltica fuanensis sp. nov. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini), with description of a fan-driven high-power Berlese funnel. Insects. 11(571):2-27.

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 species of flea beetles previously unknown to science. It provides descriptions and illustrations of adults and larvae. In addition, a modified design for a device that extracts beetles from moss cushions or leaf litter is presented. This study will be useful to biological control workers, taxonomists , ecologists, and anyone interested in plant-feeding beetles.

Technical Abstract: In this study, a new species of moss-eating flea beetles Cangshanaltica fuanensis sp. nov. is described, morphology of adult and immature stages is examined and illustrated. Its remarkable and unique biological features are revealed: females deposit one large egg at a time, egg length equals 0.4–0.5 times the female body length; females lay and hide each egg under a moss leaf; females have only two ovarioles on each side of ovary, which is unusual in leaf beetles. Cannibalism is observed between a 2nd instar larva and an egg; both adults and larvae feed on moss and are polyphagous, their feces mainly consist of un-digested moss fragments. High humidity is essential for the survival of eggs and larvae and expedites the hatching. A modified fan-driven Berlese funnel is designed for faster extraction of moss inhabiting flea beetles. This fan can be used for collecting ground-dwelling arthropods. Its working diagram is illustrated and described.