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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #414821
Research Project: Systematics of Beetles, Flies, Moths and Wasps with an Emphasis on Agricultural Pests, Invasive Species, Biological Control Agents, and Food Security

Location: Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Title: Discovery and lectotype designation of Longitarsus californicus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Galerucinae Alticini)

Author
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex
item SAVITSKY, V. - Moscow State University
item ZABALUEV, I. - Institute Of Ecology And Evolution

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/17/2024
Publication Date: 8/9/2024
Citation: Konstantinov, A.S., Savitsky, V., Zabaluev, I. 2024. Discovery and lectotype designation of Longitarsus californicus (Motschulsky) (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Galerucinae Alticini). ZooKeys. 1209: 231-244. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1209.124692.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1209.124692

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 specimen that was presumed lost since 1845. It is described, illustrated, compared to related species and included into a key for species identification. The results of this study will allow for more complete understanding of flea beetles native for the United States and will be useful to biological control workers, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and anyone interested in plant feeding beetles.

Technical Abstract: The lectotype of Longitarsus californicus (Motschulsky, 1845) is designated, described and illustrated. An illustrated key to eight light-colored Longitarsus species known to occur in Western United States is presented. A brief history of Russian entomological collecting during the first half of XIX century with specimens preserved in Zoological Museum of Moscow University, Moscow and Zoological Institute, Sankt Petersburg is provided.