Eur. J. Entomol. 107: 401–424, 2010 http://www.eje.cz/scripts/viewabstract.php?abstract=1551 ISSN 1210-5759 (print), 1802-8829 (online) Genus-group names of Afrotropical flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae): Annotated catalogue and biogeographical notes MAURIZIO BIONDI and PAOLA D’ALESSANDRO Dipartimento di Scienze Ambientali, University of L’Aquila, 67100 Coppito-L’Aquila, Italy; e-mails: [email protected]; [email protected] Key words. Taxonomy, Afrotropical region, Chrysomelidae, Alticinae, Galerucinae, flea beetle genera, catalogue, synonymies, new combinations. Abstract. This paper consists of an up to date annotated catalogue of the Afrotropical genera of Alticinae (Chrysomelidae), with bio- geographical notes on the flea beetle fauna occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. The following new synonymies are proposed: Eugonotes Jacoby, 1897 (a subgenus of Sanckia Duvivier, 1891) = Brancucciella Medvedev, 1995 syn. n.; Amphimela Chapuis, 1875 = Dibolosoma Jacoby, 1897 syn. n.; Amphimela Chapuis, 1875 = Halticova Fairmaire, 1898 syn. n.; Podagrica Chev- rolat, 1837 = Podagrixena Bechyné, 1968 syn. n.; Aphthona Chevrolat, 1837 = Pseudeugonotes Jacoby, 1899 syn. n.; Nisotra Baly, 1864 = Pseudonisotra Bechyné, 1968 syn. n. The following new combinations are proposed: Afrorestia sjostedti (Weise, 1910) comb. n. (from Crepidodera); Bechuana natalensis (Jacoby, 1906) comb. n. (from Ochrosis); Sesquiphaera natalensis (Jacoby, 1906) comb. n. (from Sphaeroderma). The genus Hildenbrandtina Weise, 1910 is trasferred from Galerucinae to Alticinae. New dis- tributional data for many genera in the Afrotropical region is provided. INTRODUCTION ning as early as 1830, although the first significant contri- The Chrysomelidae is one of the largest phytophagous bution on the Afrotropical (including Madagascar) flea insect families and includes approximately 37,000 to beetle fauna was by the English coleopterist, Joseph 40,000 species (Jolivet & Verma, 2002). The relationship Sugar Baly (1816–1890). Subsequently, in the twenty between two of its subfamilies, the monophyletic years following Baly’s death (1890–1910) there were Alticinae (commonly termed flea beetles) and closely three important entomologists working on these beetles: related Galerucinae is an area of active research on Léon Fairmaire (1820–1906), a French specialist on Cole- Chrysomelidae phylogeny (Duckett et al., 2004; optera and Hemiptera; Julius Weise (1884–1925), a Gómez-Zurita et al., 2007). In this paper, the Alticinae German coleopterist that, despite his short life, published and Galerucinae are considered to be separate subfamilies a large number of scientific papers, not only on Chry- because of the metafemoral spring in Alticinae and somelidae but also on Coccinellidae, Curculionoidea, etc.; specific structures of the spermatheca, median lobe of and Martin Jacoby (1842–1907), a German musician and aedeagus and hind wing venation (cf. Furth & Suzuki, coleopterist who published 150 articles on leaf beetles 1994, 1998). The Alticinae includes 4,000 to 8,000 after moving to London. species grouped in approximately 500 genera that are A decrease in the number of publications on Afro- distributed worldwide, although most occur in the tropical tropical flea beetle fauna followed, until the revival in regions of South America, Africa and Asia (Konstantinov 1930–1940 initiated by the English coleopterist Gilbert & Vandenberg, 1996; Santiago-Blay, 2004). They are Ernest Bryant (1878–1965) and the French chrysomelid highly specialized phytophagous insects, of which the specialist Victor Laboissière (1875–1942). The Alticinae adults and larvae feed on stems, leaves and roots of most specialists Jan Bechyné (1920–1973) and Gerhard of the higher plant families (Konstantinov & Vandenberg, Scherer then published many monographs (see Refer- 1996). ences) on the flea beetle fauna of Sub-Saharan Africa Details of the composition of the Afrotropical flea and, to a less extent, Madagascar, describing many new beetle fauna are incomplete, which is highlighted by the genera and species from 1950–1970. More recently, con- discrepancy in the numbers of morphogenera and mor- tributions on the Afrotropical flea beetle fauna were pub- phospecies in African entomological material preserved lished by Gerhard Scherer, Maurizio Biondi, Paola in public and private collections and those that have been D’Alessandro, Manfred Döberl and Serge Doguet (see officially described. Current scientific literature includes References). approximately 300 research papers dedicated in whole or MATERIAL AND METHODS part to Sub-Saharan and Madagascan Chrysomelidae The catalogue is arranged alphabetically by genus. Names Alticinae, including publications on taxonomy, faunistics that are in square brackets refer to synonymies, genera incor- and ecology. The chronological trend in the numbers of rectly reported in the Afrotropical region or, in some cases, to these publications in time is summarized in Fig. 1, begin- 401 Fig. 1. Chronology of the publications on the Afrotropical flea beetle fauna (ASC). genera transferred to Galerucinae or to genus-group names that Abbreviations are unavailable. Regions: AFR – Afrotropical; AUS – Australian; CAF – Cen- In addition to author and date of publication, each genus- tral Afrotropical; EAF – Eastern Afrotropical; IND – Indo- group name is accompanied by: (a) synonymies, exclusively Malayan; NEA – Nearctic; NEO – Neotropical; PAL – those for the Afrotropical region; (b) bibliographic references, Palaearctic; SAF – Southern Afrotropical; WAF – Western including the original description and other important taxo- Afrotropical. MAD – Madagascar; MAS – Mascarene Islands; nomical contributions; (c) type species, including the method of SEY – Seychelles Islands; SSA – Sub-Saharan Africa; (?) – species assignment; (d) geographic distribution in the Afro- record to be confirmed; (!) – new record. tropical region (cf. Graf & Cummings, 2007) and other zoogeo- graphical regions (cf. Sclater, 1858); (e) ecological remarks, CATALOGUE OF AFROTROPICAL FLEA BEETLE mainly host-plants and/or habitat preferences; (f) notes, GENERA including the number of Afrotropical species and important taxonomical news. Abrarius Fairmaire, 1902 The type material examined for this study is preserved in the =Entymosina Weise, 1910 (synonymized by Bechyné, 1958c) following institutions: BAQ – collection of the author, Diparti- References. Fairmaire, 1902: 261; Weise, 1910b: 438; mento di Scienze Ambientali, University of L’Aquila, Italy; Bechyné, 1947a: 44 (sub Entymosina); 1958c: 9. BMNH – The Natural History Museum, London, United King- Type species. Abrarius cribrosus Fairmaire, 1902: 261 (Mada- dom; ISNB – Institut Royal des Sciences Naturelles de gascar: Plateau de l’Ankara), by monotypy. Belgique, Brussels, Belgium; MNHN – Muséum National Distribution. Madagascar. d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris, France; MCSN – Museo Civico di Ecology. No information. Storia Naturale “Giacomo Doria”, Genova, Italy; MRAC – Notes. Genus endemic to Madagascar and consisting of about Musée Royal de l’Afrique Centrale, Tervuren, Belgium; MZLU ten species. Abrarius is very similar to the Neotropical genus – Lund University, Sweden; NHMB – Naturhistorisches Gioia Bechyné (1955e: 77), which could be a synonym. Museum, Basel, Switzerland; NHRS – Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet, Stockholm, Sweden; SANC – South African Afroaltica Biondi & D’Alessandro, 2007 National Collection, ARC-Plant Protection Research Institute, References. Biondi & D’Alessandro, 2007: 99: D’Alessandro & Pretoria, South Africa; SMNS – Staatliches Museum für Biondi, in press. Naturkunde, Stuttgart, Germany; TMSA – Transvaal Museum, Type species. Afroaltica subaptera Biondi & D’Alessandro, Pretoria, South Africa; ZMHB – Museum für Naturkunde der 2007: 100 (Republic of South Africa, KwaZulu-Natal, Humboldt-Universität, Berlin, Germany; ZSMC – Zoologische Karkloof area), by original designation. Staatssammlung, Munich, Germany. Distribution. Republic of South Africa (Limpopo, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal). 402 Ecology. A. subaptera collected in an open field on Graminae Ecology. Polyphagous genus associated with herbaceous plants, (Biondi & D’Alessandro, 2007). shrubs and trees belonging to several plant families (cf. Jol- Notes. Two species. ivet & Hawkeswood, 1995). Notes. Thirty-five species in Sub-Saharan Africa and 8 in [Afroalytus Scherer, 1961] Madagascar. =Manobia Jacoby, 1885 Amphimela Chapuis, 1875 Afrocrepis Bechyné, 1954 =Diboloides Jacoby, 1897 (synonymized by Scherer, 1961) References. Bechyné, 1954b: 680; Heikertinger, 1925: 99 (sub =Dibolosoma Jacoby, 1897 syn. n. Derocrepis Weise, 1886). =Halticova Fairmaire, 1898 syn. n. Type species. Crepidodera carinipennis Jacoby, 1903a: 12 =Halticella Jacoby, 1899 (nec Halticella Stephens, 1829: 36, (KwaZulu-Natal, Malvern), by original designation. Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea). Distribution. Republic of South Africa. =Cercyonia Weise, 1901 (synonymized by Scherer, 1961) Ecology. No information. =Halticorthaea Csiki, 1940 (new name for Halticella Jacoby, Notes. Three species. Crepidodera betiokyensis Bechyné 1899; synonymized by Scherer, 1961) (1954a: 46), erroneously attributed by Bechyné (1964: 152) to References. Chapuis, 1875: 34; Baly, 1875: 27; Jacoby, 1897: this genus, must be placed in Afrorestia Bechyné (cf. Scherer, 553, 559; Fairmaire, 1898: 428; Jacoby, 1899b: 357; Weise, 1962b: 57; pers. data). 1901: 303; Maulik, 1929: 207 (sub Diboloides); Csiki in Afrorestia Bechyné,