CHRYSOMELA newsletter Dedicated to information about the Chrysomelidae Report No. 35 April 1998 INSIDE THIS ISSUE Basel, SWITZERLAND: 2-Editor’s Corner/Notes Up Front Natural History Museum of Basel 3-More on the Bruchids 3-Porto Alegre Historical Photo 4-M & S in “Wanderland” 4-Book Notice 4-Biographical Note—H. R. Pajni 5-Central European Chryso Workers 5-Italian Chrysomelidists 6-Frey Collection in Basel 6-Two Mid-Atlantic Field Trips 7-American Chrysomelidists 7-Lilioceris in China 8-Looking for Larvae in Brazil 10-President’s Notes, ICE XXI 10-ICIPE 10-Aulacosceline Info. Wanted 10-Collaborator Wanted 10-Eumolpine Paper “Short Supply” 11-Literature on the Chrysomelidae 14-Literature (Available or Needed) 14-Specimens(Available or Needed) 15-Phone, FAX, & Email April ‘98 Eva Sprecher prepares to incorporate the invaluable Frey collection. (story, page 4) Research Activities and Interests Ross H. Arnett, Jr. (Gainesville, Cryptocephalinae–systematics and biolo- croorganisms. currently working on evo- USA) Revising Beetles of the United States gy. Actually working on the distribution lution of allopartic populations of the leaf to be called American Beetles with 52 co- and classification of the species belong- beetle Chrysomela lapponica. operating authors. Ed Riley and others ing to the Cryptocephalus flavipes F. Natalie Keals (Bentley, West Austra- doing the Chrysomelidae, sensu lato. group. Willing to identify all palearctic lia) Taxonomy and control of bruchid pests R. A. Crowson (Glasgow, UK) Phy- Cryptocephalinae. of temperate pulse and forage legumes. logeny, biology and palaeontology of Jose L. Fernandez-Carrillo (Ciudad J. M. Maes (Leon, Nicaragua) Con- Chrysomeloidea and allied groups. Real, Spain). Currently working on the tinues working on the catalogue of Nica- Andrzej O. Bienkowski (Moscow, systematics and biology of bruchids un- raguan insects (taking longer than planned). Russia) Continues work on the review of der the direction of Miguel Alonso-Zaraza- Jasbir Singh Mann (Surrey, Cana- the systematics of Chrysolina. Presently ga (Museo Nacional de Ciencias Natu- da) Wish to collaborate research in Chry- the subgenera Anopachys, Caudatochrysa, rales.) somelidae. Currently intend to publish on Pezocrosits, Chalcoidea, Allohypericia, Ali Gok (Isparta, Turkey) Currently old and new world Cassidinae and His- Hypericia, Pleurosticha, and Arctolina are preparing Ph.D. thesis on systematics of pinae genitalia (eps. internal sac) and their treated. the species of Chrysomelidae (Chry- evolutionary trends within the two sub- Maurizio Biondi (Coppito, Italy) somelinae, Clytrinae, Cryptocephalinae, families. Would appreciate further infor- Afrotropical flea beetles, particularly from Halticinae, and Cassidinae) in the Medi- mation. the southern part of Africa; currently do- terranean of Turkey. Lenice Medeiros (Brazil) Working on ing research on Longitarsus. Jürgen Gross (Berlin, Germany) thesis “Esdudo da interaco entre Gratiana Franck Duhaldeborde (Mérignac, Chemical protection of leaf beetles against spadicea (Klug, 1829) e Solanum sisymbri- France) Always interested in palearctic predators, parasitoids and pathogenic mi- ifolium Lam (Solanaceae).” cont. page 14 THE EDITOR'S corresponding habits. notice a special box on the enclosed ques- Carlo, at age 73, is still in good shape tionnaire regarding the possibilities for an CORNER and still working hard. For the first time in updated mailing, including posting it on Terry N. Seeno, Sacramento quite a while, he is not teaching, but work- the internet. ing as the librarian and secretary of the In Memoriam “Studio Teologico Missionario.” Cur- More Web Sites rently, no studies or projects are being Sincere condolences to Michael Cox for undertaken, and entomological activity is ⅷSome interesting websites from Scott the recent loss of his beloved wife. limited to collecting and increasing the Miller, Biodiversity and Conservation Pro- holdings of the third P.I.M.E. Entomo- gramme, International Centre of Insect Historical Photos logical Museum. Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE): African The museum houses more than 130,000 Projects (*new*): www.icipe.org//envi- Wanted specimens, and about 1,500 specimens are ronment/biodiversity_index.html; added each month. Help with identifica- and New Guinea projects: A few requests have been received for tions in some of the groups comes from www.bishop.hawaii.org/bishop/natsci/ the inclusion of historical chrysomelid re- colleagues at both the Museum and Uni- ng/newguinea.html. lated photos. Please send in anything of versity of Milano. this type you can find that would be of ⅷRadoslaw Scibior’s homepage: http:/ interest to our leaf beetle colleagues. More Web Notes /ursus.ar.lublin.pl/users/radeks Thanks to Catherine Duckett and Fernando Meyer for providing the first of what could CHRYSOMELA no. 34 is still not up on the ⅷ C HRYSOMELAhttp:// be an interesting series (see page 3). internet. With any luck, I’ll be able to talk www.cdfa.ca.gov/ppd/index.htm and Jeremy Chau into helping me compile both navigate from there. An other item of in- P.I.M.E. Museum 34 and 35 soon. terest produced by the Plant Pest Diagnos- The last three numbers of CHRYSOMELA tics Laboratory is the California Plant Pest Update were sent without an attached mailing list. and Disease Report produced and edited There have been fewer requests for a printed by Ray Gill. Occasionally (not often enough), I get a list, probably coincidental with the in- letter from my old friend Rev. Carlo Brivio crease in the number of email addresses ⅷXXI International Congress of Ento- at the P.I.M.E. Museum in Monza, Italy. (about 130, pages 15 and 16). mology Home Page, Londrina, Brazil: The key to getting letters is to send some in Naturally, anything we can do to reduce http://www.embrapa.br/ice Decio Luiz return (some of us are particularly bad). the cost of this publication is worth consid- Gazzoni, Caixa Postal 231, 86001-970 However, this is an update on Carlo’s ering. The first step is to find out if an Londrina - Brazil, Phone (+55)43-3716213 activities and not a window into my poor updated mailing list is needed. Please Fax (+55)43-3716100 (see page 10) Javier Blanco (New Brunswick, USA) Meetings and Communications Received a fellowship to Rutgers to work ⅷU.S. Chrysomelidist 16th Annual on PhD. under Karl Kjer. NOTES Meeting to be held in conjunction with the Astrid Eben (Xalapa, Mexico) is work- Entomological Society of America and ing on a chrysomelid checklist project and Up Front American Phytopathological Society meet- needs collaborators (see page 10). ings at the Las Vegas Hilton and Las Jasbir Mann (Surrey, Canada) has Chris Ried, (Canberra, Australia) has Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV immigrated to Canada with his family. moved from James Cooke University in (8-12 November, 1998). Scott Miller, formerly at the Bishop Townsville and is currently working at the ⅷBrazil 2000—Updates from D. L. Museum in Honolulu, is currently leading CSIRO in Canberra. Gazzoni, President of the XXI Internation- the Biodiversity and Conservation Jorge A. Santiago-Blay (Chicago, al Congress of Entomology—August 20- Programme International Centre of Insect USA) working on a aulacosceline biology 26, 2000 - Iguassu Falls. For more infor- Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in book chapter (see page 10). mation, see http://www.embrapa.br/ice; Nairobi, Kenya. The program is is need of e-mail <[email protected]> or journals (see note page 10). FAX: 55-43-371-6100 (see page 10). The Newsletter CHRYSOMELA–Founded 1979– is published semiannually in April and October by the California Department of Food & Agriculture, Plant Pest Diagnostics Center, 3294 Meadowview Road, Sacramento, CA 95832-1448. E-mail: [email protected]; telephone (916) 262-1160; FAX (916) 262-1190. This newsletter is sent to students of the Chrysomelidae to encourage the exchange of ideas and to disseminate information on these insects. Editor: Terry N. Seeno, Sacramento. Advisors: Catherine Duckett, San Juan; Brian D. Farrell, Cambridge; R. Wills Flowers, Tallahassee; Elizabeth Grobbelaar, Pretoria; Pierre Jolivet, Paris and Gainesville; Chris Reid, Townsville; Ed Riley, College Station; G. Al Samuelson, Honolulu; Eric H. Smith, Lynchburg; Charlie L. Staines, Edgewater; and Kunio Suzuki, Toyama. 2 CHRYSOMELA no. 35, April 1998 beetles and indeed most higher taxa are should be more expected. separated from their nearest relatives by In biological taxonomy ecological THE a decided gap, far more distinct than gaps data may be used to supplement other char- that separate most genera and families.” (p. acters in making out a higher taxon (cita- 135) tion 6), and this would be specially appro- FORVM 4. “Like the genus, but perhaps to an priate at the family level (citation 4). even greater degree, the family tends to Verma and Saxena (1996) suggested eco- More on the be distinguished by certain adaptive char- logical features as a supplement to the dis- acters that fit it for a particular adaptive tinctive features of Bruchidae, pointed out Bruchid zone, e.g., the woodpeckers or the family by Kingsolver (1995). However, some Controversy Picidae, the leaf beetles or the family readers, it seems, have interpreted the com- K. K. Verma, Durg. Chrysomelidae.” (p.139) munication as suggesting family status for 5. “There is no criterion that will in- Bruchidae mainly/solely on basis of ecol- Whether bruchids be treated as a sub- dicate whether a given group of genera ogy. family under the family Chrysomelidae or should be considered a tribe, subfamily, In view of arbitrariness involved in as a family under the superfamily family or superfamily.” (p. 138) deciding whether Bruchidae be treated as Chrysomeloidea/Cerambycoidea/ 6. “The same period (1930’s and 40’s) a family of a subfamily it would be best to Phytophaga has been discussed in four saw two additional aspects come to the retain the conventional family status for consecutive numbers of CHRYSOMELA fore. One is what might be called the bio- the group, as stability is a consideration in (Kingsover, 1995; Reid, 1996; Verma and logical approach to taxonomy.