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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #374445
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 IV: new species of Andersonaltica Linzmeier and Konstantinov

Author
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex
item LINZMEIER, A.M. - Federal University Of Parana Polytechnic Center
item Scheffer, Sonja
item Lewis, Matthew

Submitted to: Journal of Insect Biodiversity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/18/2020
Publication Date: 7/8/2020
Citation: Konstantinov, A.S., Linzmeier, A., Scheffer, S.J., Lewis, M.L. 2020. Moss inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) of the West Indies IV: new species of Andersonaltica Linzmeier and Konstantinov. Journal of Insect Biodiversity. 18(1):1-16.

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 two new species of flea beetles previously unknown to science. They are described, illustrated and compared to known species of the genus. The study will be useful to biological control workers, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, and anyone interested in plant feeding beetles.

Technical Abstract: Two new species of bryobiont flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) from Dominican Republic are described and illustrated: Andersonaltica neiba (Sierra de Neiba) and A. villabarrancoli (Sierra de Baoruco). New species are compared morphologically with each other. Unusual intraspecific variability of A. villabarrancoli is reported. To obtain additional data in understanding the similarities between the specimens of A. villabarrancoli, we sequenced the Cytochrome oxidase I barcode region of adults and larvae. In all cases, the sequences are identical suggesting that the specimens in questions are conspecific.