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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) » Beltsville Agricultural Research Center » Systematic Entomology Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #284253

Title: Moss inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) with description of a new genus from Cangshan, China

Author
item Konstantinov, Alexander - Alex
item Chamorro, Maria
item PRATHAPAN, K. - Kerala Agricultural University
item SI-QIN, GE - Agricultural University Of China
item XING-KE, YANG - Agricultural University Of China

Submitted to: ZooKeys
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/23/2012
Publication Date: 5/3/2013
Citation: Konstantinov, A.S., Chamorro, M.L., Prathapan, K.D., Si-Qin, G., Xing-Ke, Y. 2013. Moss inhabiting flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) with description of a new genus from Cangshan, China. ZooKeys. 1-19.

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 describes a new genus and new species of flea beetles from China, providing characters, descriptions, illustrations and a key to identification of these beetles. This study will be useful to biological control workers, taxonomists, ecologists, and anyone interested in plant feeding beetles.

Technical Abstract: Diversity of moss cushion inhabiting and moss feeding flea beetles is documented and discussed. A new genus (Cangshanaltica) with a single new species (C. nigra) from Yunnan Province in China is described and illustrated. It is similar to Benedictus Scherer, Ivalia Jacoby, Minota Weise, Paraminota Scherer, and Phaelota Jacoby and a key to identification of all genera known to occur in mosses in Eastern Hemisphere is provided.