A. O. Bieńkowski

Beetles (Coleoptera) in polar deserts of the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago

In the course of five expeditions to the Severnaya Zemlya Archipelago, four beetle species were found: Micralymma brevilingue (Staphylinidae), Chrysolina subsulcata, Ch. septentrionalis (Chrysomelidae), and Dienerella filum (Latridiidae). The zonal plant communities do not contain beetles at all. All the species found prefer intrazonal habitats, where the snowless season is prolonged. Only M. brevilingue is common enough in various biotopes of the archipelago. All the beetle species found are wingless, rather small, polytopic and have vast distribution areas (D. filum is a cosmopolitan polyzonal species, and the others are semi-circumpolar arctic forms). Obviously, M. brevilingue should be considered as the most cold-tolerant beetle species of the Northern Hemisphere. This is the first report on the coleopteran fauna in the polar desert zone.

Feeding behavior of leaf-beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae).

The feeding behavior of adult leaf beetles (41 species from 18 genera and 8 subfamilies) was studied for the first time. Beetles of the genera Chrysolina, Chrysomela, Cryptocephalus, Galeruca, Gastrophysa, Labidostomis, Leptinotarsa, Timarcha, and Cassida stigmatica gnaw a leaf from the edge, whereas the representatives of Donacia, Galerucella, Lema, Lilioceris, Oulema, Phyllobrotica, Plagiodera, Zeugophora, Hypocassida, and most species of Cassida gnaw the leaf plane. In addition, adults of Lilioceris merdigera and Donacia clavipes feed on young leaves rolled into a tube. New host plants are reported for the first time: Hyoscyamus niger for the larvae of the Colorado potato beetle and Naumburgia thyrsiflora for Galerucella grisescens.

A review of the leaf-beetle genus Chrysolina Motschulsky (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) from Russia and European countries of the former USSR: I. A key to species with developed hind wings

An illustrated key to the species and subspecies of Chrysolina Motschulsky, distributed in Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and the Baltic countries, is given and provided with data on the distribution and host plants. The publication includes three parts. The present, first part provides a key to 56 species with developed hind wings.

Findings of the leaf beetles Chrysolina tundralis and Chrysolina roddi (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in the middle part of European Russia

Two species of leaf beetles, Chrysolina tundralis and Ch. roddi, were found in the “Galich’ya Gora” Nature Reserve (the middle part of European Russia), 1200 and 700 km, respectively, from the main part of the ranges of these species. Adults and larvae of Ch. tundralis feed on Lamium purpureum, those of Ch. roddi feed on Seseli intermedia there. Diagnostic characters of the adults of both species are reported.

The subspecies of Chrysolina limbata (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)

Examination of 1492 specimens of Ch. limbata (Fabricius, 1775) from the entire distribution range resulted in the discrimination of six subspecies: limbata (West Europe excluding the Apennine Peninsula, the Crimea, north and south of European Russia, the Great Caucasus, Northern Kazakhstan, and southern West Siberia), discipennis (Ménétriés, 1848) (southeast of European Russia, Western Kazakhstan), hochhuthii (Suffrian, 1851) (south of East Siberia, Eastern Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Northern China), luigionii (Depoli, 1936) (the Apennines, the Alps, Herzegovina, the Mediterranean coast of France); russiella ssp. n. (deciduous forests, forest-steppe and steppe of European Russia and Ukraine); volodi ssp. n. (alpine regions of the Lesser Caucasus and eastern Turkey). Ch. limbata findelii (Suffrian, 1851) is a new junior synonym of Ch. limbata limbata.

Anthophagy in the leaf beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)

Laboratory experiments were performed on leaf beetles collected on flowers. Flower consumption (anthophagy) was demonstrated for adults of Donacia bicolora, D. brevitarsis, D. obscura, D. thalassina, Plateumaris discolor, Cryptocephalus laetus, C. sericeus, C. solivagus, Labidostomis longimana, Hydrothassa marginella, Phaedon concinnus, Galerucella nymphaeae, Neocrepidodera femorata, Altica oleracea, Aphthona lutescens, Longitarsus pellucidus, and larvae of Entomoscelis adonidis, H. marginella, and G. nymphaeae for the first time for all the species except for P. discolor, L. longimana, and C. sericeus. The feeding behavior was described, and the mouthparts of adults were studied. The mandibles and maxillae of the Donacia, Plateumaris, and Orsodacne species mentioned are adapted to consuming pollen. Some questions of ecology and evolution of anthophagy are discussed. An overview of literature on anthophagy in the leaf beetles is presented.

Composition of the subgenus Zeugotaenia, genus Chrysolina (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), and examination of the nomenclatural types

Zeugotaenia Motschulsky, 1860 is resurrected as a valid name for the subgenus of Chrysolina with the type species Chrysomela limbata Fabricius, 1775. Diagnosis of the subgenus is compiled. Neotypes of Chrysomela limbata and Ch. limbifera Küster, 1846, and lectotypes of Chrysomela findelii Suffrian, 1851, Ch. hochhuthii Suffrian, 1851, and Ch. discipennis Faldermann, 1835 are designated. The types of Chrysomela limbata jenisseiensis Breit, 1920 and Chrysolina limbata kavani Bechyné, 1950 and the topotypes of Chrysomela limbata luigionii Depoli, 1936 are examined. Chrysolina furva Peyerimhoff, 1926 and Ch. dohrnii Fairmaire, 1865 do not belong to the subgenus Zeugotaenia.

The morphology of larvae and systematics of the leaf-beetles Chrysolina tundralis and Chrysolina roddi (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Chrysomelinae)

The 1st- and 4th-instar larvae of Chrysolina tundralis and Ch. roddi and the egg of the latter species are described for the first time; the instar-related changes of the larval morphology are discussed. The 4th-instar larva of Ch. tundralis is very similar to that of Ch. septentrionalis, but differs in the smaller sclerite-like plates of the abdominal segments and wider spaces between them (4–7 times as wide as a sclerite-like plate). The 4th-instar larva of Ch. roddi is very similar to that of Ch. pedestris, but differs in the dark brown coloration of the body and a fewer number of setae (9–12) in the dorsolateral areas of the meso- and metathorax. Data on the habitats and host plants of the larvae are given.

A review of the Chrysolina lineella species-group of the subgenus Anopachys Motschulsky, 1860, genus Chrysolina Motschulsky, 1860 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Chrysomelinae)

The Chrysolina lineella species-group of the subgenus Anopachys Motschulsky, 1860 is revised. Chrysolina watanabei Takizawa, 1970 is revalidated from the synonymy with Ch. lineigera (Jacobson, 1901). Ch. sundukovi Mikhailov, 2006 is a new junior synonym of Ch. watanabei. Special attention is paid to the infraspecific variability of the male and female genitalia. The structure of the aedeagal flagellum and the spermatheca are used as diagnostic characters. A key to species is included. Ch. watanabei is for the first time recorded from the Asian continent (Primorskii Territory of Russia and Northeastern China).

Little known leaf beetles of the genus Chrysolina (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) from China

Chrysolina (Semenowia) chalcea (Weise, 1889), Ch. (Pezocrosita) cyanopurpurea (Ballion, 1878), and Ch. (Chrysocrosita) fuyunica Chen, 1961 are redescribed. A male (topotype) of Ch. cyanopurpurea was examined for the first time. Ch. belousovi Lopatin, 2000 is a new junior synonym of Ch. cyanopurpurea; Ch. bienkowskii Lopatin, 2000 is a new junior synonym of Ch. chalcea. The taxonomic position of all the taxa mentioned is discussed.