Chris A. M. Reid

Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta)

Abstract We synthesize data on all known extant and fossil Coleoptera family-group names for the first time. A catalogue of 4887 family-group names (124 fossil, 4763 extant) based on 4707 distinct genera in Coleoptera is given. A total of 4492 names are available, 183 of which are permanently invalid because they are based on a preoccupied or a suppressed type genus. Names are listed in a classification framework. We recognize as valid 24 superfamilies, 211 families, 541 subfamilies, 1663 tribes and 740 subtribes. For each name, the original spelling, author, year of publication, page number, correct stem and type genus are included. The original spelling and availability of each name were checked from primary literature. A list of necessary changes due to Priority and Homonymy problems, and actions taken, is given. Current usage of names was conserved, whenever possible, to promote stability of the classification. New synonymies (family-group names followed by genus-group names): Agronomina Gistel, 1848 syn. nov. of Amarina Zimmermann, 1832 (Carabidae), Hylepnigalioini Gistel, 1856 syn. nov. of Melandryini Leach, 1815 (Melandryidae), Polycystophoridae Gistel, 1856 syn. nov. of Malachiinae Fleming, 1821 (Melyridae), Sclerasteinae Gistel, 1856 syn. nov. of Ptilininae Shuckard, 1839 (Ptinidae), Phloeonomini Ádám, 2001 syn. nov. of Omaliini MacLeay, 1825 (Staphylinidae), Sepedophilini Ádám, 2001 syn. nov. of Tachyporini MacLeay, 1825 (Staphylinidae), Phibalini Gistel, 1856 syn. nov. of Cteniopodini Solier, 1835 (Tenebrionidae); Agronoma Gistel 1848 (type species Carabus familiaris Duftschmid, 1812, designated herein) syn. nov. of Amara Bonelli, 1810 (Carabidae), Hylepnigalio Gistel, 1856 (type species Chrysomela caraboides Linnaeus, 1760, by monotypy) syn. nov. of Melandrya Fabricius, 1801 (Melandryidae), Polycystophorus Gistel, 1856 (type species Cantharis aeneus Linnaeus, 1758, designated herein) syn. nov. of Malachius Fabricius, 1775 (Melyridae), Sclerastes Gistel, 1856 (type species Ptilinus costatus Gyllenhal, 1827, designated herein) syn. nov. of Ptilinus Geoffroy, 1762 (Ptinidae), Paniscus Gistel, 1848 (type species Scarabaeus fasciatus Linnaeus, 1758, designated herein) syn. nov. of Trichius Fabricius, 1775 (Scarabaeidae), Phibalus Gistel, 1856 (type species Chrysomela pubescens Linnaeus, 1758, by monotypy) syn. nov. of Omophlus Dejean, 1834 (Tenebrionidae). The following new replacement name is proposed: Gompeliina Bouchard, 2011 nom. nov. for Olotelina Báguena Corella, 1948 (Aderidae). Reversal of Precedence (Article 23.9) is used to conserve usage of the following names (family-group names followed by genus-group names): Perigonini Horn, 1881 nom. protectum over Trechicini Bates, 1873 nom. oblitum (Carabidae), Anisodactylina Lacordaire, 1854 nom. protectum over Eurytrichina LeConte, 1848 nom. oblitum (Carabidae), Smicronychini Seidlitz, 1891 nom. protectum over Desmorini LeConte, 1876 nom. oblitum (Curculionidae), Bagoinae Thomson, 1859 nom. protectum over Lyprinae Gistel 1848 nom. oblitum (Curculionidae), Aterpina Lacordaire, 1863 nom. protectum over Heliomenina Gistel, 1848 nom. oblitum (Curculionidae), Naupactini Gistel, 1848 nom. protectum over Iphiini Schönherr, 1823 nom. oblitum (Curculionidae), Cleonini Schönherr, 1826 nom. protectum over Geomorini Schönherr, 1823 nom. oblitum (Curculionidae), Magdalidini Pascoe, 1870 nom. protectum over Scardamyctini Gistel, 1848 nom. oblitum (Curculionidae), Agrypninae/-ini Candèze, 1857 nom. protecta over Adelocerinae/-ini Gistel, 1848 nom. oblita and Pangaurinae/-ini Gistel, 1856 nom. oblita (Elateridae), Prosternini Gistel, 1856 nom. protectum over Diacanthini Gistel, 1848 nom. oblitum (Elateridae), Calopodinae Costa, 1852 nom. protectum over Sparedrinae Gistel, 1848 nom. oblitum (Oedemeridae), Adesmiini Lacordaire, 1859 nom. protectum over Macropodini Agassiz, 1846 nom. oblitum (Tenebrionidae), Bolitophagini Kirby, 1837 nom. protectum over Eledonini Billberg, 1820 nom. oblitum (Tenebrionidae), Throscidae Laporte, 1840 nom. protectum over Stereolidae Rafinesque, 1815 nom. oblitum (Throscidae) and Lophocaterini Crowson, 1964 over Lycoptini Casey, 1890 nom. oblitum (Trogossitidae); Monotoma Herbst, 1799 nom. protectum over Monotoma Panzer, 1792 nom. oblitum (Monotomidae); Pediacus Shuckard, 1839 nom. protectum over Biophloeus Dejean, 1835 nom. oblitum (Cucujidae), Pachypus Dejean, 1821 nom. protectum over Pachypus Billberg, 1820 nom. oblitum (Scarabaeidae), Sparrmannia Laporte, 1840 nom. protectum over Leocaeta Dejean, 1833 nom. oblitum and Cephalotrichia Hope, 1837 nom. oblitum (Scarabaeidae).

DNA barcoding insect–host plant associations

Short-sequence fragments (‘DNA barcodes’) used widely for plant identification and inventorying remain to be applied to complex biological problems. Host–herbivore interactions are fundamental to coevolutionary relationships of a large proportion of species on the Earth, but their study is frequently hampered by limited or unreliable host records. Here we demonstrate that DNA barcodes can greatly improve this situation as they (i) provide a secure identification of host plant species and (ii) establish the authenticity of the trophic association. Host plants of leaf beetles (subfamily Chrysomelinae) from Australia were identified using the chloroplast trnL(UAA) intron as barcode amplified from beetle DNA extracts. Sequence similarity and phylogenetic analyses provided precise identifications of each host species at tribal, generic and specific levels, depending on the available database coverage in various plant lineages. The 76 species of Chrysomelinae included—more than 10 per cent of the known Australian fauna—feed on 13 plant families, with preference for Australian radiations of Myrtaceae (eucalypts) and Fabaceae (acacias). Phylogenetic analysis of beetles shows general conservation of host association but with rare host shifts between distant plant lineages, including a few cases where barcodes supported two phylogenetically distant host plants. The study demonstrates that plant barcoding is already feasible with the current publicly available data. By sequencing plant barcodes directly from DNA extractions made from herbivorous beetles, strong physical evidence for the host association is provided. Thus, molecular identification using short DNA fragments brings together the detection of species and the analysis of their interactions.

The effect of habitat configuration on arboreal insects in fragmented woodlands of south-eastern Australia

The reduction in area of habitat patches and the concurrent increase in edge habitat associated with fragmentation of native vegetation have been shown to have a marked effect on the persistence of vertebrates in landscapes dominated by agriculture. However, because of the relatively large grain size they can distinguish, the spatial scale at which vertebrates become affected is likely to be different from that for invertebrates. Thus, although the high degree of fragmentation currently present in the sheep/wheat growing areas of Australia has been debilitating for vertebrates, this result cannot be extrapolated to the general state of species diversity. This study investigates the distribution of an arboreal insect fauna across a variety of habitat configurations common in the wheat/sheep belt of New South Wales. The aim was to determine the response of insects to habitat fragmentation at the scale associated with current agricultural practices, and to determine whether an “interior” fauna exists. Insects living on Callitris glaucophylla were sampled in the edge and interior of large state forests, in broad and narrow roadside strips and in small isolated remnants. Forest interiors had a significantly different fauna from the other four habitat configurations, and where differences between configurations occurred, interior sites tended to have fewer species and fewer individuals than the edge habitats. This result implies that the arboreal insects we studied are not adversely affected by this level of habitat fragmentation and the optimum arrangement of habitat for the conservation of insects may be quite different from that for proposed for vertebrates. However, this conclusion must be considered in the light of the dubious prognosis for long-term persistence of small habitat patches, and the possibility that fragmentation-sensitive species have already been lost from this environment.

What determines whether a species of insect is described? Evidence from a study of tropical forest beetles

Abstract.  1 The rainforest canopy has been called ‘the last biological frontier’, and if this is true, there should be more undescribed species in this stratum than the ground stratum. 2 Here, we test this and other hypotheses regarding traits of described and undescribed species by a sub‐sample of 156 species into 96 described and 60 undescribed species from a beetle assemblage of 1473 species collected from the canopy and ground in an Australian lowland rainforest. 3 We show that described species are significantly more likely to be in the canopy, are more likely to be larger and, if they are large, are more likely to have been described earlier. 4 Undescribed species are just as likely to be found near the ground as in the canopy and are more likely to be smaller. 5 After the first year of sampling, ‘new’ described and undescribed species not previously encountered continued to appear in each of three further years of trapping. 6 These data show that the canopy fauna is in fact relatively ‘well known’, and that the undescribed species to be found in both strata are likely to be smaller than described species and are less likely to be plant feeders.

Plant phylogeny as a surrogate for turnover in beetle assemblages

The ability to extrapolate from the known to the unknown is essential if we are to use the turnover of overall biodiversity, as opposed to a few well-known groups, to inform conservation planning. We investigated the usefulness of using evolutionary relationships of plants as a surrogate for the turnover of their associated beetle assemblages. If plant traits that are important to insects are phylogenetically conserved, it follows that there will be a positive relationship between insect faunal dissimilarity and plant evolutionary distance. We collected beetles using pyrethrum knock-down methods from 40 plant species belonging to four plant families in the Sydney region of Eastern Australia. We developed a novel approach for estimating variance in the dissimilarity of beetle assemblages, as explained by plant phylogeny, by using phylogenetic eigenvectors as explanatory variables in a distance-based redundancy analysis. We found a highly significant relationship between faunal dissimilarity and plant evolutionary distance for the entire beetle assemblage, the herbivorous component, and the non-herbivorous component, indicating that beetles generally showed some preference for particular plant clades as habitat, regardless of feeding guild. When comparing observed dissimilarities with those predicted from 40 jack-knife replicates of a Generalised Dissimilarity Model, we were often able to predict beetle turnover from plant phylogenetic relationships, although the reliability of this result was highly variable. Nevertheless, the broad response of beetle assemblages to plant evolutionary relatedness indicates real potential for plant phylogenetic pattern to act as a useful surrogate for insect biodiversity, especially when supplemented with other environmental correlates.

The ratio of exotic-to-native dung beetles can indicate habitat quality in riparian restoration

1. Replanting natives on cleared riparian land is a common form of restoration. While most assessments of success are focussed on flora, the impact on fauna is often unknown.

Australopapuan leaf beetle diversity: the contributions of hosts plants and geography

The diversity of Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera) in Australia and New Guinea (Australopapua) is reviewed. There are 3100 described species in 244 genera, with a further 2300 species to be described or confirmed. Approximately 11.6% of the world species of Chrysomelidae are found in Australopapua. Among the larger subfamilies, there is a relative dearth of Bruchinae, Cassidinae and Criocerinae and a relative abundance of Chrysomelinae, Cryptocephalinae and Eumolpinae. In the smaller subfamilies, Lamprosomatinae and Synetinae are absent, whereas Sagrinae and Spilopyrinae are strongly represented. Endemicity at generic level is high, exceeding 30% in all subfamilies, except Donaciinae (one species), and exceeding 50% in Chrysomelinae, Cryptocephalinae, Eumolpinae, Sagrinae and Spilopyrinae. The most diverse and ecologically dominant plant orders host the most chrysomelid genera (39 genera on Myrtales, 34 on Fabales, 15 genera on both orders), but many major plant orders in the region, such as Ericales, are almost ignored. Processes contributing to the diversity of Chrysomelidae in Australopapua are discussed, particularly co‐speciation, co‐evolution, dispersal and vicariance.

Colour pattern variation affects predation in chrysomeline larvae

Most animals are under strong selection to avoid predation, and several strategies have evolved in response to this selection. The developmental change in colour patterns of toxin-protected chrysomeline larvae provides a system to investigate the potential costs and benefits of conspicuous coloration development in animals. Field experiments in which artificial, palatable prey of various colour patterns were presented to wild avian predators confirmed that warning colours alone are not sufficient to deter predation, but that the spatial distribution of yellow and black coloration may be key to conferring a warning signal.

The Role of Life-History and Ecology in the Evolution of Color Patterns in Australian Chrysomeline Beetles

The variation in animal coloration patterns has evolved in response to different visual strategies for reducing the risk of predation. However, the perception of animal coloration by enemies is affected by a variety of factors, including morphology and habitat. We use the diversity of Australian chrysomeline leaf beetles to explore relationships of visual ecology to beetle morphology and colour patterns. There is impressive colour pattern variation within the Chrysomelinae, which is likely to reflect anti-predatory strategies. Our phylogenetic comparative analyses reveal strong selection for beetles to be less distinct from their host plants, suggesting that the beetle colour patterns have a camouflage effect, rather than the widely assumed aposematic function. Beetles in dark habitats were significantly larger than beetles in bright habitats, potentially to avoid detection by predators because it is harder for large animals to be cryptic in bright habitats. Polyphagous species have greater colour contrast against their host plants than monophagous species, highlighting the conflict between a generalist foraging strategy and the detection costs of potential predators. Host plant taxa – Eucalyptus and Acacia – interacted differently with beetle shape to predict blue pattern differences between beetle and host plant, possibly an outcome of different predator complexes on these host plants. The variety of anti-predator strategies in chrysomelines may explain their successful radiation into a variety of habitats and, ultimately, their speciation.

Disentangling a taxonomic nightmare: a revision of the Australian, Indomalayan and Pacific species of Altica Geoffroy, 1762 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae)

The genus Altica Geoffroy, 1762, is revised for Australia, the west Pacific region and the Indomalayan Archipelago, with 6 valid species: A. aenea (Olivier, 1808); A. birmanensis (Jacoby, 1896); A. caerulea (Olivier, 1791); A. corrusca (Erichson, 1842); A. cyanea Weber, 1801; A. gravida (Blackburn, 1896). The following new synonymy is recognised, in original combinations, senior synonym first: Galeruca aenea Olivier = Haltica ignea Blackburn, 1889, syn. nov., = Haltica bicolora Jacoby, 1904, syn. nov., = Altica jussiaeae Gressitt, 1955, syn. nov.; Galeruca caerulea Olivier = Haltica elongata Jacoby, 1884, syn. nov., = Altica brevicosta Weise, 1922; Haltica corrusca Erichson = Haltica pagana Blackburn, 1896, syn. nov.; Haltica birmanensis Jacoby = Haltica indica Shukla, 1960, syn. nov. Altica brevicosta and A. birmanensis are removed from synonymy with A. cyanea and A. indica is removed from synonymy with A. caerulea. The Altica caerulea of Maulik and subsequent authors (not Olivier) is a misidentification of two species, correctly named A. cyanea and A. birmanensis. The Altica cyanea of Maulik and subsequent authors (not Weber) is a misidentification, correctly named A. aenea. Altica bicosta Shukla, 1960, is removed from synonymy with A. brevicosta and regarded as a valid species. Altica splendida Olivier, 1808, and Haltica ferruginis Blackburn, 1889, are transferred to Sutrea Baly, 1876, as S. splendida (comb. nov.) and S. ferruginis (comb. nov.). The type species of Sutrea is designated as S. elegans Baly, 1876. Altica albicornis Medvedev, 2004, is transferred to Phygasia Dejean, 1836, as P. albicornis (comb. nov.). Lectotypes are designated for A. australis, A. birmanensis, A. caerulea, A. cyanea, A. elongata, A. ignea and A. pagana. A neotype is designated for A. aenea. Altica caerulea is newly recorded from Australia and A. cyanea is removed from the Australian fauna. Altica corrusca and A. gravida are endemic to Australia; all published records of these species from outside Australia refer to the widespread Asian-Pacific species A. aenea. The single record of the European Altica oleracea (L., 1758) from New Caledonia is regarded as a label error and this species removed from the Pacific fauna. A key, based primarily on genitalic structures, is provided for the six regional species and all are redescribed. Host plant records are reviewed: A. corrusca is a minor agricultural pest; A. aenea, A. caerulea and A. cyanea may be useful for biocontrol of weeds.