Notomela joliveti: A new species of Flea Beetle from Principe Island.

Flea Beetles, Alticini, are highly specialized Leaf Beetles, Chrysomelidae, which get their common name from their highly modified rear legs, which enable them to make sudden long jumps when threatened. They are small for Leaf Beetles, though not exceptionally so, and are herbivorous, with each species favoring a particular host plant, and some being serious agricultural pests.

In a paper published in the journal ZooKeys on 17 December 2015, Maurizio Biondi and Paola D’Alessandro of the Department of Health, Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of L’Aquila describe a new species of Flea Beetle from Principe Island off the west coast of Africa.

The new species is placed in the genus Notomela, which is widespread in Sub-Saharan Africa, and given the specific name joliveti, in honour of the entomologist Pierre Jolivet a preeminent worker in the field of Leaf Beetles. The species is described from three male specimens collected on the island in 1901 and housed at the Museo Civico di Storia Naturale in Genova. The new species is smaller than other members of the genus at 3,9-4.2 mm in length, and is a uniform greenish black in colour, unlike other members of the genus which have light brown heads and thoraxes. The host plant for this species is unknown.

Notomela joliveti, male specimen in dorsal view. Biondi & D'Alessandro (2015).

See also...

Pella tianmuensis: A new species of Myrmecophilic Aleocharine Rove Beetle from Zhejiang Province, China.                     Aleocharine Rove Beetles are small Rove...

Cretonthophilus tuberculatus: A Clown Beetle from Cretaceous Burmese Amber.           Clown Beetles, Histeridae, are a diverse group of carnivorous Beetles found across the globe. They are easy to distinguish, the elytra (wing cases) that do not cover the ends of their abdomens and club-like tips to their antennae. They occupy a wide range of...

Awas gigas: A new species of Rove Beetle from Guangxi Province, China.                  Rove Beetles, Staphylinidae, of the genus Awas are tiny Beetles with elongate heads and constricted waists found living in Ant's nests on the Malay Peninsula, in Taiwan and in continental China. The group is poorly understood, with three of the five described species being known only from a sngle specimen, and...

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.

A new species of Chrysomeline Leaf Beetle from Ireland, England and Tasmania.

Chrysomeline Leaf Beetles are one of the most diverse and widespread groups of Beetles, with over 35 000 described species from across the globe. They feed on living plant matter, and many species, such as the Colorado Potato Beetle, are significant agricultural pests, either due to direct damage to crops or by acting as vectors for plant diseases.

In a paper published in the journal Zootaxa on 24 June 2013, Chris Reid of the Department of Entomology at the Australian Museum and David de Little of the Rosny Research Facility at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery describe a new species of Chrysomeline Leaf Beetle found infesting Eucalyptus trees in County Kerry, Ireland and across Tasmania as well as in a garden in London.

The new species is placed in the genus Paropsisterna, and given the specific name selmani, in honour of the late Brian Selman of University of Newcastle-on-Tyne, an expert on Australian Chrysomeline Leaf Beetles. Paropsisterna selmani is a 7-9 mm oval Beetle with distinctive but variable colouration. The males tend to be darker and redder than the females, and all the beetles seem to be darker in spring, after emerging from hibernation. The Beetle feeds on the leaves of Eucalyptus and where these trees are grown in large monospecific plantations, appears capable of achieving epidemic proportions capable of causing considerable economic damage quite rapidly. The species appears to be a native of Tasmania which has become established in Ireland and England, and given the popularity of the fast-growing Eucalyptus as a plantation tree around the world, would seem to have to potential to become a significant pest globally.

Paropsisterna selmani from Tasmania in spring. David de Little in Reid & de Little (2013).

Paropsisterna selmani from London in autumn. Paula French in Reid & de Little (2013).

Paropsisterna selmani new adult shortly after emerging from pupae, County Kerry, Ireland. Finbarr Horgan in Reid & de Little (2013).

The larvae of Paropsisterna selmani. Reid & de Little (2013).

See also A new species of Diving Beetle from New Guinea, A new species of Skin Beetle from Yunnan Province, China, A blind, cave dwelling, Ground Beetle from Anatolian Turkey, Three new species of Palm Weevil from Columbia and A new species of Bumble Bee Scarab Beetle from the Early Cretaceous of Inner Mongolia.

Follow Sciency Thoughts on Facebook.