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Abstract The flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) inhabiting leaf litter and moss in Hong Kong are reviewed and summarized for the first time. Five species are listed from Hong Kong, four of which are newly described: Benedictus sagittalis sp. nov., Cangshanaltica sprynari sp. nov., Clavicornaltica doeberli sp. nov. and C. longipenis sp. nov. Ivalia excavata (Wang, 1993) is recorded from Hong Kong for the first time. All species are photographed and their species identity is discussed.

A complete list of Carabidae species historically collected in Hong Kong combined with more recent records and notes on their biology is given. Notes on the historic boundaries of Hong Kong through the colonial period are given, as this is an important element relating to our understanding of the origins of historic zoological collections made in the region. Likewise a list of collectors in Hong Kong up to the outbreak of hostilities in the Second World War is given. A full bibliography of Hong Kong Carabidae is included.

Background Dionysia tapetodes, a small cushion-forming mountainous evergreen in the Primulaceae, possesses a vast surface-covering of long silky fibres forming the characteristic “woolly” farina. This contrasts with some related Primula which instead form a fine powder. Farina is formed by specialized cellular factories, a type of glandular trichome, but the precise composition of the fibres and how it exits the cell is poorly understood. Here, using a combination of cell biology (electron and light microscopy) and analytical chemical techniques, we present the principal chemical components of the wool and its mechanism of exit from the glandular trichome. Results We show the woolly farina consists of micron-diameter fibres formed from a mixture of flavone and substituted flavone derivatives. This contrasts with the powdery farina, consisting almost entirely of flavone. The woolly farina in D. tapetodes is extruded through specific sites at the surface of the trichome’s glandular head cell, characterised by a small complete gap in the plasma membrane, cell wall and cuticle and forming a tight seal between the fibre and hole. The data is consistent with formation and thread elongation occurring from within the cell. Conclusions Our results suggest the composition of the D. tapetodes farina dictates its formation as wool rather than powder, consistent with a model of thread integrity relying on intermolecular H-bonding. Glandular trichomes produce multiple wool fibres by concentrating and maintaining their extrusion at specific sites at the cell cortex of the head cell. As the wool is extensive across the plant, there may be associated selection pressures attributed to living at high altitudes.