Taxonomy, Habitat Preference, and Niche Overlap of Two Arrow-Poison Flea Beetle Species of the Genus Polyclada in Sub-Saharan Africa (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)

Abstract

Coupling the geographic distribution and the ecological requirements of species often supports taxonomy and biogeography. In this contribution, we update the distribution of two flea beetle species of ethno-entomological interest, Polyclada bohemani and P. pectinicornis, by analyzing original data. In addition, we supply their main morphological diagnostic characters, describing their aedeagal and spermathecal shapes for the first time. We also assess their niche differences in terms of climatic and vegetation needs, by means of ecological niche modelling and remote sensing techniques. Several new localities were identified to improve knowledge of the geographical distribution of both species. Moreover, we located a wide climatic suitability overlap in East Africa for these two flea beetle species, while in other areas they show a clear separation. Our analysis also reports that P. bohemani is associated with areas of denser tree cover than P. pectinicornis. Finally, the lectotypes of Diamphidia bohemani Baly, 1861, Clytra pectinicornis Olivier, 1791, and Diamphidia compacta Fairmaire, 1887 are here designated and the new synonymy Clytra pectinicornis Olivier = Diamphidia compacta Fairmaire syn.nov. is proposed.

Brief overview of edible insects: exploring consumption and promising sustainable uses in Latin America

“…Some beetles produce diamphotoxin and leptinotarsin, which are hemolytic peptide toxins traditionally used as arrow venom. Wasp venom contains mastoparan, a potent peptide toxin (Kachel et al, 2018;Biondi et al, 2022;Ye et al, 2023). The investigation of insects as sources of bioactive compounds is a continuing area of research.…”

Up and down from North to South: Latitudinal Distribution of Flea Beetle Genera in Continental Africa (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)

“…Occurrence data of flea beetles were obtained from checked literature [34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46] and integrated with unpublished data from entomological collections preserved in numerous depositories worldwide (Biondi, unpublished data). We conducted the study at the genus level to avoid biases in the number of taxa in each belt.…”

Generic placement of the African flea beetle Polyclada maculipennis Bryant and the possible occurrence of the genus Procalus Clark in sub-Saharan Africa (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)

“… Polyclada Chevrolat, 1836 is an Afrotropical flea beetle genus occurring in sub-Saharan Africa, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen. It comprises 16 described species currently under revision ( Biondi and D’Alessandro 2010 , 2012 ; Biondi et al 2022 ). The genus is associated with Anacardiaceae ( Sclerocarya birrea (A.…”