Description of three new species of Benedictus (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) from China, with comments on their biology and modified ethanol traps for collecting flea beetles

Zookeys. 2023 Aug 30:1177:147-165. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.1177.102811. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

The diversity and biology of the moss and leaf litter-inhabiting flea beetles are still poorly known. In this study, three new species of Benedictus are described from China: Benedictusfuanensis Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov., Benedictusquadrimaculatus Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov., and Benedictuswangi Ruan & Konstantinov, sp. nov. Comments on their biology are given. Benedictusquadrimaculatus has a highly unusual morphological feature not reported before in flea beetles: black spots on the abdominal tergites that are visible through the elytra. Traditional and modified ethanol traps were tested and proven useful for collecting leaf litter- and moss-inhabiting flea beetles. Based on our tests, eight traps could collect one specimen each day in the testing sites in Fujian Province; three traps could collect one specimen each day in the testing sites in Guangdong Province.

Keywords: Diversity; flea beetles; leaf litter; pan trap; pitfall trap; taxonomy.