Cryptocephalinae Gyllenhal, 1813

Bukejs, Andris, 2009, Two new leaf-beetles species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) for the Latvian fauna, Baltic Journal of Coleopterology 9 (2), pp. 155-160 : 156-157

Cryptocephalinae Gyllenhal, 1813 Cryptocephalus solivagus Leonardi & Sassi, 2001

Examined material ( Fig. 1 ): 2 exx: Madona district, 15 km W Madona, Gaiziņkalns (hills), 01.VII.1997 (1, leg. R. Cibuļskis); Rēzekne district, Sprukti, 08.VII.2008 (1, leg. M.Balalaikins) .

In C. solivagus Leonardi & Sassi upper side green, bluish-green or bronze-green, always with metallic reflection ( Fig. 2). Lateral border of pronotum straight or almost so in lateral view. 5- th abdominal (anal) sternite of male with shallow mid-impression and without denticles. Body length is 4.0– 5.6 mm. Aedeagus usually distinctly narrowed at sides of apical opening, with apex sinuous in lateral view, ventral surface convex and without sharp ridge.

Externally, C. solivagus Leonardi & Sassi is very similar to C. hypochaeridis (Linnaeus) . They are sibling species. These two species authentically differ only by the shape of the aedeagus and the sclerites of the endophallus ( Fig. 3).

The imagoes of Cryptocephalus solivagus Leonardi & Sassi as well as C. hypochaeridis (Linnaeus) , occur on the flowers of Compositae. The specimens are recorded from May to July ( Lopatin, Nesterova 2005).

The precise distribution of this species must be defined more exactly because of the former confusion with the closely related species C. hypochaeridis (L.). Cryptocephalus solivagus Leonardi & Sassi is distributed in Central, Southeastern and Eastern Europe ( Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, European part of Russia, Serbia and Montenegro, Turkey, Ukraine), Asia Minor, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Urals, Western Siberia and Altai ( Bieńkowski 2004; Leonardi, Sassi 2001; Lopatin, Nesterova 2005; Romantsov 2007). Recently, it was recorded also in Lithuania ( Bukejs, Barševskis 2008). Thus, the record of the species in Latvia extends its distribution range.

Figures

Fig. 1. The localities of the new leaf beetles species for the fauna of Latvia (1 – Ilgas, 2 – Gaiziņkalns, 3 - Sprukti): 1 – Chrysolina coerulans coerulans (Scriba); 2 and 3 – Cryptocephalus solivagus Leonardi & Sassi.