Altica cf. lazulina LeConte

Eiseman, Charles S., Feldman, Tracy S. & Palmer, Michael W., 2024, New larval host records, parasitoid records, and DNA barcoding data for North American leaf-mining leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea), Zootaxa 5549 (1), pp. 1-60 : 39

Altica cf. lazulina LeConte

( Figs. 89 , 103 , 158 )

Reared specimens. CALIFORNIA: Sonoma Co., Bodega Bay , late iii.2017, em. 5–8.v.2017, E. LoPresti, ex Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia , # CSE3636 (2 adults, MLBM) .

Hosts. * Onagraceae : Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia (Hornem. ex Spreng.) W.L. Wagner & Hoch. Altica lazulina (presumably as adult beetles) has been reported previously from Epilobium adenocaulon Hausskn. and Oenothera suffrutescens (Moc. & Sessé ex Ser.) W.L. Wagner & Hoch ( Clark et al. 2004) .

Biology. The yellow, black-spotted larvae form irregular, full-depth mines with copious frass aggregated in an elongate central mass ( Fig. 89 ). Secondary mines in fresh leaves are established through the lower epidermis. In captivity, the brownish older larvae “window-feed” on the leaf surface, leaving the opposite epidermis intact ( Fig. 103 ).

Notes. According to S.M. Clark (in litt.), our specimens likely represent Altica lazulina but confident identification of many of the species in this genus is not currently feasible. We are not aware of any prior records of this or any other Altica species mining leaves. This may be the same beetle that Gates et al. (2002) listed as an unidentified chrysomelid on Oenothera albicaulis var. californica S.Watson (as Oenothera californica Wats. ) with a feeding mode of “complete blotch [mine] with internal/external feeding.”

Figures

FIGURES 89–98. Leaf mines of Alticini spp.; 89: Altica cf. lazulina on Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia; 90: Dibolia borealis on Plantago major; 91: D. chelones on Chelone glabra (larva producing squiggly frass); 92: same (two larvae producing central frass lines); 93: D. melampyri on Melampyrum lineare; 94: same; 95: D. cf. obscura on Penstemon griffinii; 96: same; 97: Mantura floridana on Persicaria virginiana; 98: M. floridana on Oxalis stricta.

FIGURES 103–106. Larvae of Alticini spp.; 103: late instar of Altica cf. lazulina, feeding externally on Camissoniopsis cheiranthifolia; 104: Dibolia cf. obscura; 105: Phyllotreta liebecki; 106: Phyllotreta sp. 2.

FIGURES 142–161. Chrysomelidae adults; 142: Octotoma marginicollis; 143: O. plicatula; 144: Odontota dorsalis; 145: O. floridana; 146: O. horni; 147: O. scapularis; 148: Stenopodius cf. lateralis; 149: Sumitrosis ancoroides (reared from Stylosanthes biflora); 150: S. ancoroides (reared from Strophostyles helvola); 151: S. inaequalis; 152: S. pallescens; 153: S. rosea (reared from Hylodesmum glutinosum); 154: S. rosea (reared from Laportea canadensis); 155: S. rosea (another individual reared from same collection of L. canadensis leaves); 156: S. rosea (reared from Celastrus orbiculatus); 157: Oulema palustris; 158: Altica cf. lazulina; 159: Dibolia borealis; 160: D. chelones; 161: D. melampyri.