Guide to Palearctic Flea Beetle Genera
(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae)
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Argopus Fisher

habitus illustration of Argopus punctipennis

Argopus punctipennis
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  • Argopus Fisher, 1824:184 (type species A.bicolor, Fisher, 1824, S.W.Russia, by monotypy). - Heikertinger, 1924a:36. - Heikertinger Csiki in Junk, 1940:511. - Maulik, 1926:429. - Chen, 1933:222. - Kaszab, 1962:345. - Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963:746, 815. - Kimoto, 1965:402, 433. - Shapiro, 1965:466. - Mohr, 1966:259. - Lopatin, 1977:236; 1984:361; 1986:101. - Lopatin & Kulenova, 1986:168. - Medvedev, 1982:117, 275; 1992:588. - Gruev & Tomov, 1986:309. - Konstantinov & Vandenberg, 1996:353.
  • Dicherosis Foudras, 1859(1860):147 (proposed as subgenus, type species Altica haemisphaericus Duftschmidt, 1825 = Argopus ahrensi Germar, 1817, Europe, by present designation).

Distribution: Primarily Palearctic and Oriental, with the majority of species in the latter region. Citation of the genus in Brasilia (single species, Heikertinger & Csiki 1940) and in Africa (single species, Heikertinger & Csiki 1940) seems to be due to mislabeling.

Statistics: Nearly 15 species in Palearctic, more than 30 species worldwide.

Host Plants: Clematis apiilifolia, Cirsium japonicum (Gressitt & Kimoto 1963).

Diagnosis: Body large, hemispherical to broadly oval, convex from lateral view. Color light or dark brown, reddish orange or red.
Head hypognathous, small, elongate and flat from lateral view. Frontal ridge short, flat and wide in the middle, forming angular Y-shaped ridge surrounding deep excavation at apical margin of head capsule. Antennal calli large, oval, not raised but delimited from vertex by furrow. Orbital line present. Antenna 11-segmented, filiform.
Pronotum very broad, convex, with lateral margin narrowly explanate. Procoxal cavity open behind. Intercoxal prosternal process narrow, wider apically; mesosternum wide, parallel sided.
Elytra round, very convex, basally slightly broader than pronotum. Humeral callus prominent. Punctation confused. Epipleuron wide, horizontal.
Metatibia straight, slightly thickened apically with small flat surface on apex, without teeth on lateral side of upper surface.

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Generic
Key 		Generic
Index 		Morphology Host
Plants 		Overview of
Palearctic Fauna 		Literature
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