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

Psylliodes Latreille

Psylliodes napi Click here to see a larger image

Psylliodes Latreille, 1825:405 (nomen nudum). Psylliodes Berthold, 1827:401 (nomen nudum). - Latreille, 1829:154 (type species Chrysomela cryptocephala L., Europe, by subsequent designation of Maulik, 1926). -Heikertinger, 1924a:28; 1925:53, 70; 1926b:101. -Heikertinger & Csiki, 1940:529. - Maulik, 1926:144. - Kaszab, 1962:387. - Gressitt & Kimoto, 1963:743, 751. - Kimoto, 1965:406. -Shapiro, 1965:469. - Mohr, 1966:263. - Scherer, 1969:234. - Lopatin, 1977:238; 1984:367; 1986:108. - Lopatin & Kulenova, 1986:170. Medvedev, 1982:124, 280; 1992:596. - Seeno & Wilcox, 1982:145. - Furth, 1984 (1983):37. - Gruev & Tomov, 1986:324. - Konstantinov & Vandenberg, 1996:373. Macrocnema Stephens, 1831: 317 (type species Chrysomela hyoscyami L., Europe, by subsequent designation of Westwood, 1840) a junior homonym of Macrocnema Hubner, 1816 . - Westwood, 1840: 42. - Weise, 1882-1893 (1888):785, 793 Eupus Wollaston, 1854:452 (proposed as subgenus, type species P.tarsata Wollaston, Madeira, by monotypy). Psyllomima Bedel, 1898:200 (nomen novum for Macrocnema Weise). Phyllomima Waterhouse, 1902:207 (error). Semicnema Weise, 1882-1893 (1888):784 (proposed as subgenus, type species Psyliodesreitteri Weise, Europe, by monotypy). Psyllobactra Lopatin, 1958:55 (proposed as subgenus, type species Psyllobactra pubipennis Lopatin, Central Asia, by original designation).

Distribution: Occurs throughout the World.

Statistics: More than 100 species in Palearctic and about 200 worldwide.

Host Plants: Alliaria, Alyssum, Arabis, Atropa, Berteroa, Biscutella, Brassica, Bunias, Cannabis, Camelina, Carduus, Erysimum, Hirschfeldia, Humulus, Hyoscyamus, Isatis, Lepidium, Lolium, Lycium, Lycopersicon, Lysimachia, Quercus, Rorippa, Scleropoa, Sinapis, Sisymbrium, Thlaspi, Urtica (Heikertinger 1926a; Gressitt & Kimoto 1963; Medvedev & Roginskaya 1988).

Diagnosis: Body small to medium sized, cylindrical, rarely with almost parallel lateral sides (subgenus Semicnema Weise), comparatively flat to convex from lateral view. Color yellow with or without dark suture, dark brown or black with or without metallic lustre, sometimes metallic blue or bronze, rarely pronotum red. Sometimes with short hairs on elytron (subgenus Psyllobactra Lopatin).
Head pro-hypognathous, convex from lateral view. Frontal ridge wide to narrow, short, forming angular T-shaped ridge with apical margin of head capsule. Antennal calli weakly developed, not raised, not delimited from vertex by furrows. Frontal furrows sometimes absent. Orbital line closely situated to eye. Antenna 10-segmented, filiform.
Pronotum convex, comparatively narrow, posteriorly narrower than elytral base, without any impressions. Procoxal cavity almost closed behind. Intercoxal prosternal process usually narrow, broadly explanate posteriorly. Mesosternum narrow or broad.
Elytra oval or elongate, with or without humeral calli. Elytral punctures arranged in striae; interspaces flat with small punctures or small transverse wrinkles. Epipleuron comparatively broad, almost reaching posterolateral elytral margin.
Metafemur swollen. Metatibia comparatively long, dorsally flat with two longitudinal lateral ridges covered with denticles. Metatarsus inserted subapically (subgenus Psylliodes s. str.) or almost at middle of tibia (subgenus Semicnema). First metatarsal segment long, as long or longer then following three segments combined. Metatibial spine sometimes long, inserted submedially.

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

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