''Aulacophora'' is a
genus
Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
s in the family
Chrysomelidae
The beetle family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as leaf beetles, includes over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making it one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous s ...
, commonly known as pumpkin beetles; some species are pests of agricultural crops. The genus was named in 1836 by the French entomologist
Louis Alexandre Auguste Chevrolat
Louis Alexandre Auguste Chevrolat (29 March 1799, Paris – 16 December 1884, Paris) was a French entomologist. He specialized mainly on the beetles and was a founder of the Societe entomologique de France in 1832.
Chevrolat worked as a toll adm ...
, in
Dejean's ''Catalogue des Coléoptères''. The name, from Ancient Greek, signifies "furrow-bearer"' from ''aulax'', "furrow".
Description
Beetles in this genus are oval insects up to about long and can be recognised by their presence on the
host
A host is a person responsible for guests at an event or for providing hospitality during it.
Host may also refer to:
Places
* Host, Pennsylvania, a village in Berks County
* Host Island, in the Wilhelm Archipelago, Antarctica
People
* ...
plant.
[
]
Distribution
Pumpkin beetles are found in Africa, Asia and Australasia. Some of the more important pest species are '' A. foveicollis'' from Africa, Europe and Asia, '' A. similis'' from southern and southeastern Asia, '' A. coffeae'' from Malaysia, '' A. flavomarginata'' from Malaysia and Indonesia, '' A. femoralis'' from Myanmar and Vietnam, '' A. lewisii'' from Malaysia and Vietnam, and '' A. frontalis'' from Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Laos.[
]
Hosts
Beetles in this genus feed on members of the family Cucurbitaceae
The Cucurbitaceae (), also called cucurbits or the gourd family, are a plant family (biology), family consisting of about 965 species in 101 genera. including cucumber
The cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the family Cucurbitaceae that bears cylindrical to spherical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.[pumpkin
A pumpkin is a cultivar, cultivated winter squash in the genus ''Cucurbita''. The term is most commonly applied to round, orange-colored squash varieties, but does not possess a scientific definition. It may be used in reference to many dif ...]
s, melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. It can also specifically refer to ''Cucumis melo'', commonly known as the "true melon" or simply "melon". The term "melon" can apply to both the p ...
s, watermelon
The watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a species of flowering plant in the family Cucurbitaceae, that has a large, edible fruit. It is a Glossary of botanical terms#scandent, scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, and is plant breeding ...
s, gourd
Gourds include the fruits of some flowering plant species in the family Cucurbitaceae, particularly '' Cucurbita'' and '' Lagenaria''. The term refers to a number of species and subspecies, many with hard shells, and some without. Many gourds ha ...
s and squashes
Squash most often refers to:
* Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets
* Squash (plant), the fruit of vines of the genus ''Cucurbita''
Squash may also refer to: Sports
* Squash (professional wrestling), an extr ...
.
Life cycle
The eggs, which are yellow, are laid in batches of up to five in the soil at the base of cucurbit plants. They hatch after eight to fifteen days and the larvae feed on the roots or tunnel into them, feeding for eighteen to thirty-five days and passing through four instar
An instar (, from the Latin '' īnstar'' 'form, likeness') is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, which occurs between each moult (''ecdysis'') until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to ...
stages. They are creamy white at first but have turned yellowish-orange by the time they pupa
A pupa (; : pupae) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their life cycle, the stages th ...
te in chambers in the ground. The adult beetles emerge after from four to fourteen days. They are strong fliers and disperse to other plants. The adult beetles may live for up to ten months and each female can lay in the order of five hundred eggs, so there can be several overlapping generations of beetles.[
]
Damage
Adult pumpkin beetles feed on the foliage and flowers of the host plants; seedlings may be destroyed by heavy attacks and young plants may be severely affected. Several beetles may cluster on a single leaf, leaving other leaves untouched. The beetles feed between the veins, often cutting and removing circular discs which they then eat.[ The larvae tunnel into the roots, which become swollen, discoloured and distorted, and the plant may die.]
Species
The following species have been described:Weise __NOTOC__
Weise is a surname, meaning "wise" or "prudent" in German.
Notable people with the name include:
A
* Andreas Weise (born 1986), Swedish singer and songwriter
*Agustín Saavedra Weise (1943–2021), Bolivian diplomat and writer
*Arne W ...
, 1908
* '' Aulacophora affinis'' ( Montrouzier, 1855)
* '' Aulacophora albofasciata'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora analis'' (Weber, 1801)
* '' Aulacophora ancora'' (Redtenbacher, 1868)
* '' Aulacophora andamanica'' Duvivier, 1885
* '' Aulacophora antennata'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora apicicornis'' (Baly, 1889)
* '' Aulacophora apicipennis'' (Jacoby, 1894)
* '' Aulacophora apicipes'' (Jacoby, 1896)
* '' Aulacophora apiciventris'' Lea, 1924
* '' Aulacophora approximata'' (Baly, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora arcuata'' Allard, 1888
* '' Aulacophora atripennis'' (Fabricius, 1801)
* '' Aulacophora baliensis'' Barroga, 2001
* '' Aulacophora barrogae'' Reid, Halling & Beatson, 2021
* '' Aulacophora basalis'' (Jacoby, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora batesi'' Jacoby, 1884
* '' Aulacophora bhamoensis'' Jacoby, 1892
* '' Aulacophora bhimtalensis'' Gangola, 1969
* '' Aulacophora bicincta'' (Montrouzier, 1855)
* '' Aulacophora bicolor'' (Weber, 1801)
* '' Aulacophora bipartita'' (Baly, 1888)
* '' Aulacophora biplagiata'' Baly, 1889
* '' Aulacophora bipunctata'' (Olivier, 1808)
* '' Aulacophora blackburni'' (Bowditch, 1914)
* '' Aulacophora borrei'' (Baly, 1889)
* '' Aulacophora calva'' Anand & Cox, 1986
* '' Aulacophora carinicauda'' Chen & Kung, 1959
* '' Aulacophora carteri'' (Guerin-Meneville, 1830)
* '' Aulacophora castanea'' Allard, 1888
* '' Aulacophora celebensis'' (Jacoby, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora chapuisi'' Duvivier, 1884
* '' Aulacophora chlorotica'' (Olivier, 1808)
* '' Aulacophora cincta'' (Fabricius, 1775)
* '' Aulacophora cinctipennis'' Duvivier, 1884
* '' Aulacophora circumcincta'' (Duvivier, 1884)
* '' Aulacophora circumdata'' Blanchard, 1853
* '' Aulacophora coffeae'' (Hornstedt, 1788)
* '' Aulacophora coomani'' Laboissiere, 1929
* '' Aulacophora coralinsula'' (Gressitt, 1955)
* '' Aulacophora cornuta'' Baly, 1879
* '' Aulacophora costipennis'' (Baly, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora crassicornis'' Medvedev, 2001
* '' Aulacophora cristovallensis'' (Montrouzier, 1855)
* '' Aulacophora cruenta'' (Fabricius, 1781)
* '' Aulacophora cucullata'' Blackburn, 1896
* '' Aulacophora cyanoptera'' (Boisduval, 1835)
* '' Aulacophora danumensis'' Mohamedsaid, 1994
* '' Aulacophora deplanchei'' (Perroud, 1864)
* '' Aulacophora dimidiata'' (Guerin-Meneville, 1830)
* '' Aulacophora diversa'' Baly, 1889
* '' Aulacophora doesonensis'' Duvivier, 1884
* '' Aulacophora dorsalis'' (Boisduval, 1835)
* '' Aulacophora downesi'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora duboulayi'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora excavata'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora excisa'' (Baly, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora fallax'' (Weise, 1923)
* '' Aulacophora fasciata'' (Allard, 1888)
* '' Aulacophora ficus'' (Montrouzier, 1855)
* '' Aulacophora flavicornis'' Chapuis, 1876
* '' Aulacophora flaviventris'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora flavomarginata'' (Duvivier, 1884)
* '' Aulacophora formosa'' Chapuis, 1879
* '' Aulacophora foveata'' (Bowditch, 1925)
* '' Aulacophora foveicollis'' (Lucas, 1849)
* '' Aulacophora frontalis'' Baly, 1888
* '' Aulacophora frubstorferi'' (Duvivier, 1891)
* '' Aulacophora fulvimargo'' (Bryant, 1936)
* '' Aulacophora funesta'' (Weise, 1892)
* '' Aulacophora gestroi'' Jacoby, 1892
* '' Aulacophora hayashii'' (Gressitt, 1955)
* '' Aulacophora hilaris'' (Boisduval, 1835)
* '' Aulacophora impressa'' (Fabricius, 1801)
* '' Aulacophora indica'' (Gmelin, 1790)
* '' Aulacophora insularis'' Jacoby, 1886
* '' Aulacophora ioptera'' (Wiedemann, 1823)
* '' Aulacophora irpa'' Mohamedsaid, 1994
* '' Aulacophora jacobyi'' (Weise, 1924)
* '' Aulacophora kampeni'' (Weise, 1917)
* '' Aulacophora kinabaluensis'' Mohamedsaid, 1994
* '' Aulacophora kotoensis'' Chujo, 1962
* '' Aulacophora laevifrons'' (Baly, 1888)
* '' Aulacophora laysi'' Medvedev, 2001
* '' Aulacophora leopoldi'' Laboissiere, 1934
* '' Aulacophora lewisii'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora limbata'' (Illiger, 1800)
* '' Aulacophora loochooensis'' Chujo, 1957
* '' Aulacophora loriana'' Jacoby, 1904
* '' Aulacophora luteicornis'' (Fabricius, 1801)
* '' Aulacophora macropus'' (Montrouzier, 1855)
* '' Aulacophora marginalis'' (Chapuis, 1876)
* '' Aulacophora marginata'' Chapuis, 1876
* '' Aulacophora mariana'' (Chujo, 1943)
* '' Aulacophora martia'' (Weise, 1922)
* '' Aulacophora mbabaram'' Reid, Halling & Beatson, 2021
* '' Aulacophora medioflava'' Lea, 1924
* '' Aulacophora medvedevi'' Samoderzhenkov, 1992
* '' Aulacophora melanocephala'' Jacoby, 1892
* '' Aulacophora melanoptera'' (Boisduval, 1835)
* '' Aulacophora melanopus'' (Blanchard, 1853)
* '' Aulacophora melanura'' (Olivier, 1808)
* '' Aulacophora militaris'' Jacoby, 1894
* '' Aulacophora mimica'' Medvedev, 2001
* '' Aulacophora mjoebergi'' (Weise, 1916)
* '' Aulacophora moluccaensis'' (Laboissiere, 1932)
* '' Aulacophora montrouzieri'' (Fairmaire, 1883)
* '' Aulacophora mouhoti'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora naseemi'' Abdullah & Qureshi, 1968
* '' Aulacophora nigripennis'' Motschulsky, 1857
* '' Aulacophora nigrobrunnea'' (Maulik, 1929)
* '' Aulacophora nigropalgiata'' Jacoby, 1894
* '' Aulacophora nigrosignata'' (Baly, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora nilgiriensis'' Jacoby, 1903
* '' Aulacophora notulata'' (Fairmaire, 1850)
* '' Aulacophora nstabilis'' (Baly, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora nusantara'' Barroga, 2001
* '' Aulacophora oblonga'' (Gyllenhal, 1808)
* '' Aulacophora occipitalis'' (Baly, 1888)
* '' Aulacophora olivieri'' (Baly, 1888)
* '' Aulacophora opacipennis'' Chujo, 1962
* '' Aulacophora orientalis'' (Hornstedt, 1788)
* '' Aulacophora pahangi'' Mohamedsaid, 1994
* '' Aulacophora palliata'' (Schaller, 1783)
* '' Aulacophora pallidofasciata'' Jacoby, 1904
* '' Aulacophora pannonica'' Csiki, 1953
* '' Aulacophora papuana'' Jacoby, 1894
* '' Aulacophora parambikulamensis'' Maulik, 1936
* '' Aulacophora perroudi'' (Baly, 1888)
* '' Aulacophora plicaticollis'' (Allard, 1888)
* '' Aulacophora postica'' (Chapuis, 1876)
* '' Aulacophora posticalis'' (Guerin-Meneville, 1830)
* '' Aulacophora propinqua'' (Baly, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora pulchella'' Baly, 1879
* '' Aulacophora pygidialis'' (Baly, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora quadrimaculata'' (Fabricius, 1781)
* '' Aulacophora quadrinotata'' Chapuis, 1876
* '' Aulacophora quadripartia'' (Fairmaire, 1877)
* '' Aulacophora quadrispilota'' Fabricius, 1781
* '' Aulacophora quinqueplagiata'' (Duvivier, 1891)
* '' Aulacophora relicta'' (Boisduval, 1835)
* '' Aulacophora rigoensis'' Jacoby, 1904
* '' Aulacophora robusticornis'' Medvedev, 2001
* '' Aulacophora rosea'' (Fabricius, 1801)
* '' Aulacophora rubrontata'' Blanchard, 1853
* '' Aulacophora semilimbata'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora serena'' (Weise, 1923)
* '' Aulacophora signata'' Kirsch, 1866
* '' Aulacophora signata'' Kirsch, 1866
* '' Aulacophora smaragdipennis'' Duvivier, 1884
* '' Aulacophora sordidula'' (Weise, 1922)
* '' Aulacophora subcaerulea'' Jacoby, 1894
* '' Aulacophora tetraspilota'' (Baly, 1886)
* '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876
* '' Aulacophora transversa'' Allard, 1888
* '' Aulacophora tricolora'' (Weise, 1892)
* '' Aulacophora tristis'' Medvedev, 2001
* '' Aulacophora unicolor'' (Jacoby, 1883)
* '' Aulacophora varians'' Chapuis, 1876
* '' Aulacophora vicina'' (Boisduval, 1835)
* '' Aulacophora vietnamica'' Medvedev, 2001
* '' Aulacophora viridis'' Maulik, 1936
* '' Aulacophora vittula'' (Chapuis, 1876)
* '' Aulacophora wallacii'' Baly, 1886
* '' Aulacophora wilsoni'' Baly, 1888
* '' Aulacophora yunnanensis'' Chen & Kung, 1959
The following described species are considered ''nomina dubia
In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application.
Zoology
In case of a ''nomen dubium,'' it may be impossible to determine whether a ...
'', because their poor descriptions and missing type material
In biology, a type is a particular wikt:en:specimen, specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally associated. In other words, a type is an example that serves to ancho ...
mean they cannot be identified to species:
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q4821701, from2=Q37097820
Agricultural pest insects
Chrysomelidae genera
Taxa named by Louis Alexandre Auguste Chevrolat