An Afrotropical Species, Chaetocnema wollastoni Baly, 1877, New to Turkey (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini)

Abstract

Chaetocnema Stephens is a cosmopolitan genus of leaf beetles, with 75 species occurring in the Palearctic Region and over 400 species in all zoogeographical regions (Biondi et al. 2015; Konstantinov et al. 2011). All Palearctic Chaetocnema share the same diagnostic feature: having an obtuse tooth followed by an excavation on the middle and hind tibiae. However, they can be morphologically very similar and, in many cases, study of both genitalia (male and female) is necessary for exact species identification (Konstantinov et al. 2011; Konstantinov and Vandenberg 1996). Chaetocnema species generally inhabit moist environments or grasslands and are associated with several plants living in these habitats, particularly plants belonging to the families Chenopodiaceae, Polygonaceae, Cyperaceae, and Poaceae (Jolivet and Hawkeswood 1995). Chaetocnema wollastoni Baly, 1877 is a species associated with moist environments and was categorized with Pan-African and Afrotropical chorotypes, including Madagascar and the Arabian Peninsula (Biondi and D’Alessandro 2006). It was recently reported as new for the Italian fauna (Farina 2022). Its presence in the Asian part of the Palearctic is herein further supported based on records from Bolu, Turkey. Samples of C. wollastoni were collected from Göksu Natural Park in the province of Bolu, located in the northwest of Turkey (Fig. 1). The area, covering a total of 25 ha with an elevation of about 1,400 m, was declared a Natural Park by the government in 2011. Lake Aladağ, an artificial body of water, is within the boundaries of the park area, and the samples were collected from the vicinity of this lake. The specimens were collected by the second author during 2018, and recently identified to species by the first author, utilizing an Olympus SZ61 stereomicroscope and the taxonomic keys and figures given by Furth (1985a) and Biondi (2001). The aedeagus was cleaned after dissection and temporarily preserved in glycerin before imaging, and the spermatheca was placed in a drop of Euparal. The genitalia and habitus were photographed with a digital camera attached to a Zeiss Discovery-V8 stereomicroscope. All specimens are deposited in the personal collection of the first author at the Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Department of Biology, Süleyman Demirel University, Isparta, Turkey.