Bulletin 441
December 1972

Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station

R. Dennis Rouse,
Director

Auburn University
Auburn, Alabama

Subfamily Clytrinae

     Subcylindrical or compact; small to medium sized. Head deeply inserted in prothorax. Eyes usually small, not deeply emarginate. Antennae short, insertions widely spaced, serrate from beyond 4th segment. Procoxae transverse. Protibiae of some males longer than those of females. Pygidium visible.
     Some authors (44) include as a composite group, formerly known as the "old Camptosomata", the following tribes under the Subfamily Clytrinae: Clytrini, Cryptocephalini, Chlamisini, and Lamprosomini. We treat these groups as separate subfamilies, following Clavareau (45). As Arnett (1) points out, the classification of these family-group taxa needs more study. A. R. Moldenke, Stanford University, recently completed a revision of the Clytrinae (79).

Key to the Alabama Tribes of Clytrinae

1. Tarsal claws simple..... 2
    Tarsal claws appendiculate..... Tribe Babiini
2. Procoxae contiguous….. Tribe Clytrini
    Procoxae separated….. Tribe Megalostomini

Tribe Clytrini
Tribe Megalostomini
Tribe Babiini

TRIBE CLYTRINI

Tribe Clytrini

GENUS ANOMOEA AGASSIZ

Anomoea Agassiz, 1846, Nomen. Zool. Index Univ.
Euthyna Gistl, 1847, Handb. Naturges, 1850,404.
     Cylindrical, black and yellow colored species.
     Only the following species represents the genus and tribe in Alabama.

Anomoea laticlavia laticlavia (Forster) (Fig. 17)

Chrysomela laticlavia Forster, 1771, Novae species insectorum, cent. 1, p. 27.
Clythra ephippium Germar, 1824, Insectorum species Nov., p. 548.
Anomoea mutahilis Lacordaire, 1848, Mem. Soc. Roy. Sci. Liège 5: 137.
Clythra nigripes Fabricius, 1776, Genera insectorum, p. 221.
Clythra obsita Fabricius, 1775, Systema entomologiae, p. 106.
Clythra ruficauda Foersberg, 1821, Nov. Acta R. Societ. Sc. Upsala 8: 261.
     Subcylindrical, yellow with elytral lateral and sutural margins narrowly black to broadly black, black bands in some cases meeting medially leaving only paired humeral and apical elytral spots yellow. Venter black, except prosternum and episternum. Antennae, protibiae, and all tarsi black. Length 6.6-9.0 mm. Width 3.2-4.2 mm.
     Alabama records: 93 specimens from Barbour1, Cleburne1, DeKalb1, Fayette1, Houston1, Lee1, Macon1, Marion1, Marshall1, Mobile2, Talladega1, Wilcox1, and Winston1 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: April 23-August 14.
     Remarks: Wilcox (94) reported this species to be found on Lespedeza, honey locust (Gleditsia triacanthos), and willow (Salix sp.). In Alabama, it has been collected on satsuma, which is a variety of Citrus reticulata. Locally it is known as the persimmon leaf beetle.
TRIBE MEGALOSTOMINI
Tribe Megalostomini

     Compact subcylindrical , small. Front coxae separated. Only the genus Coscinoptera is found in Alabama.

GENUS COSCINOPTERA LACORDAIRE

Coscinoptera Lacordaire, 1848, Mem. Soc. Roy. Sci. Liège 5: 511.
     The 2 Alabama species are black, pubescent beetles.

Key to the Alabama Species of Coscinoptera

1. Disc of thorax with a very narrow glabrous medial strip occasionally present basally; evenly      pubescent and punctate, body 1/2 as wide as long….. C. aenescens
    Disc of thorax with distinct medial strip and paired lateral spots glabrous; body more than 1/2      as wide as long….. C. dominicana dominicana

Coscinoptera dominicana dominicana (Fabricius) (Fig. 18)

Clytra dominicana Fabricius, 1801, Syst. Eleuth. 2: 34.
Coscinoptera dorsalis LeConte, 1884, Trans. Amer. Entomol. Soc. 12: 25.
     Robust cylindrical, shining black with white pubescense. Venter densely pubescent. Length 4.2-6.7 mm. Width 2.6-3.9 mm.
     Alabama records: 18 specimens from Cleburne1, DeKalb1, Etowah2, Lee1, Mobile2, and Winston1 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: March 3-June 27.
     Remarks: This species has been collected in Alabama on Quercus sp., Quercus marilandica, and Crataegus sp.

Coscinoptera aenescens Crotch*

Coscinoptera aenescens Crotch, 1873, Proc. Acad. Nat. Sci. Philadelphia 25: 29.
     Cylindrical; shining black with white pubesence. More narrow than C. dominicana and with pronotal differences as noted in the key. Length 4.4-4.9 mm. Width 2.1-2.5 mm.
     Alabama records: 2 specimens from Marion2 County.
     Seasonal distribution: June 9.
     Remarks: Two unidentified specimens, collected at Hackleburg, were found among the Loding material. This record considerably extends the range of the species to the west. Previously it was recorded from Georgia (57).

TRIBE BABIINI
Tribe Babiini

     Compact, tarsal claws appendiculate, procoxae contiguous, eyes emarginate.

Key to the Alabama Genera of Babiini

1. Basal-lateral lobe of elytra only slightly expanded; pygidium nearly covered by elytra; elytra      glabrous, finely punctate….. Babia
    Basal-lateral lobe of elytra large and round or angular; pygidium exposed; elytra rugulose,      coarsely punctate….. Saxinis

GENUS BABIA LACORDAIRE

Babia Lacordaire, 1848, Mem. Soc. Roy. Sci. Liège 5: 424
Harpasta Gistl, 1847, Handb. Naturges, 1850: 404.
      One species occurs in Alabama.

Bahia quadriguttata (Olivier) (Fig. 19)

Cryptocephalus quadriguttata Olivier, 1791, Encyc. Meth. 6: 37.
Cryptocephalus quadriforis Newman, 1841, Entomol. 3: 78.
     Broadly ovate; punctate shining black with red humeral and apical elytral spots. Antennae short, subserrate. Length 3.0-5.3 mm. Width 1.9-3.4 mm.
     Alabama records: 15 specimens from Blount3, Clay1, DeKalb1, Etowah2,3, Lee1, Marion2, St. Clair3, and Winston1,2 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: May 3-July 29.
     Remarks: Loding (75) listed B. tetraspilota LeConte from Alabama, but we have identified his specimens as B. quadriguttata. Balsbaugh collected this species by sweeping Hydrangea sp. and Frank McQueen took a specimen on Carya illinoensis.

GENUS SAXINIS LACORDAIRE

Saxinis Lacordaire, 1848, Mem. Soc. Roy. Sci. Liège 5: 478.
     One species is found in Alabama.

Saxinis omogera Lacordaire (Fig. 20)

Saxinis omogera Lacordaire, 1848, Mem. Soc. Roy. Sci. Liège 5: 482.
     Cylindrical; coarsely punctate, shining blue-green or black, humeri red. Antennae short, subserrate. Length 3.2-4.6 mm. Width 1.9-2.5 mm.
     Alabama records: 20 specimens from Cleburne1, DeKalb1, Lee1, Madison1,2, Marion1, Mobile2, and Winston1 counties.
     Seasonal distribution: April 28-July 27.
     Remarks: Loding (75) recorded Ceanothus sp. as a host plant. We have collected this species on Hydrangea sp.