Diorhabda Weise, 1883

Tracy, James L. & Robbins, Thomas O., 2009, Taxonomic revision and biogeography of the Tamarix-feeding Diorhabda elongata (Brullé, 1832) species group (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Galerucini) and analysis of their potential in biological control of Tamarisk, Zootaxa 2101 (1), pp. 1-152 : 15-17

Genus Diorhabda Weise, 1883

Diorhabda Weise, 1883:316 (Type species: Galeruca elongata Brullé, 1832 , by original designation).

Radymna Reitter, 1912:135 (Type species: Diorhabda rickmersi Weise, 1900 , by monotypy).

Prophyllis Reitter, 1912:135 (Type species not designated [undetermined hairy species]).

Diorrhabda: Rusanov, 1949:118 (unjustified emendation).

Diagnosis. A future revision of the entire genus Diorhabda is needed, and it will probably involve additional transfers of current member species to other closely related genera of the tribe Galerucini Latreille (1802) ( Galerucinae : Chrysomelidae ), such as Galerupipla Maulik (1936) (see discussions below and under D. elongata group). After membership in the genus Diorhabda is stabilized, a description of distinguishing generic morphological characters can be made in comparison with other related genera.

Included species. As of this revision, 14 species are recognized from the genus Diorhabda in Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia (New Guinea) ( Ogloblin 1936; Wilcox 1971, 1975; Berti and Rapilly 1973; Lopatin 1977a; Medvedev 1999). These 14 species are listed in the below discussion of information on their host plants under Biology. Discussion. Taxonomy. Galeruca elongata Brullé (1832) was made the type species for the genus Diorhabda by Weise (1883). Galerupipla persica ( Faldermann, 1837) and G. fisheri ( Faldermann, 1837) , both of which attack Alhagi maurorum Medikus (Fabaceae) ( Ogloblin 1936, Medvedev and Roginskaya 1988), were transferred from Diorhabda by Aslam (1972) without comment (see also Wilcox 1975), and this transfer has been widely overlooked ( Lopatin 1977 a, Mirzoeva 2001, Aslan et al. 2000, Lopatin et al. 2003, Warchalowski 2003, Gök and Duran 2004, Bieṅkowski 2004, Lopatin et al. 2004). Other species transferred from Diorhabda include Menippus clarki Jacoby (1884 ; as D. robusta Jacoby [1899] , Aslam 1972) and M. brevicornis ( Jacoby, 1889) ( Medvedev 1999) . Both the genera Diorhabda and Galerupipla are in need of taxonomic revision. Our present revision is limited to treating the taxonomy of the five species of the Tamarix- feeding Diorhabda elongata group.

Biology. Host Plants. The plant families attacked by different Diorhabda spp. range across the two subclasses Carophyllidae and Rosidae (plant taxonomic groupings according to Spichiger et al. 2004). Five species feed upon Tamarix (Carophyllidae: Tamaricaceae ): D. elongata , D. carinata , D. sublineata , D. carinulata and D. meridionalis ( Table 1). Diorhabda carinulata additionally feeds upon Myricaria , also of the Tamaricaceae . Five other Diorhabda species also feed on plants of one or two closely related genera. Diorhabda rickmersi Weise (1900) feeds on Rumex sp. ( Ogloblin 1936) and Rheum sp. (Medvedev and Roginskaya 1988) (both of Carophyllidae: Polygonaceae ); D. lusca Maulik (1936) feeds on Celtis australis Linnaeus (Rosidae: Ulmaceae ) ( Maulik 1936); D. trirakha Maulik (1936) feeds on Ulmus wallichiana Planchon (Ulmaceae) ( Maulik 1936); D. rybakowi Weise (1890) , which includes D. koltzei Weise (1900) as a junior synonym ( Ogloblin 1936, Lopatin 1977a), feeds on Nitraria spp. (Carophyllidae: Nitrariaceae ) (Medvedev and Voronova 1977b); and D. tarsalis Weise (1889) feeds on Glycyrrhiza uralensis Fischer et de Candolle (Rosidae: Fabaceae ) (Medvedev and Voronova 1978). Hosts are unknown for four species of Diorhabda : D. inconspicua Jacoby (1894) , D. nigrifrons Laboissière (1914) , D. octocostata Gahan (1896) , and D. yulensis Jacoby (1886) .