This paper consists of an up to date annotated catalogue of the Afrotropical genera of Alticinae (Chrysomelidae), with biogeographical notes on the flea beetle fauna occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. The following new synonymies are proposed: Eugonotes Jacoby, 1897 (a subgenus of Sanckia Duvivier, 1891) = Brancucciella Medvedev, 1995 syn. n.; Amphimela Chapuis, 1875 = Dibolosoma Jacoby, 1897 syn. n.; Amphimela Chapuis, 1875 = Halticova Fairmaire, 1898 syn. n.; Podagrica Chevrolat, 1837 = Podagrixena Bechyné, 1968 syn. n.; Aphthona Chevrolat, 1837 = Pseudeugonotes Jacoby, 1899 syn. n.; Nisotra Baly, 1864 = Pseudonisotra Bechyné, 1968 syn. n. The following new combinations are proposed: Afrorestia sjostedti (Weise, 1910) comb. n. (from Crepidodera); Bechuana natalensis (Jacoby, 1906) comb. n. (from Ochrosis); Sesquiphaera natalensis (Jacoby, 1906) comb. n. (from Sphaeroderma). The genus Hildenbrandtina Weise, 1910 is trasferred from Galerucinae to Alticinae. New distributional data for many genera in the Afrotropical region is provided.
Insects experience important selection pressures from their parasitoids, which affect both their population dynamics and their evolutionary responses. The interaction between the egg parasitoid Oomyzus galerucivorus Graham (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) and its chrysomelid host Galeruca tanaceti L. (Coleoptera: Galerucinae) was investigated with the particular aim determining whether the chrysomelid host can escape its parasitoid by ovipositing late in the year as early as September. Although the leaf beetle and its parasitoid emerge in April, G. tanaceti starts to oviposit after spending the summer in reproductive diapause. The objective was to determine, whether the small parasitic wasp can parasitise its host's eggs even at the end of its host's reproductive season in December, when temperatures are low. Beetle oviposition, parasitism rates and temperatures were measured on three comparable mesoxerophytic grassland sites over the coarse of a season. Beetle oviposition, but not parasitism, was significantly positively dependent on temperature. Rate of oviposition decreased over the oviposition period with decrease in temperature. In contrast, after a lag phase of 1-2 weeks at the beginning of the oviposition period in September beetle egg clutches were parasitised at a constant rate until the end of the season in December. Host eggs were parasitised even at mean daily temperatures of 0-6°C. Thus the tansy leaf beetle does not escape from egg parasitism by ovipositing late in the season in central Germany.
Material of Afrotropical Afrocrania Hincks, 1949 (= Pseudocrania Weise, 1892, not Pseudocrania M'Coy, 1851) is revised, and a redescription of the genus is given. This publication is on Afrocrania species in which males have head cavities or extended elytral extrusions. Species without those sexual dimorphic organs will be revised in a subsequent paper. Material of Pseudocrania latifrons Weise, 1892, Pseudocrania foveolata (Karsch, 1882) (= Monolepta africana Jacoby, 1894, = Pseudocrania nigricornis Weise, 1895), and Pseudocrania assimilis Weise, 1903 was examined; Pseudocrania basalis Jacoby, 1907 is excluded from Afrocrania; Afrocrania kaethae sp. n., A. luciae sp. n., A. kakamegaensis sp. n., A. longicornis sp. n., and A. ubatubae sp. n. are newly described species.
In this second part of the revision of Afrotropical Afrocrania Hincks, 1949 (= Pseudocrania Weise, 1892, not Pseudocrania MCoy, 1851), a group of Galerucinae restricted to Africa, additional material is revised. Herein, species in which the males lack deep head cavities, partly horned antennomeres, or extended elytral extrusions, but usually have small post-scutellar extrusions or depressions, are considered. Material of Afrocrania pauli (Weise, 1903), comb. n. (= Candezea pauli Weise, 1903), and A. famularis (Weise, 1904), comb. n. (= Monolepta famularis Weise, 1904; = Candezea atripennis Laboissière, 1931, syn. n.) is studied. Lectotypes are designated for A. pauli, A. famularis and C. atripennis. Six new species, A. aequatoriana sp. n., A. minima sp. n., A. nigra sp. n., A. occidentalis sp. n., A. pallida sp. n. and A. weisei sp. n. are described. Distribution patterns are mapped. Together with the already revised species there are 16 valid Afrocrania species are hitherto known. Its phylogenetic position within the Galerucinae is discussed, identification keys to males and females for all known taxa are presented.
A revision of the genus Angulaphthona Bechyné, 1960 is provided, with a description of Angulaphthona confusa sp. n. from the Democratic Republic of Congo, and A. rossii sp. n. from Sierra Leone. The following synonymies are proposed: Angulaphthona latipennis (Pic, 1921) = A. latipennis zambeziensis (Bechyné, 1959) syn. n. and Angulaphthona pelengensis Bechyné, 1960 = A. exalta Bechyné, 1960 syn. n. The precedence of the name pelengensis is discussed. Angulaphthona violaceomicans (Chen, 1936) comb. n. (transferred from Aphthona) from Sri Lanka is established, and some hypotheses to explain the presence of the genus outside Africa are put forward. A key to the seven known species is supplied, with microphotographs of diagnostic characters, including male and female genitalia.