''Aulacophora'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s in the family

Chrysomelidae The insects of the beetle family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles, and include over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making up one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle ...

, 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 was a French entomologist, born 29 March 1799 in Paris and died 16 December 1884 in Paris. In government service in Paris, this amateur entomologist studied mainly beetles and birds. He published nearly 250 note ...

, 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 People *Jim Host (born 1937), American businessman * Michel Host ...

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 consisting of about 965 species in around 95 genera, of which the most important to humans are: *''Cucurbita'' – squash, pumpkin, zucchini, some gourds *''Lagena ...

including

cucumber Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated Vine#Horticultural climbing plants, creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical Fruit, fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.

pumpkin A pumpkin is a vernacular term for mature winter squash of species and varieties in the genus ''Cucurbita'' that has culinary and cultural significance but no agreed upon botanical or scientific meaning. The term ''pumpkin'' is sometimes use ...

melon A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". The ...

watermelon Watermelon (''Citrullus lanatus'') is a flowering plant species of the Cucurbitaceae family and the name of its edible fruit. A scrambling and trailing vine-like plant, it is a highly cultivated fruit worldwide, with more than 1,000 varieti ...

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. One of the earli ...

s and squashes.

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, between each moult (''ecdysis''), until sexual maturity is reached. Arthropods must shed the exoskeleton in order to grow or ass ...

stages. They are creamy white at first but have turned yellowish-orange by the time they

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''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 ...

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: * '' Aulacophora abdominalis'' (Fabricius, 1781) * '' Aulacophora aculeata''

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 (born 1943), Bolivian diplomat and writer *Arne Weis ...

, 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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' (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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' 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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' Laboissiere, 1929 * ''

Aulacophora coralinsula ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' (Gressitt, 1955) * '' Aulacophora cornuta'' Baly, 1879 * '' Aulacophora costipennis'' (Baly, 1886) * '' Aulacophora crassicornis'' Medvedev, 2001 * '' Aulacophora cristovallensis'' (Montrouzier, 1855) * '' Aulacophora cruenta'' (Fabricius, 1781) * ''

Aulacophora cucullata ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Deje ...

'' Blackburn, 1896 * '' Aulacophora cyanoptera'' (Boisduval, 1835) * '' Aulacophora danumensis'' Mohamedsaid, 1994 * '' Aulacophora deplanchei'' (Perroud, 1864) * '' Aulacophora dimidiata'' (Guerin-Meneville, 1830) * ''

Aulacophora diversa ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Deje ...

'' 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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Deje ...

'' (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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora insularis'' Jacoby, 1886 * ''

Aulacophora ioptera ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' (Wiedemann, 1823) * '' Aulacophora irpa'' Mohamedsaid, 1994 * '' Aulacophora jacobyi'' (Weise, 1924) * '' Aulacophora kampeni'' (Weise, 1917) * '' Aulacophora kinabaluensis'' Mohamedsaid, 1994 * '' Aulacophora kotoensis'' Chujo, 1962 * ''

Aulacophora laevifrons ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' (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 ''Aulacophora nigripennis'' is a species of leaf beetle in the genus Aulacophora. Description The beetle is relatively small with a hard, black exoskeleton containing faint yellowish dots around the sides. The head is a deep, bright orange, wh ...

'' 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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' (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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' (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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Deje ...

'' (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 ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' Kirsch, 1866 * ''

Aulacophora smaragdipennis ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' 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 poorly 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 s ...

'': * '' Aulacophora artensis'' (Montrouzier, 1861) (from New Caledonia, possibly synonym of '' Aulacophora abdominalis'' (Fabricius, 1781) or '' Aulacophora deplanchei'' (Perroud, 1864), type material probably lost) * ''Aulacophora flavescens'' (Montrouzier, 1855) (from both Woodlark Island and San Cristoval Island, possibly a species of the ''Aulacophora indica'' species complex) * ''Aulacophora flaviola'' (Boisduval, 1835) (from New Guinea, not identifiable to genus) * ''Aulacophora punctata'' (Boisduval, 1835) (from New Guinea, not identifiable to genus) * ''Aulacophora scutellata'' (Boisduval, 1835) (from the "Pacific Ocean", possibly a synonym of '' Candezea palustris'' (Perroud & Montrouzier, 1864)) The following are now synonyms of other species: * ''

Aulacophora almora ''Aulacophora almora'' is a species of leaf beetle in the genus Aulacophora ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as pumpkin beetles; some species are pests of agricultural crops. The genus was nam ...

'' Maulik, 1936: synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876 * '' Aulacophora argyrogaster'' (Montrouzier, 1861): synonym of '' Aulacophora abdominalis'' (Fabricius, 1781) * '' Aulacophora armigera'' Baly, 1889: synonym of '' Aulacophora abdominalis'' (Fabricius, 1781) * '' Aulacophora aruensis'' (Weise, 1892): synonym of '' Aulacophora abdominalis'' (Fabricius, 1781) * '' Aulacophora ceramensis'' (Weise, 1892): synonym of ''

'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora dohrni'' (Jacoby, 1899): synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876 * ''

Aulacophora duvivieri ''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles in the family Chrysomelidae, 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, in Pierr ...

'' Baly, 1886: synonym of '' Aulacophora cornuta'' Baly, 1879 * '' Aulacophora fabricii'' Baly, 1886: synonym of '' Aulacophora abdominalis'' (Fabricius, 1781) * '' Aulacophora femoralis'' (Motschulsky, 1857): synonym of ''

'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora flavipes'' (Jacoby, 1888): synonym of ''

'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora niasiensis'' (Weise, 1892): synonym of ''

'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora nigripalpis'' Chen & Kung, 1959: synonym of '' Aulacophora apicipes'' (Jacoby, 1896) * '' Aulacophora quadraria'' (Olivier, 1808): synonym of '' Aulacophora analis'' (Weber, 1801) * '' Aulacophora ritsemae'' Duvivier, 1884: synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876 * '' Aulacophora robusta'' Duvivier, 1884: synonym of '' Aulacophora cornuta'' Baly, 1879 * '' Aulacophora semifusca'' Jacoby, 1892: synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876 * '' Aulacophora similis'' (Olivier, 1808): synonym of ''

'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora tenuicincta'' (Jacoby, 1897): synonym of '' Aulacophora apicipes'' (Jacoby, 1896) * '' Aulacophora terminata'' (Jacoby, 1899): synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876

References

{{Taxonbar, from1=Q4821701, from2=Q37097820 Agricultural pest insects Chrysomelidae genera Taxa named by Louis Alexandre Auguste Chevrolat