''Aulacophora'' is a genus of beetles 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, 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 A is the first letter of the Latin and English alphabet. A may also refer to: Science and technology Quantities and units * ''a'', a measure for the attraction between particles in the Van der Waals equation * A value, ''A'' value, a mea ...

'' 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 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 ...

s, melons, watermelons, gourds and

squashes Squash may refer to: Sports * Squash (sport), the high-speed racquet sport also known as squash racquets * Squash (professional wrestling), an extremely one-sided match in professional wrestling * Squash tennis, a game similar to squash but pla ...

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 stages. They are creamy white at first but have turned yellowish-orange by the time they pupate 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 ''Aulacophora abdominalis'' 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 w ...

'' (Fabricius, 1781) * '' Aulacophora aculeata'' Weise, 1908 * '' Aulacophora affinis'' (Montrouzier, 1855) * '' Aulacophora albofasciata'' Baly, 1886 * ''

Aulacophora analis ''Aulacophora analis'' 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 na ...

'' (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 ''Aulacophora approximata'' 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 wa ...

'' (Baly, 1886) * '' Aulacophora arcuata'' Allard, 1888 * ''

Aulacophora atripennis ''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 D ...

'' (Fabricius, 1801) * '' Aulacophora baliensis'' Barroga, 2001 * '' Aulacophora barrogae'' Reid, Halling & Beatson, 2021 * '' Aulacophora basalis'' (Jacoby, 1886) * ''

Aulacophora batesi ''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 D ...

'' Jacoby, 1884 * '' Aulacophora bhamoensis'' Jacoby, 1892 * '' Aulacophora bhimtalensis'' Gangola, 1969 * '' Aulacophora bicincta'' (Montrouzier, 1855) * '' Aulacophora bicolor'' (Weber, 1801) * '' Aulacophora bipartita'' (Baly, 1888) * ''

Aulacophora biplagiata ''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 D ...

'' 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'' Duvivier, 1884 * '' Aulacophora chlorotica'' (Olivier, 1808) * ''

Aulacophora cincta ''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 D ...

'' (Fabricius, 1775) * '' Aulacophora cinctipennis'' Duvivier, 1884 * '' Aulacophora circumcincta'' (Duvivier, 1884) * '' Aulacophora circumdata'' Blanchard, 1853 * ''

Aulacophora coffeae ''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 D ...

'' (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 D ...

'' Laboissiere, 1929 * '' Aulacophora coralinsula'' (Gressitt, 1955) * ''

Aulacophora cornuta ''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 D ...

'' Baly, 1879 * '' Aulacophora costipennis'' (Baly, 1886) * ''

Aulacophora crassicornis ''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 D ...

'' 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 D ...

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

'' (Duvivier, 1884) * '' Aulacophora formosa'' Chapuis, 1879 * '' Aulacophora foveata'' (Bowditch, 1925) * ''

Aulacophora foveicollis ''Aulacophora foveicollis'', the red pumpkin beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. It is a foliar pest of members of the Cucurbitaceae, particularly the pumpkin. It is also a pest of millets in India. Description The adult ...

'' (Lucas, 1849) * ''

Aulacophora frontalis ''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 D ...

'' 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'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora insularis'' Jacoby, 1886 * '' Aulacophora ioptera'' (Wiedemann, 1823) * '' Aulacophora irpa'' Mohamedsaid, 1994 * '' Aulacophora jacobyi'' (Weise, 1924) * '' Aulacophora kampeni'' (Weise, 1917) * '' Aulacophora kinabaluensis'' Mohamedsaid, 1994 * '' Aulacophora kotoensis'' Chujo, 1962 * '' Aulacophora laevifrons'' (Baly, 1888) * '' Aulacophora laysi'' Medvedev, 2001 * '' Aulacophora leopoldi'' Laboissiere, 1934 * ''

Aulacophora lewisii ''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 D ...

'' 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 ''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 D ...

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

'' Motschulsky, 1857 * '' Aulacophora nigrobrunnea'' (Maulik, 1929) * '' Aulacophora nigropalgiata'' Jacoby, 1894 * '' Aulacophora nigrosignata'' (Baly, 1886) * ''

Aulacophora nilgiriensis ''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 D ...

'' Jacoby, 1903 * '' Aulacophora notulata'' (Fairmaire, 1850) * '' Aulacophora nstabilis'' (Baly, 1886) * '' Aulacophora nusantara'' Barroga, 2001 * '' Aulacophora oblonga'' (Gyllenhal, 1808) * '' Aulacophora occipitalis'' (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'' (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 ''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 D ...

'' Chapuis, 1876 * '' Aulacophora quadripartia'' (Fairmaire, 1877) * '' Aulacophora quadrispilota'' Fabricius, 1781 * '' Aulacophora quinqueplagiata'' (Duvivier, 1891) * '' Aulacophora relicta'' (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'' Kirsch, 1866 * '' Aulacophora signata'' Kirsch, 1866 * '' Aulacophora smaragdipennis'' 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 ''

'' (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'' Maulik, 1936: synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876 * '' Aulacophora argyrogaster'' (Montrouzier, 1861): synonym of ''

'' (Fabricius, 1781) * ''

Aulacophora armigera ''Aulacophora abdominalis'' 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 w ...

'' Baly, 1889: synonym of ''

'' (Fabricius, 1781) * '' Aulacophora aruensis'' (Weise, 1892): synonym of ''

'' (Fabricius, 1781) * ''

Aulacophora ceramensis ''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 D ...

'' (Weise, 1892): synonym of '' Aulacophora indica'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora dohrni'' (Jacoby, 1899): synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876 * '' Aulacophora duvivieri'' Baly, 1886: synonym of ''

'' Baly, 1879 * '' Aulacophora fabricii'' Baly, 1886: synonym of ''

'' (Fabricius, 1781) * ''

Aulacophora femoralis ''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 D ...

'' (Motschulsky, 1857): synonym of '' Aulacophora indica'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora flavipes'' (Jacoby, 1888): synonym of '' Aulacophora indica'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora niasiensis'' (Weise, 1892): synonym of '' Aulacophora indica'' (Gmelin, 1790) * '' Aulacophora nigripalpis'' Chen & Kung, 1959: synonym of '' Aulacophora apicipes'' (Jacoby, 1896) * '' Aulacophora quadraria'' (Olivier, 1808): synonym of ''

'' (Weber, 1801) * '' Aulacophora ritsemae'' Duvivier, 1884: synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876 * '' Aulacophora robusta'' Duvivier, 1884: synonym of ''

'' Baly, 1879 * '' Aulacophora semifusca'' Jacoby, 1892: synonym of '' Aulacophora tibialis'' Chapuis, 1876 * ''

Aulacophora similis ''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 D ...

'' (Olivier, 1808): synonym of '' Aulacophora indica'' (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