The Chrysomelidae Database includes thorough information on the holdings of all species of flea beetles (alticines), Aulacoscelidines, tortoise beetles (cassidines),and chlamisines in the collection of the National Museum of Natural History (USNM). The database documents the approximately 5,000 species in these four groups and provides information on type material, geographic region, country and state holdings, bionomic data, and classification.  (To access, click on the gold disk above.)  The data on remaining chrysomelid lineages will gradually be added to this database over time, with the Hispinae and Lamprosomatinae coming on board next in late 1999.

Standards for classification, generic names, and species names are based primarily on Blackwelder (1946), Clark (1865), Crotch (1873), Gemminger and von Harold (1874), Heikertinger and Csiki (1939), Horn (1889), Konstantinov (1998), Konstantinov and Vandenberg (1996), Leng (1920), Melsheimer (1847), Monros and Bechyne (1956), Poole and Gentili (1996), Scherer (1962), and Seeno and Wilcox (1982). 

The user may search this Filemaker Pro Database by subfamily, genus, specific epithet, geographic region, country, state, or by any category (i.e., type material, notes). The data are presented in the following format: 

• Subfamily 
• Genus
• Specific epithet
• Author
• Type material
• Number of specimens
• Geographic region (see acronyms below)
• Country (with province or specific localities sometimes; only USA abbreviated)
• U.S. State using standard US postal abbreviations (sometimes specific foreign localities included here also)
• Notes and comments (month or host of collection, sometimes)

"Geographic region" refers to the biogeographic region where the material is represented. Abbreviations are: NEA = Nearctic region, NEO = Neotropical region, PAL = Palaearctic region, AFR = Afrotropical region, ORI = Oriental region, AUS = Australasian region. 

The "Type material" field indicates the presence of type material. Data for this category are incomplete.  Holotype material is housed separately in the Casey Beetle Type Room.  Remaining type material is in the main collection. 

"Notes and comments" contains general information regarding months of collection, hosts, condition, as well as synonymical notes for type specimens.  These data are not provided in any complete manner for all taxa, however.

The Chrysomelidae  Database project was initiated and coordinated by Steven Lingafelter (Systematic Entomology Laboratory, PSI, ARS, USDA).  The data were compiled by Charlie Staines (Edgewater, Maryland) with generous support from a grant awarded to Steve Lingafelter by the Smithsonian's Women's Committee in 1998.  Natalia Vandenberg (SEL, USDA), George Venable (Department of Systematic Biology, Smithsonian Institution) and F. Christian Thompson (SEL, USDA) all provided their time and expertise to get this database on the Internet in a visually appealing format.  This database is a growing and improving document.  There will be some errors and incompleteness, and these will be lessened through time.  We welcome any comments and corrections.  Communications can be sent to Steven Lingafelter, project coordinator (email: slingafe@sel.barc.usda.gov).
 

Blackwelder, R. E.  1946.  Checklist of the Coleopterous insects of Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America, Bulletin of the United States National Museum 185, Part IV:551-764. 

Clark, H.  1865.  An examination of the Halticidae of South America.  Journal of Entomology 2 (13):375-412. 

Crotch, G. R.  1873.  Check List of the Coleoptera of America, North of Mexico.  Naturalists Agency, Salem, Mass, 136 pp. 

Gemminger, M. and Harold, E. von 1874.  Catalogus coleopterorum hucusque descriptorum synonymicus et systematicus, Vol. 11: 3233-3478. 

Heikertinger, F.  and Csiki, E.  1939.  Coleopterorum Catalogus, pars 166, Chrysomelidae: Halticinae, 1, pp. 1-336.  [Vol. 25]. 

Horn, H.  1889.  A synopsis of the Halticini of boreal America.  Transactions of the American Entomological Society 16: 163-320. 

Konstantinov, A. S. 1998. Genus Aphthona  Chevrolat of the Palearctic region (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae).  Memoirs on Entomology, International. 

Konstantinov, A. S. and N. Vandenberg 1996. Handbook of Palearctic Flea Beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae). Contributions on Entomology, International 1(3): 237-439. 

Leng, C. W.  1920.  Catalogue of the Coleoptera of America, north of Mexico, Mount Vernon, N. Y. 470 pp. 

Melsheimer, F. E.  1847.  Descriptions of new species of Coleoptera of the United States.  Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences at Philadelphia 3: 158-181. 

Monros, F. and J. Bechyné.  1956.  Über einige verkannte Chrysomeliden-namen.  Entomologischen Arbeiten aus dem Museum G. Frey, Tutzing 7(3): 1118-1137. 

Poole, R. W. and P. Gentili, Eds.  1996.  Nomina Insecta Nearctica.  Entomological Information Services, Rockville, Maryland, 827 pp. 

Scherer 1962.  Bestimmungsschlüssel der neotropischen Alticinen-Genera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae).  Entomologische Arbeiten aus dem Museum G. Frey 13: 497-599. 

Seeno, T. N. and Wilcox, J. A.  1982.  Leaf beetle genera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae).  Entomography 1: 1-221. 

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Comments or suggestions? Contact Steven Lingafelter, Project Coordinator (email: slingafe@sel.barc.usda.gov)