Global macroecological patterns in host plant associations of Cryptocephalinae case-bearer leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

AGRAIN, FEDERICO; VENTO, BARBARA; FLINTE, VIVIAN ; CHABOO, CAROLINE; REID, CHRIS

BIOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2024

0024-4066

Catalogue host plant records of theleaf beetle subfamily Cryptocephalinae at global scale, and use it asthe foundation to analyse host plant relations, one proposed keydriver in the evolution of phytophagan hyperdiversity. We describemacroscale host association patterns and assess the trophic range ofCryptocephalinae at generic level. We assembled 532 sources andextracted 14,253 host plant records (1,894 species of plants) for1,436 species of Cryptocephalinae. Results revealed that most generaof Cryptocephalinae are either polyphagous (or strongly polyphagous),yet the five tribes exhibit intrinsic patterns of host association.Clear macro-ecological constraints exist for Cryptocephalinae within major lineages of plants. Polyphagy isalso maintained for most of the documented juvenile stages and the 19genera with myrmecophilous species. The most common host plant forCryptocephalinae are Eudicots, especially in the rosid lineage. Amongthem, the order Fabales has the most records, and Asterales, Fagales,Malpighiales, Myrtales, Rosales and, Sapindales are very common hostwithin all Cryptocephalinae tribes. Within the rosids clade most hostrecords fit in the fabids or the malvids subclades. A clear exceptionis the order Asterales which belongs to the asterids lineage (i.e.the sister clade of rosids). Our meta-analysis approach and ourmethod for assessing quality of host-plant records permit detectionof patterns in host association at global scale. Our approach allowsdetection of all levels of plant-beetle interactions from unlikelyhosts to potential or real feeders. Our criteria for assessing hostplant records and work model can be applied to other chrysomelidsubfamilies and phytophagous insects. The analysis of macroecological patterns and host checklist provide a base for genericrevisions and hypothesis construction in future ecological,molecular, and morphological studies.