%0 Journal Article
%T Secondary Sexual Characteristics in the Galerucinae (Sensu Stricto) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)
%A M. S. Mohamedsaid
%A D. G. Furth
%J ISRN Zoology
%D 2011
%R 10.5402/2011/328670
%X A list of 1298 species and 172 genera of Chrysomelidae from the subfamily Galerucinae (sensu stricto) with the males having at least one form of secondary sexual characteristic (SSC) is presented. The number of species amounts to 24% of the total Galerucinae presently known from all over the world¡ªa very significant amount. The SSCs comprise various types of modified structures found on all parts of the body¡ªhead, thorax, and abdomen. They are not variable but species specific. Illustrations from selected 87 species that include 84 images and 15 line drawings showing various types of SSC are provided. The amazing array of SSCs from the Galerucinae offers a large and taxonomically diverse set of data that are not comparable with other subfamilies in the Chrysomelidae and may be useful in phylogenetic analysis of the family. 1. Introduction Galerucinae (sensu stricto) is the second largest subfamily within the Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera), represented by about 520 genera and between some 5000 species [1], 5500 species [2], and 6300 species [3] and its most diverse distribution concentrated mainly in the tropical and subtropical regions. The classification of the Chrysomelidae proposed by Lawrence and Newton [4] lumped together the Galerucinae and Alticinae into a single subfamily Galerucinae (sensu lato). Consequently, the Galerucinae (sensu stricto) was placed in the Tribe Galerucini and the Alticinae (sensu stricto) as the Tribe Alticini. Since then, some workers have continued to separate the two subfamilies as in the Seeno and Wilcox [5]. There has been support for Alticinae as a monophyletic group with metafemoral spring as the main character [6]. Likewise, Galerucinae has been considered paraphyletic with Alticinae as a subordinated clade [7]. On the other hand, Kim et al. [8] in their molecular and morphological-based phylogenetic studies showed that there is molecular data to support Alticinae as a tribal ranking (Alticini) within the Galerucinae and neither as a separate subfamily. They suggested that more independent characters are needed. More recently, Gillespie et al. [1] claimed to have the most comprehensive phylogeny estimation and showed consistency with previous molecular phylogenetic reconstruction of Galerucinae, but at the same time agreed that there was a lack of taxon representation from the Old World. There is no doubt that more characteristics need to be utilised from a more complete range of taxa selected from the Old and New Worlds, that is, better taxon sampling, including secondary sexual characteristics. In this study, we refer
%U http://www.hindawi.com/journals/isrn.zoology/2011/328670/