Ecological Profile of the Flea Beetle Genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden in South Africa (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)
In this work, the 25 species of the flea beetle genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden recorded for South Africa are considered. Starting from the updated species distribution and the topographic, temperature, and precipitation variables, as well as the vegetation types in the occurrence sites, t...
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MDPI AG
2024-12-01
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| author | Maurizio Biondi Mattia Iannella Paola D’Alessandro |
| author_facet | Maurizio Biondi Mattia Iannella Paola D’Alessandro |
| author_sort | Maurizio Biondi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this work, the 25 species of the flea beetle genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden recorded for South Africa are considered. Starting from the updated species distribution and the topographic, temperature, and precipitation variables, as well as the vegetation types in the occurrence sites, through an analysis of ecological niche modelling, a possible ecological profile is provided, both for each species and the entire genus, highlighting some of the factors that drive their occurrence and distribution patterns. Along with the vegetation type, some climatic variables were found to be particularly influential, such as the mean temperature of both the wettest and driest quarters and also the mean precipitation of the wettest period. Finally, comparing the distribution of the areas of highest suitability returned by the model obtained for <i>Calotheca</i>, they largely overlap with the highest-density areas of <i>Searsia</i>, genus of Anacardiaceae, including the main host plants for these flea beetles. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-ad6540314b924ce196eeac798ccd92b7 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2075-4450 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Insects |
| spelling | doaj-art-ad6540314b924ce196eeac798ccd92b72025-08-20T02:00:28ZengMDPI AGInsects2075-44502024-12-01151299410.3390/insects15120994Ecological Profile of the Flea Beetle Genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden in South Africa (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)Maurizio Biondi0Mattia Iannella1Paola D’Alessandro2Department of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio—Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyDepartment of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio—Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyDepartment of Life, Health & Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, Via Vetoio—Coppito, 67100 L’Aquila, ItalyIn this work, the 25 species of the flea beetle genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden recorded for South Africa are considered. Starting from the updated species distribution and the topographic, temperature, and precipitation variables, as well as the vegetation types in the occurrence sites, through an analysis of ecological niche modelling, a possible ecological profile is provided, both for each species and the entire genus, highlighting some of the factors that drive their occurrence and distribution patterns. Along with the vegetation type, some climatic variables were found to be particularly influential, such as the mean temperature of both the wettest and driest quarters and also the mean precipitation of the wettest period. Finally, comparing the distribution of the areas of highest suitability returned by the model obtained for <i>Calotheca</i>, they largely overlap with the highest-density areas of <i>Searsia</i>, genus of Anacardiaceae, including the main host plants for these flea beetles.https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/12/994Afrotropical region<i>Calotheca</i>ecological niche modellingflea beetlesGIS analysis<i>Searsia</i> |
| spellingShingle | Maurizio Biondi Mattia Iannella Paola D’Alessandro Ecological Profile of the Flea Beetle Genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden in South Africa (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) Insects Afrotropical region <i>Calotheca</i> ecological niche modelling flea beetles GIS analysis <i>Searsia</i> |
| title | Ecological Profile of the Flea Beetle Genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden in South Africa (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) |
| title_full | Ecological Profile of the Flea Beetle Genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden in South Africa (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) |
| title_fullStr | Ecological Profile of the Flea Beetle Genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden in South Africa (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecological Profile of the Flea Beetle Genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden in South Africa (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) |
| title_short | Ecological Profile of the Flea Beetle Genus <i>Calotheca</i> Heyden in South Africa (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) |
| title_sort | ecological profile of the flea beetle genus i calotheca i heyden in south africa chrysomelidae galerucinae alticini |
| topic | Afrotropical region <i>Calotheca</i> ecological niche modelling flea beetles GIS analysis <i>Searsia</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/15/12/994 |
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