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A new Longitarsus species is described from Western Balkans: Longitarsus carolileonardii (Bosnia and Herzegovina: Mojmilo) following the study of five specimens housed at the Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest. The new species belongs to the Longitarsus rubellus species group including also L. rubellus (Foudras 1860), L. gruevi Leonardi & Mohr 1974, L. refugiensis Leonardi & Mohr 1974 and L. ibericus Leonardi & Mohr 1974. Altogether, these species have similar habitus, but can be distinguished from each other mainly by the male sexual characters. A comparative table summarizes the diagnostic characters for all the species in the group. New distributional, biological and morphological data are also given.

Six species of Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera) are recorded for the first time from Omsk Province: Oulema septentrionis (Weise, 1880), Cryptocephalus caerulescens C.R. Sahlberg, 1839, C. frenatus Laicharting, 1781, C. punctiger Paykull, 1799, Aphthona franzi Heikertinger, 1944, and Longitarsus kutscherai (Rye, 1872). Of these, O. septentrionis, A. franzi, and L. kutscherai are also recorded for the first time from West Siberia. Some notes on the host plants are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Distributional and taxonomic data on four Italian Alticini species are here supplied. Chaetocnema wollastoni Baly, 1877 is reported as new for the Italian (and European) fauna; Longitarsus bertii Leonardi, 1973 and Longitarsus stragulatus (Foudras, 1860): based on new records, their Italian distribution results much wider than previously; Psylliodes ausoniae Leonardi, 2013, based on a new record, is confirmed as a member of the Turkish fauna. The paper is completed by photos of C. wollastoni. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of the leaf-beetles, Aphthona ussuriensissp. n. and Tricholochmaea ussuriensissp. n., are described from Primorskii Territory of Russia. Seven species are recorded from Russia for the first time: Lema concinnipennis Baly, 1865; Phratora ryanggangensis Gruev, 1994; Dibolia potanini Wiese, 1889; D. zaitzevi Medvedev, 1980; Longitarsus hopeianus Chen, 1941; L. piceorufus Chen, 1939; Luperomorpha nigra Chen, 1933. A new finding of Longitarsus nipponensis Csiki, 1940 in Russia is reported. A new color form of Cryptocephalus luridipennis Suffrian, 1854 is described from the Sikhote-Alin Mountains. New identification keys to all the species of the genera Aphthona and Luperomorpha and to the species of Monolepta with a yellow pattern on black elytra from the Russian Far East are compiled. Photographs of the dorsal habitus of the adults and of the aedeagus are provided for all the aforementioned species and also for those included in the keys and plus Aphthona hammarstroemi Jacobson, 1901, Tricholochmaea semifulva Jacoby, 1885, and Pyrrhalta flavescens (Weise, 1887) closely related to the new species described herein. Photographs of the spermatheca of Monolepta hieroglyphica biarcuata Weise, 1889 and M. quadriguttata (Motschulsky, 1860) and of the male pygidium of M. quadriguttata (Motschulsky, 1860) with a deep transverse depression are also given for the first time; the latter character is newly reported to distinguish M. quadriguttata from all the Far Eastern congeners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longitarsus Latreille (Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini) is a very large genus of phytophagous insects, with more than 700 species distributed in all zoogeographical regions. Patterns of host use have been a central topic in phytophagous insect research. In this study a first assessment is provided to test the hypothesis that host-plant association is phylogenetically conserved in Western Palaearctic Longitarsus species. Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian Inference methods were used to infer a phylogeny based on DNA sequence data from two mitochondrial genes from 52 Longitarsus species from the Western Palaearctic. In agreement with the host phylogenetic conservatism hypothesis, a strict association between most of the recovered clades and specific plant families was found, except for species associated with Boraginaceae. Low phylogenetic resolution at deep nodes limited the evaluation of whether closely related Longitarsus clades are associated with the same plant family or to closely related plant families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Longitarsus doeberli sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini), from Socotra Island is described. The new species is apparently similar to Longitarsus lederi Weise, 1889 from Caucasus with which it shares, in addition to compact body, some adaptive convergences, such as wingless condition and trend of reduction of the metatarsomere I. Based on the structure of the median lobe of aedeagus and the peculiar shape of the spermatheca, the new species shows instead the closest relationships with the species of the L. anchusae group, especially L. anchusae (Paykull, 1799) and L. anatolicus Weise, 1900. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prevailing paradigm for social wasp endocrinology is that of juvenile hormone (JH) functioning pleiotropically in potential and actual queens, where it fuels dominance behaviors, stimulates ovarian growth and/or affects the production of status-linked cuticular compounds. In colonies with annual cycles (e.g., temperate-zone species), female adults produced at the end of the summer (called gynes) are physiologically primed to hibernate. Despite the absence of egg-laying in the pre-overwintering phase, gynes engage in dominance interactions that may affect reproductive potential following hibernation. JH levels have long been inferred to be low in gynes but this has never been tested. In what is the first study to measure JH in gyne-containing colonies of a temperate paper wasp, and the first to incorporate hormone assays in Belonogaster , our results show that the JH titer positively correlates with gyne-specific traits (including oocyte length and a low frequency of foraging trips) in B. longitarsus , a South African paper wasp. Measures of dominance correlated with oocyte length, but not all dominant females possessed activated ovaries. The cuticular hydrocarbon profiles of gynes and workers were distinct, with oocyte length and JH titer showing a positive association with longer-chain methyl-branched alkanes. Nonetheless, evidence for a role of JH in dominance was inconclusive. Finally, the range of JH titers among gynes, and the positive association of JH titers with ovarian status and prospective fertility signals, makes it unlikely that the gyne phenotype is maintained by low JH levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybridization is an important evolutionary mechanism that can increase the fitness and adaptive potential of populations. A growing body of evidence supports its importance as a key factor contributing to rapid evolution in invasive species, but the effects of hybridization have rarely been assessed in intentionally introduced biological control agents. We investigated hybrids between a Swiss and an Italian population of the beetle, Longitarsus jacobaeae, a biological control agent of Jacobaea vulgaris, by reciprocally crossing individuals in the laboratory. Phenological traits of F1 and F2 hybrid lineages showed intermediate values relative to their parental populations, with some maternal influence. Fitness of the F2 generation, measured as lifetime fecundity, was higher than that of the Italian parent in one of the lineages and higher than that of either parent in the other hybrid lineage. The increased fecundity of hybrids may benefit tansy ragwort biological control by increasing the establishment success and facilitating a more rapid population buildup in the early generations. Even though the long-term consequences of hybridization in this and other systems are hard to predict, intentional hybridization may be a useful tool in biological control strategies as it would promote similar microevolutionary processes operating in numerous targeted invasive species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At both a macro- and micro-evolutionary level, selection of and performance on host plants by specialist herbivores are thought to be governed partially by host plant chemistry. Thus far, there is little evidence to suggest that specialists can detect small structural differences in secondary metabolites of their hosts, or that such differences affect host choice or performance of specialists. We tested whether phytochemical differences between closely related plant species are correlated with specialist host choice. We conducted no-choice feeding trials using 17 plant species of three genera of tribe Senecioneae ( Jacobaea, Packera, and Senecio; Asteraceae) and a more distantly related species ( Cynoglossum officinale; Boraginaceae) containing pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), and four PA-sequestering specialist herbivores of the genus Longitarsus (Chrysomelidae). We also assessed whether variation in feeding by specialist herbivores is attributable to different resource use strategies of the tested plant species. Plant resource use strategy was quantified by measuring leaf dry matter content, which is related to both plant nutritive value and to plant investment in quantitative defences. We found no evidence that intra-generic differences in PA profiles affect feeding by specialist herbivores. Instead, our results indicate that decisions to begin feeding are related to plant resource use strategy, while decisions to continue feeding are not based on any plant characteristics measured in this study. These findings imply that PA composition does not significantly affect host choice by these specialist herbivores. Leaf dry matter content is somewhat phylogenetically conserved, indicating that plants may have difficulty altering resource use strategy in response to selection pressure by herbivores and other environmental factors on an evolutionary time scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Evaluation of past and current biological control programs using molecular tools can clarify establishment success of agent biotypes, and can contribute to our understanding of best practice for natural enemy importations. The flea beetle, Longitarsus jacobaeae Waterhouse (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) has successfully controlled the weed tansy ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris Gaertn., in Pacific coastal areas of the USA. A L. jacobaeae biotype introduced in 1969 from Italy is assumed to provide this control. A cold-adapted biotype from Switzerland was also released in 1969 to California, but its establishment was never confirmed. Recent infestations of tansy ragwort into parts of Montana with continental, winter-cold climates prompted introduction of the Swiss biotype in 2002. The Italian and Swiss biotypes cannot be separated morphologically and are able to hybridize in the laboratory. We used amplified fragment length polymorphisms to assess which biotypes established in California, Oregon, and Montana at sites with varying climatic conditions, and whether the biotypes have hybridized in nature. The analysis was based on 216 L. jacobaeae individuals collected from 13 populations in the introduced and native ranges in 2006 and 2007. Clustering and assignment tests showed that the Italian biotype successfully established at all study sites, including those characterized by continental, winter-cold climates. We also found hybrids of the two parental biotypes, which in one study location constituted 47% of the population. Future studies are needed to evaluate whether to release either biotype alone or in combination on new tansy ragwort infestations in winter-cold climates in North America. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three new species of are described from the manganese nodule province between the Clarion and the Clipperton Fracture Zone of the equatorial North Pacific Ocean, and collected during the Nodinaut expedition on board the r/v l'Atalante in the summer of 2004. The new species belongs to three genera as: Collettea (C. longisetosa), Robustochelia (R. pacifica), and Tumidochelia (T. tuberculata). A key to the genus Tumidochelia is presented and the validity of the genera Robustochelia and Collettea is discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in the herbivore community between a plant’s native (specialists and generalists) and introduced range (almost exclusively generalists) may lead to the evolution of reduced allocation to defences against specialist herbivores in the introduced range, allowing for increased allocation to competitive ability and to defences against generalist herbivores. Following this logic, the introduction of biological control agents should reverse this evolutionary shift and select for plants with life-history traits that are more similar to those of plants in the native range than those of plants in the introduced range that have not been exposed to biological control. In a common garden experiment, we compared performance and resistance traits of tansy ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris, among populations from the introduced range (New Zealand and North America) that have either been exposed to or grown free from the biological control agent Longitarsus jacobaeae. For comparison, we included populations from the native European range. We found lower levels of generalist-deterrent pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) and of soluble phenolics in New Zealand populations with than in populations without exposure to L. jacobaeae, while the opposite pattern was detected among North American populations. Contrary to expectation, populations with exposure to L. jacobaeae revealed more feeding damage by L. jacobaeae than populations without exposure. Introduced populations had higher levels of PAs and reproductive output than native J. vulgaris populations. Jacobaea vulgaris was introduced in different parts of the world some 100–130 years ago, while L. jacobaeae was introduced only some 20–40 years ago. Hence, the larger differences observed between native and introduced populations, as compared to introduced populations with and without biological control history, may result from different time scales available for selection to act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A root-feeding flea beetle, Longitarsus bethae Savini & Escalona (Chrysomelidae: Altcinae), was introduced into South Africa to complement the impact of the above-ground insect agents already established on Lantana camara L. (Verbenaceae). To estimate the potential effectiveness of L. bethae for biological control of L. camara, growth of various plant components were measured under different levels of abundance of the insect under quarantine glasshouse and semi-field conditions. Populations of L. bethae larvae that developed in previously-sterilized soil from initial cohorts of 200 and 300 eggs per plant significantly stunted the growth of L. camara, causing reductions in the number of leaves, stem height, stem diameter, above-ground dry-mass, and below-ground dry-mass, of up to 54%, 21%, 31%, 34% and 40%, respectively. Compared with the controls, the larval population resulting from an inoculum of 100 eggs per plant usually had no statistically significant effect on plant growth. The degree of root damage caused by the larvae was directly proportional to the number of eggs added and to the number of adults that emerged. Under semi-field conditions, cumulative herbivory by L. bethae adults and larvae during a six-month period caused severe leaf and root damage, resulting in a cumulative decline of 148% in flower production. Overall, the ability of L. bethae to both directly suppress root growth and indirectly suppress leaf production, stem growth and flower production of L. camara, indicates that this flea beetle has the potential to make a considerable impact on the weed’s invasiveness in South Africa. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A number of 68 leaf beetle species from 9 subfamilies and 32 genera were found in a research made in the North and North-Eastern parts of Cusma Nature 2000 Site, district of Bistrita-Nasaud (Romania). Two endemic species and other 24 rare ones were revealed. Chrysomelinae subfamily and the genera Chrysolina, Longitarsus and Cassida were the best represented ones. The hygrophilous herbs from Soimului de Sus valley was the habitat with the largest number of species, so as a mezzohygrophilous lawn in Piatra Fantanele. Some other habitats are important by their rare or endemic leaf beetle species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Southern-African Longitarsus capensis species-group, which is closely related to the Mediterranean anchusae speciesgroup is revised. L. capensis species-group includes 15 species, 8 of which are new to science: Longitarsus capensis Baly, 1877, L. cedarbergensis Biondi, 1999, L. luctuosus Biondi, 1999, L. lugubris Biondi, 1999, L. melanicus Biondi, 1999, L. neseri Biondi, 1999, L. transvaalensis Biondi, 1999, L. afromeridionalis sp.n., L. debiasei sp.n., L. grobbelaariae sp.n., L. hexrivierbergensis sp.n., L. malherbei sp.n., L. piketbergensis sp.n., L. rouxi sp.n., and L. sudafricanus sp.n. A key to all the species is presented as well as line drawings of male and female genitalia, scanning electron micrographs of some diagnostic morphological characters, and autoecological and zoogeographical data. Relationships within the capensis-group, and between the anchusae and capensis-group are better defined and hypotheses explaining the separate distributions of Mediterranean and south African anchusae and capensis species-groups proposed. Finally, the host-plant shift from native Lobostemon spp. to the introduced plant Echium plantagineum L. shown by some species of the capensis group is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Over the past 30 years, protocols for the selection of test plants used to determine the host range of candidate biological control agents have remained largely unchanged. Using the case of the root-feeding flea beetle, Longitarsus sp., a candidate agent for biological control of Heliotropium amplexicaule in Australia, this paper describes a “modernized” protocol, based more strongly on phylogeny, and refined by ecological and biogeographic similarities. Taxonomic nomenclature is de-emphasized in favour of strict phylogenetic relationships and the use of so-called “safeguard species” is abandoned. This is the first time that a biological control agent has been tested for host-specificity and application made for release, based solely on the new protocol, and the changes were acceptable to the regulatory organisations in Australia. The testing showed that adult feeding extended to plant species with up to five degrees of phylogenetic separation from H. amplexicaule, indicating that there would be a moderate risk that more distantly related plants suffer some feeding damage by adult Longitarsus sp. when they co-occur with infestations of the target weed that have large flea-beetle populations. Such damage would not have severe consequences for survival and reproduction of the plants. However, Longitarsus sp. was able to complete its life-cycle on plants related to the target weed by two degrees of phylogenetic separation or less, leaving indigenous Heliotropium and Tournefortia species at some risk of colonisation. While these species had different life-histories and/or only slightly overlapped with the actual and potential range of the target weed, a minority of reviewers were concerned that insufficient information was available on the dispersal abilities of Longitarsus sp. to dismiss this risk. Release was therefore not approved. While disappointing for the biological control project, the outcome was not unexpected, as the assessment was based on factors that modified the effects of host range alone. The new protocols highlighted some problems in the review process concerning an overreliance on taxonomic nomenclature as opposed to actual genetic relationships and an inadequate understanding of the nature of risk. However, they also directed attention to knowledge gaps in biogeography and agent biology that might refine the assessed risk. As such, this process can be considered an improvement in methodology. Moreover, rejection of the application to release Longitarsus sp. demonstrated that fears expressed by some researchers/regulators that the removal of “safeguard” species would somehow weaken the data and allow unsafe agents to be released were unwarranted. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Water-logged soil could be a major factor affecting populations of the ragwort biological control agent, Longitarsus flavicornis, in Australia. Survival of L. flavicornis larvae in potted ragwort plants after inundation with water for up to 264h (11days) was compared to larval survival in control plants not exposed to inundation. Probit analysis indicated that 35.6% mortality of the larval population occurred after 24h inundation and 50.4% after 72h. As high mortality was recorded at periods of inundation known to occur in the field, it is concluded that winter flooding is likely to be detrimental to populations of L. flavicornis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Laboratory studies were conducted to determine the influence of soil texture, moisture and surface cracks on adult preference and survival of the root-feeding flea beetle, Longitarsus bethue Savini and Escalona (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), a natural enemy of the weed, Lantana camara L. (Verberiaceae). Adult feeding, oviposition preference, and survival of the immature stages of L. bethae were examined at four soil textures (clayey, silty loam, sandy loam, and sandy soil), three soil moisture levels (low, moderate, and high), and two soil surface conditions (with or without surface cracks). Both soil texture and moisture had no influence on leaf feeding and colonization by adult L. bethae. Soil texture had a significant influence on oviposition, with adults preferring to lay on clayey and sandy soils to silty or sandy loam soils. However, survival to adulthood was significantly higher in clayey soils than in other soil textures. There was a tendency for females to deposit more eggs at greater depth in both clayey and sandy soils than in other soil textures. Although oviposition preference and depth of oviposition were not influenced by soil moisture, survival in moderately moist soils was significantly higher than in other moisture levels. Development of immature stages in high soil moisture levels was significantly slower than in other soil moisture levels. There were no variations in the body size of beetles that emerged from different soil textures and moisture levels. Females laid almost three times more eggs on cracked than on noncracked soils. It is predicted that clayey and moderately moist soils will favor the survival of L. bethae, and under these conditions, damage to the roots is likely to be high. This information will aid in the selection of suitable release sites where L. bethue would be most likely to become established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Species richness and composition of the Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera) were studied in larch (Larix kaempheri [Lamb.] Carrière) plantations, secondary forests, and primary forests. In addition, the effects of forest management practices, such as thinning and long rotation, were examined in the larch plantation. The species richness of Chrysomelidae was higher in the larch plantation than in the secondary forest or in the primary forest. Among the larch plantations, the species richness in old-aged plantations was higher than that in middle-aged plantations. The composition of the beetle assemblages in the larch plantation differed from that in the secondary forest or in the primary forest. Exosoma akkoae (Chujo), Batophila acutangula Heikertinger, and Calomicrus nobyi Chujo were caught with a bias toward the larch plantation. Longitarsus, succineus (Foudras) and Sphaeroderma tarsatum Baly were caught more in the secondary forest and the primary forest, respectively. More B. acutangula and S. tarsatum were caught in stands where their host plants occurred at higher rates. Species richness of understory plants was an important factor for chrysomlid species richness, and frequency of host occurrence affected the number of individuals of leaf beetles examined. It seems that forest types and forest management practices affect host plants as well as Chrysomelidae, and that these effects on the host plants also influence chrysomelid assemblages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several Longitarsus flea beetle species sequester pyrrolizidine alkaloids acquired from their Asteraceae and Boraginaceae host plants. We carried out feeding and injection experiments using radioactively labeled pyrrolizidine alkaloids to investigate the physiological mechanisms of uptake, metabolism and storage of alkaloids in adult beetles. We examined six Longitarsus species belonging to different phylogenetic clades in a comparative approach. All species that accepted pyrrolizidine alkaloids in a preceding food choice study showed the ability both to store pyrrolizidine alkaloid N-oxides and to metabolize tertiary pyrrolizidine alkaloids into their N-oxides. Regardless of whether the beetles' natural host plants contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids or not, these species were found to possess an oxidizing enzyme. This oxygenase appears to be specific to pyrrolizidine alkaloids: [3H]Atropine and [14C]nicotine, two alkaloids not related to pyrrolizidine alkaloids, were neither stored nor N-oxidized by any of the tested species. One species, L. australis, that strictly avoids pyrrolizidine alkaloids behaviorally, exhibited a lack of adaptations to pyrrolizidine alkaloids on a physiological level as well. After injection of tertiary [14C]senecionine, beetles of this species neither N-oxidized nor stored the compounds, in contrast to L. jacobaeae, an adapted species that underwent the same treatment. L. jacobaeae demonstrated the same efficiency in N-oxidation and storage when fed or injected with tertiary [14C]senecionine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 11 species of the flea beetle genus Longitarsus we investigated whether the insects sequester the pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) present in their host plants of the families Asteraceae and Boraginaceae. In all cases where PAs could be detected in the leaves of the local host plant, they could also be detected in the corresponding beetles. In one host plant, Pulmonaria officinalis, no PAs could be detected in the leaves, yet were present in the beetles collected from them. We suggest this is due to uptake of PAs during the root-feeding larval stage. By comparing the GC-MS pattern of PAs found in the beetles with those of their hosts, we investigated the specificity of this sequestration. Furthermore, we compared the pattern of sequestered PAs across beetle species that had been feeding on the same plant, and across hosts in Longitarsus species that feed on different plants in the field. This allowed us to analyze to what extent the PA pattern in the insects is specific for the beetle species and depends on the local food plant. Our data indicate that the PAs found in the beetles are largely determined by the host plant, e.g., whether alkaloids typical of the Boraginaceae or Asteraceae are present. However, there are some indications for a selective uptake of PAs and apparently the beetles are able to metabolize them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several species of the flea beetles genus Longitarsus are able to sequester pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs) from their host plants. In five Longitarsus species we compare the concentration of PAs present in their host plants belonging to the Asteraceae or Boraginaceae with those found in the beetles. To get an estimate of the intrapopulation variability, three samples of five beetles each and five individual plants were analyzed for each comparison. A strong intrapopulation variability could be detected both among plant and beetle samples. The total concentration found in the beetles varied strongly between species. The local host plant and its phenology influence the concentrations present in the beetles as evidenced in comparisons of a single beetle species from two different hosts and of one beetle species collected at the same site at different times of the year. In addition, different beetle species apparently vary in their capacity to sequester the alkaloids, at the lowest extreme the mean PA concentration in the beetles (0.034 μg PA/mg dry weight) was 1/30 of the mean concentration found in the plant leaves ( L. aeruginosus from Eupatorium cannabinum), at the highest extreme (2.098 μg PA/mg dw) the concentration in the beetles was a 1000 fold higher than in the plant leaves ( L. nasturtii from Symphytum officinale). The highest mean concentration found in the beetles was 3.446 μg/mg dw ( L. exoletus from Cynoglossum officinale). The absolute concentrations found in the beetles are comparable to other insects which have been shown to be effectively defended against their potential predators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The host specificity of the European flea-beetle Longitarsus quadriguttatus was investigated between 1991 and 1993 as a potential agent for the biological control of hound's-tongue (Cynoglossum officinale), a weed of European origin that has become naturalized in North America. Life-history studies showed a good synchronization of the univoltine flea-beetle with its host plant. Adults feed on leaves and deposit eggs on host plant rosettes. The larvae develop inside the roots. Host specificity screening tests comprising adult feeding-, oviposition- and larval development tests were carried out with 49 European plant species. Adults or larvae exclusively attacked plants in the family Boraginaceae. The 18 test plant species in nine other families remained free from feeding and oviposition and supported no larval development. Adults nibbled on most of the 31 Boraginaceae species tested. Normal adult feeding was mainly found on plants in the tribe Cynoglosseae, which were preferrably attacked in oviposition tests. Larvae developed mainly in roots of Cynoglosseae species. Occasional attack of other Boraginoideae species in laboratory tests could not be verified under field conditions. Host acceptance tests showed normal feeding, oviposition and development on the North American biotype of hound's-tongue. L. quadriguttatus has a narrow host range and a good potential for controlling the target plant in North America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]