Antipredator devices in larvae of the Chrysomelidae: a unified synthesis for defensive eclecticism

Abstract

In terms of the number of species, beetles have emerged as the arthropodous order par excellence. In particular, the family Chrysomelidae, along with the curculionids, has been recognized as the most abundant of the beetle families. Conservatively speaking, it has been estimated that there are 50,000–70,000 species of flea beetles (Arnett, 1968; Jolivet, 1988). The evolutionary success of the Chrysomelidae notwithstanding, it seems appropriate to ask what are the factors associated with the coleopterous para-mountcy of the species in this family. In the following brief analysis, an effort has been made to explore the dominance of the Chrysomelidae in terms of the significance of larval defenses, a property that clearly determines the critical ability of these insects to mature and reproduce. Hopefully, the extraordinary defensive capabilities of flea beetle larvae will become manifest as their versatile abilities to blunt predatory confrontations are explored.