Cassidini sensu lato (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) of Mexico

Abstract

Mexico has a high diversity of tortoise beetles. Cassidini s. L. is the the most species-rich tribe worldwide inside Cassidinae, which is also true for Mexico. In this work, we give the diagnoses for the tribe and genera that occur in Mexico, as well as a dichotomous key for their recognition. The diagnosis for each genus is complemented with a list of associated species occurring in Mexico, the location of type material, names of host and associated plants, and the distribution of each species. We recorded 122 species occurring in Mexico, from 20 genera. Charidotis flavomarginata Champion, Gratiana lutescens (Boheman), and Microctenochira varicornis (Spaeth) are reported as doubtful records for Mexico. We found 114 new state records for Mexico and 13 new records for other countries. According to the species records for each genus, Veracruz is the state with the highest species richness, followed by Guerrero and Oaxaca. Aguascalientes, Baja California Sur, Coahuila, Nuevo Leon, Tlaxcala, Quintana Roo, and Zacatecas are the states where less than 5 species are recorded.