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Pachyonychis paradoxus Clark, 1860 and Pachyonychus paradoxus Melsheimer, 1847 are two species of Alticini whose strikingly similar names have led to significant confusion in the past. Recent study of American Oedionychina Chapuis, 1875 raised doubts about the validity of the subtribal placement of Pachyonychis Clark. Although general characteristics put this genus in Oedionychina, other features, especially the unusual shape of the pronotum, suggested that this monotypic genus would belong in Monoplatina Chapuis, 1875 instead. To collect evidence for the validity of its current placement, we compared external and genitalic morphology of both species to other members of Monoplatina and Oedionychina. Here we present images and descriptions of female genitalia for both species and male genitalia of Pachyonychus paradoxus Melsheimer, to our knowledge the first of their kind, and we conclude that the evidence supports the current subtribal placement of these two genera. Lectotypes are designated for both Pachyonychis paradoxus Clark and Pachyonychus paradoxus Melsheimer.

West Indian genera of the flea beetle subtribe Oedionychina Chapuis, 1875 are reviewed. Two new genera and one new species are described: Argusonychis Konstantinov, Van Roie, & Furth gen. nov. with Argusonychis clarki Konstantinov, Van Roie & Furth sp. nov. as the type species (Bahamas); and Ciguapanychis Konstantinov, Van Roie & Furth gen. nov. with Alagoasa bicolor (Linnaeus, 1767) as the type species (Puerto Rico). An illustrated key to the genera found in the West Indies is provided. Each genus is illustrated with images of external and internal morphology, including thoracic structures, metendosternite, and female and male genitalia. Asphaera subfasciata Clark, 1860 is designated as the type species for Asphaera Duponchel & Chevrolat in d’Orbigny, 1842. The genus Ptena Chevrolat, 1836 is considered a long-overlooked senior synonym of Asphaera; the use of Asphaera is maintained. The lectotypes are designated for: Chrysomela albicollis Fabricius, 1787, Oedionychis crucipennis Suffrian, 1868, and Haltica decipiens Klug, 1829. Pleurasphaera Bechyné, 1958 is recognized as an objective junior synonym of Litosonycha Chevrolat, 1836 since these two generic names share the same type species, Haltica decipiens Klug, 1829. Oedionychis punctipennis Blake, 1971 is synonymized with Alagoasa sharpi (Jacoby, 1897). The following 17 new combinations are proposed: Alagoasa lunata (Fabricius, 1801), Alagoasa sharpi (Jacoby, 1897), Alagoasa smithi (Jacoby, 1897), Argusonychis megalopia (Blake, 1939), Argusonychis orientensis (Blake, 1959), Argusonychis zayasi (Blake, 1959), Asphaera amplilimbata (Blake, 1959), Asphaera cristalensis (Blake, 1959), Ciguapanychis bicolor (Linnaeus, 1767), Ciguapanychis dimidiatus (Olivier, 1808), Ciguapanychis fasciatus (Fabricius, 1798), Ciguapanychis jamaicensis (Jacoby, 1894), Ciguapanychis pseudofasciatus (Blake, 1940), Ciguapanychis viridipennis (Blake, 1971), Kuschelina pseudothoracica (Blake, 1945), Omophoita turquino (Zayas, 1988), and Walterianella gurneyi (Blake, 1968). The following three species are removed from synonymy and restored to species status as new combinations: Ciguapanychis cinctus (Olivier, 1808), Ciguapanychis lantanus (Blake, 1928), and Ciguapanychis purpurellus (Blake, 1940).

Cereal leaf beetles (CLBs), a group of chrysomelid beetles of the genus Oulema (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), are well-known pest insects of small-grain cereals in many countries of the Northern hemisphere. Due to the small differences in morphology of species within this genus, classification up to species level remains a challenging task. Since an accurate view of species composition is important for developing targeted control strategies, the goal of this study was to unravel the Oulema species composition in Flanders’ wheat fields. During three subsequent years at a series of different fields, Oulema species were collected and classified up to species level (2016: 28 fields, 2017: 30 fields, and 2018: 23 fields). This study reveals that the population consists of four different species: Oulema melanopus, Oulema duftschmidi, and Oulema obscura were most frequently encountered, while Oulema rufocyanea was only marginally present. Furthermore, the population was highly dynamic, as the population share of each species varied between different growing seasons and between the various sampling events within each season. The distance from the field edge had a minor influence on the species composition, but the abundance of beetles increased with the distance to the field edge. A discriminant analysis revealed that based on the measurements of various body parts, an accurate classification up to species level is possible. In conclusion, we observed that the population densities fluctuated within and between years, resulting in variable incidence of CLB in winter wheat fields in the Flanders region.

The collection of Philippe Fastré at RBINS includes 400 drawers, 37.000 specimens and approximately 2.000 species of lepidopterans (Insecta). The majority of species in this collection are Erebidae and Noctuidae from Central and South Asia. To help make this information available we digitized the type material of this collection. Out of the 400 drawers,191 paratype specimens belonging to 44 species were retrieved and digitized together with their original labels. The majority belonged to the family Noctuidae. The amount of species and type specimens contained demonstrates the importance and value of this collection.

A checklist of the species of leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of El Salvador is presented based on data from literature and a digitization project of the Bechyné collection of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS). The RBINS collections contain a total of 2797 individual chrysomelid specimens from El Salvador, sorted into 89 species and 132 genera. In total, the current checklist contains 420 species, of which 33 are new records for El Slavador from the Bechyné collection. In these collections, there are also ten nomina nuda named by Bechyné, which need further study. The leaf beetle diversity in El Salvador, partly due to the country’s unstable political history, remains poorly studied, and many (new) species await discovery. This checklist provides a baseline for further study in El Salvador and nearby region.

De Scheldedijken bergen, met meer dan 1000 ha grasland dat nog verder uitgebreid zal worden, ook een belangrijk ecologisch potentieel als leefgebied. De huidige overloopdijken worden gekenmerkt door variatie in erosiebestendigheid en in ecologische waarde. In deze studie wordt onderzocht of en welke parameters een duidelijke invloed hebben op de groei en kwaliteit van de grasmat. Op basis van de metingen werden een aantal verdere aanbevelingen voor de aanleg van de grasmat geformuleerd, met als doel de waterkerende functie van de grasmat te optimaliseren, in combinatie met het bereiken en behouden van een hoge ecologische waarde. Adviezen voor zowel overgangsbeheer als vervolgbeheer werden geformuleerd.

The digitization of museum specimens is a key priority in the Digital Era. Digital databases help to avoid unnecessary manipulation hazards to delicate collections, increase their accessibility to third party researchers, and contribute to the ongoing documentation of global biodiversity. Time, workforce and the need of specialized infrastructures limit the processing of the vast number of specimens in natural history collections. Cheaper, easy-to-use methods and volunteer programs are developing quickly to help bridge the gap. We present the results of combining citizen science for the digitization of an entomological collection in conjunction with the cooperation of a taxonomic expert for the remote identification of samples. In addition, we provide an assessment of the avoided monetary costs and the time needed for each step of the process. A photographic inventory of specimens belonging to the leaf beetle genus Calligrapha was compiled by volunteers using a low-cost compact camera and the species were identified using these images. Using digital photographs allowed for a rapid screening of specimens in the collection and resulted in an updated taxonomic identification of the Calligrapha collection at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. The pictures of the specimens and their original labels, as well as the new information from this endeavor were placed in an online public catalogue. This study demonstrates a worked example of how digitization has led to a practical, useful outcome through cooperation with an end user and highlights the value of museum collection digitization projects.

Digitization of specimen collections has become a key priority of many natural history museums. The camera systems built for this purpose are expensive, providing a barrier in institutes with limited funding, and therefore hampering progress. An assessment is made on whether a low cost compact camera with image stacking functionality can help expedite the digitization process in large museums or provide smaller institutes and amateur entomologists with the means to digitize their collections. Images of a professional setup were compared with the Olympus Stylus TG-4 Tough, a low-cost compact camera with internal focus stacking functions. Parameters considered include image quality, digitization speed, price, and ease-of-use. The compact camera’s image quality, although inferior to the professional setup, is exceptional considering its fourfold lower price point. Producing the image slices in the compact camera is a matter of seconds and when optimal image quality is less of a priority, the internal stacking function omits the need for dedicated stacking software altogether, further decreasing the cost and speeding up the process. In general, it is found that, aware of its limitations, this compact camera is capable of digitizing entomological collections with sufficient quality. As technology advances, more institutes and amateur entomologists will be able to easily and affordably catalogue their specimens.