Marisia - Maros Megyei Múzeum Évkönyve 29-30/2. (2010)
Zoology
RESEARCH ON THE CHRYSOMELIDAE (COLEOPTERA) FAMILY FROM THE UPPER BASIN OF THE MURE§ RIVER WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE ON ITS NUTRITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS Stefan BÁLINT \ Alexandru CRISAN2 1 Liceul Teoretic Bolyai Farkas, str. Bolyai nr. 3, RO-540064 Tárgu-Mures, Romania 2 Universitatea Babe?—Bolyai, Cluj-Napoca, str. Mihail Kogálniceanu nr. 1, RO—400084 Cluj-Napoca, Romania Abstract: The habitats within the upper basin of the Mures River are rich in chrysomelid species. The majority of species are herbaceous, the forest species being less represented. The spread of chrysomelids within the researched area is directly influenced by the presence or absence of host plants, namely the degree of nutritional adaptation of the species. Thus, the most common species are the oligophagous and polyphagous, with a broad nutritive spectrum, while monophagous species are rare. Keywords: upper basin of the Mure? River, chrysomelid species, nutritional characteristics. Introduction Chrysomelids are exclusively phytophagous coleopterans, some being extremely damaging to the crops. The present work comprises data regarding the correlation of chrysomelid species collected together with the host plant. Materials and methods Our research took place during the period 2005-2009 within the research area including a part of the Cälimani, Gurghiu, Giurgeu massive mountains, the Gheorgheni depression, the Toplita - Deda pass and the nature reserves as well as the protected areas in 15 different habitat types of forest and grassland. Collections were made with the entomological net and the entomological umbrella by sweeping the herbaceous vegetation and by swaying the trees. The biological stuff was killed in 70% alcohol, kept dry in glass tubes. Measurements were made in the laboratory, by a binocular magnifier relying on the specialized works developed by the authors mentioned in the references [5, 6]. Results and discussions 8097 individuals were collected belonging to 227 species out of 10 subfamilies. The best represented subfamilies are the Halticinae with 104 species out of 17 genera, the Chrysomelinae with 52 species out of 15 genera, followed by the Chryptocephalinae with 27 species of two genera, the Cassidinae with 15 species out of a single genus, the Galerucinae with 11 species M A R I S I A, XXIX-XXX, p. 105-108
