The flea beetle genus Pedethma Weise (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), occurring in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, is revised. Pedethma fuscipennis Weise is designated as the type species. Lectotypes are designated for P. fuscipennis Weise, P. malandensis Weise, and P. suturalis Weise. Fourteen new species are described (type locality in parentheses): P. australiensis Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Mt. Glorious National Park); P. cookensis Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Mt. Cook); P. demiensis Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Mt. Demi); P. howdeni Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Mt. Lewis); P. humeromaculata Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Windin Falls via Butchers Creek); P. kirejtshuki Lingafelter and Konstantinov (New South Wales: Dorrigo National Park); P. kurandensis Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Kuranda); P. maculata Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Bellenden Ker Range); P. nigra Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Bellenden Ker Range); P. pinnipenis Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Hugh Nelson Range, 2.5 km S. of Crater National Park); P. pubescens Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Bamboo Creek); P. seymourensis Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Seymour Range, Polly Creek); P. sinuatipenis Lingafelter and Konstantinov (Queensland: Mt. Bartle Frere); and P. weisei Lingafelter and Konstantinov (New South Wales: Monga State Forest). A redescription of the genus and descriptions, diagnoses, and key to all species are presented.

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Palmelampius heinrichi O'Brien, new genus, new species of weevil belonging to the subtribe Zygobaridina (Curculionidae: Baridinae), formerly the tribe Centrinini, are described from Brazil, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru. Habitus photographs, and drawings of the male genitalia are included for this serious pest of fruits of the palm Bactris gasipaes H.B.K..

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A key to the species of the Curculio alboscutellatus (Roelofs) species group from China and descriptions of new taxa are presented. Descriptions of the following new taxa are included: Curculio jilinensis new species, C. gressitti new species, C. krissiae new species, C. lisae new species, C. latusrostris new species, C. shopfneri new species, C. francisi new species, C. marioi new species, C. matthewi new species, C. ochromaculata new species, C. richardi new species. Also, redescriptions are provided of C. alboscutellatus (Roelofs), C. chevrolati (Faust), C. scutellaris (Chevrolat), C. simius spretus (Heller) and C. tonkinensis (Heller). Type specimens are deposited in the Institute of Zoology, Academia Sinica, Beijing, China and the California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California.

Publication funded in part by the Patricia Vaurie bequest.

The search for natural enemies of the South American tree Solanum mauritianum Scop., a major environmental weed in the high-rainfall regions of South Africa, created the opportunity to observe and study several leaf-feeding beetles from the genus Platyphora Gistel. Data on the biology and host range of three species from southern Brazil, Platyphora biforis (Germar), Platyphora conviva (Stål) and Platyphora nigronotata (Stål), and one from northeastern Argentina, Platyphora paraguana (Jacoby), were collected during their evaluation as potential biological control agents. All four species displayed similar, highly specialized biologies in the field, including viviparity, monophagy and sensitivity to host plant quality and microhabitat. Despite this, considerably broader host ranges were observed in captivity, including both cultivated and native South African species of Solanum L. Certain of these non-target plants were suitable hosts for the beetles, because there were no consistent differences in survival and duration of development of the immature stages on these compared with S. mauritianum. However, evidence from the literature that species of Platyphora associated with Solanaceae have very narrow host ranges, and that none are known to attack cultivated Solanum species in South America, strongly suggests that the laboratory tests do not reflect the true host ranges of these beetles. Despite this possibility, none of these beetles were considered suitable for release in South Africa and further studies were terminated.

The genus Haenkea Tippmann and its three species, H. zischkai Tippmann (type species), H. thoracica (Chevrolat), and H. atra (Chevrolat), new combination, are revised. All the taxa are redescribed and illustrated. New data on geographical distribution and a key for species are also provided.

Cyclocephala pygidialis Joly, new species, from Venezuela is described and comparative redescriptions of C. hardyi Endrödi and C. castanea (Olivier) are presented. Diagnostic characters are illustrated, and full references for each species are given.

Astylopsis fascipennis, new species (Cerambycidae), from the southeastern United States, is described and illustrated. A key to the six species of Astylopsis Casey is provided.

A purebred “red” mutant line of Canthon cyanellus cyanellus LeConte, a carrion ball-roller beetle normally green in color, was produced by inbreeding under laboratory conditions. Segregation of cuticular color fit a 3:1 normal/mutant ratio in F₂ progeny, and 1:1 normal/mutant ratio in test cross progeny. The mutant phenotype was controlled by an autosomal recessive allele. The putative genotypes are green (G/-) and red (g/g). In the laboratory, individuals possessing the red trait were as reproductively successful as wild-type green beetles. The red stock can be used as a visible genetic marker to investigate paternity in this subsocial species.

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