Paropsisterna

Distinguished from related paropsine genera by the combination of: open procoxal cavity with gap at least half the procoxa width; mid and hind tibiae with at least one sharp external longitudinal keel; apical maxillary palpomere strongly expanded from base to truncate apex; and frontoclypeal suture rounded or V-shaped without lateral ridges. The broadest point of the pronotum at its base also aids separation from some congeners. Species-level identification requires examination of genitalia and color pattern.

Beetles 3-17 mm in length with semicircular to elongate-ovate bodies that are moderately to strongly convex. The frontoclypeal suture is rounded or V-shaped and lacks lateral ridges. The apical maxillary palpomere is strongly expanded from base to truncate apex. The pronotum is broadest at its base. The procoxal cavity is open with a gap at least half the width of the procoxa. Mid and hind tibiae possess at least one sharp external longitudinal keel. Tarsal claws are usually acutely toothed, rarely simple. Many species display bright aposematic colors that may fade after death.

Primarily eucalypt forests and woodlands in native range; plantations and ornamental plantings of Myrtaceae in introduced ranges. Associated with host plants in family Myrtaceae including Eucalyptus, Melaleuca, Leptospermum, and related genera.

Native to Australia and Papua New Guinea. Multiple species introduced to New Zealand (including P. cloelia, P. selmani, P. variicollis), with P. selmani also established in Ireland and the United Kingdom. Some species have potential for further spread in Europe.

Adults of at least some species overwinter in soil and emerge in spring (April in Ireland for P. selmani). Teneral adults most noticeable in late June and July. Activity patterns vary by species and climate.

Folivory on Myrtaceae. Recorded hosts include Eucalyptus, Acmena, Agonis, Angophora, Baeckea, Callistemon, Darwinia, Kunzea, Leptospermum, and Melaleuca. Records from Acacia (Fabaceae) are considered likely erroneous. Larvae and adults feed on foliage; some species feed preferentially on new flush foliage, others on both juvenile and adult leaves of heteroblastic eucalypts.

• Eucalyptus - primary hostmajority of species; some are specialist pests
• Melaleuca - hostP. tigrina proposed as biocontrol agent for M. quinquenervia in Florida
• Leptospermum - host
• Kunzea - host
• Callistemon - host
• Angophora - host
• Acmena - host
• Agonis - host
• Baeckea - host
• Darwinia - host

Complete metamorphosis with egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages. Eggs laid in batches on leaves (approximately 7 eggs per batch in P. selmani). Life cycle completed in approximately 26 days at 20°C in P. selmani. Survival rates approximately 67% when fed on E. parvula. Teneral adults take approximately 13 days to initiate egg-laying. Mean daily egg-laying rate of 11.4 eggs per female over 130 days recorded for P. selmani.

Adults overwinter in soil and emerge in spring. Both larvae and adults feed on foliage, causing typical 'broom-top' damage to trees. Some species exhibit host preferences for particular Eucalyptus sections within subgenus Symphyomyrtus. Larvae of some species feed on both flush juvenile and adult leaves of heteroblastic eucalypts.

Native herbivores in Australian ecosystems; significant defoliators of Myrtaceae. In introduced ranges, invasive pests causing economic damage to forestry and ornamental industries. Serve as hosts for specialized egg parasitoids (Pteromalidae: Enoggera nassaui, Neopolycystus insectifurax) and generalist predators including coccinellid beetles, pentatomid bugs, lacewings, and spiders.

Several species are major forestry pests: P. agricola, P. bimaculata, P. m-fuscum, P. obovata, and P. variicollis on various Eucalyptus species; P. selmani invasive in Ireland and UK causing damage to cut-foliage and forestry industries. P. tigrina proposed as biological control agent for invasive Melaleuca quinquenervia in Florida. Integrated pest management strategies include breeding for resistance, biological control, and pesticide application.

• ParopsisBoth are paropsine leaf beetles with similar ecology and morphology; Paropsis species generally lack the expanded apical maxillary palpomere and have different pronotal and tibial characteristics
• ChrysophthartaFormerly recognized as separate genus; now synonymized under Paropsisterna based on phylogenetic and morphological studies in 2006

• leaf beetle
• Chrysomelidae
• Myrtaceae
• Eucalyptus
• forestry pest
• invasive species
• Australia
• Papua New Guinea
• New Zealand
• Ireland
• aposematic coloration
• biological control

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Established Paropsis charybdis egg parasitoids are unlikely to control the newly invaded Paropsisterna cloelia (both Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in New Zealand
• Predators of the two paropsine leaf beetles Paropsisterna cloelia and Paropsis charybdis in eucalypt plantations in Marlborough, New Zealand
• Biology of the Eucalyptus leaf beetle Paropsisterna selmani ( C hrysomelidae: P aropsini): a new pest of Eucalyptus species ( M yrtaceae) in I reland
• Incidence of and defoliation by a newly introduced pest, <i>Paropsisterna variicollis</i> (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), on eleven durable <i>Eucalyptus</i> species in Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
• Comparison of the biology, ecology and potential pest impacts of the eucalypt-defoliating leaf beetles <i>Paropsisterna cloelia</i> and <i>Paropsis charybdis</i> (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in New Zealand