Lamprosomatinae, Lacordaire, 1848

Lamprosomatinae View in CoL

Lamprosomatinae Lacordaire, 1848 View in CoL are a small subfamily containing 213 species classified in four tribes and 14 genera ( Chamorro 2014a). Most of the diversity is in the tribe Lamprosomatini View in CoL and Lamprosoma Lacordaire, 1848 is the largest genus with 133 species. Cachiporrini and Sphaerocharini are monotypic, known only from Brazil, and Neochlamysini have two genera ( Chamorro and Konstantinov 2011, Chamorro 2014a). Lamprosomatinae View in CoL are morphologically quite uniform and share many characters with Cryptocephalinae View in CoL in the Camptosoma clade (e.g., Reid 1995, 2000, Gómez-Zurita and Cardoso 2021). Larvae are eruciform and build portable fecal enclosures. Larvae and adults are phytophagous usually on bark or thick leaf veins of various woody plants similarly as many Fulcidacini. Lamprosoma azureum Germar, 1824 , which is associated with the Brazilian native strawberry guava ( Psidium cattleianum View in CoL ) ( Caxambú and Almeida 1999) was studied as a potential biocontrol of this plant introduced in Hawaii. However, as it consumes other myrtaceous species it was not recommended ( Wikler et al. 2000).

Lamprosomatinae View in CoL are distributed mainly in tropics with the center of diversity in the Neotropics, where 166 species occur. They were intensively studied by F.A. Monrós who revised the genera and established the higher classification of the group ( Monrós 1956b). Phylogenetic relationships among genera and tribes were tested by Chamorro and Konstantinov (2011) based on morphological characters. Currently, 62 species, representing 31% of world fauna, are reported from Brazil. Thus, Brazil is the country with the highest diversity of Lamprosomatinae View in CoL in the world. Despite Monros’ intensive study of the group, there has been no comprehensive species revision since Lacordaire’s (1848) monograph. Lacordaire described 53% of lamprosomatine species and Monrós described an additional 18%.