Tortoise beetles of an Atlantic Forest remnant in south Minas Gerais, Brazil: host plants and life history

Abstract

The diversity and natural history of Cassidinae s. str (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), popularly known as tortoise beetles, were recorded in a 335 ha remnant area of Atlantic Forest in Passa Quatro, south of Minas Gerais, Brazil. This is the first inventory with beetles conducted within this conservation unit. Tortoise beetles and their host plants were collected manually at weekly visits conducted between November 2015 and December 2017. Biological and behavioural characteristics of these organisms were obtained. Forty-six species of tortoise beetles were identified, belonging to 23 genera and five tribes. New records include 13 species of cassidines for the state of Minas Gerais, the first host plant 22 record for nine species of beetles, and 15 new host plants for ten species of cassidines. The most common tribes were Cassidini (n = 22) and Mesomphaliini (n = 20). Identification of host plants was possible, at least at the family level, for 40 of the 46 cassidine species collected. The dominant host plant families were Convolvulaceae (43%) and Asteraceae (19%). The biological and behavioural findings are discussed by relating them to the defensive mechanisms that have been described or hypothesised previously in the literature. The present paper is a novel contribution to the tortoise beetle diversity studies in Brazil, as well as their natural history and life cycle within the Atlantic Forest, a diverse and endangered Neotropical biome.