Basilepta fulvipes

Basilepta fulvipes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Family:	Chrysomelidae
Genus:	Basilepta
Species:	B. fulvipes
Binomial name
Basilepta fulvipes (Motschulsky, 1860)
Synonyms [1]
Nodostoma fulvipesMotschulsky, 1860 Nodostoma aeneipenneMotschulsky, 1860 Nodostoma rufotestaceumMotschulsky, 1860 Nodostoma fulvipes var. picicolle Weise, 1889

Basilepta fulvipes is a species of beetle in the leaf beetle family (Chrysomelidae) found in the Russian Far East and East Asia. ^[1] The scientific name of the species was first published as Nodostoma fulvipes in 1860 by Victor Motschulsky, who described it from specimens collected near the Amur River in the Russian Far East. ^[2]

Description

B. fulvipes is 3–3.5 millimetres (0.12–0.14 in) in length, and is glabrous (lacking setae) on its back side. It is variable in color, having a reddish or dark reddish pronotum, reddish or metallic-colored elytra, and reddish legs. The pronotum is narrower than the elytra at the base, and the antennae are filiform (thread-like). ^{[3] [2]}

B. fulvipes is very similar in appearance to Basilepta cribricollis , which is found in many of the same regions and has historically been misidentified as B. fulvipes. The two species can usually be distinguished from each other by the color of the pronotum (in B. cribricollis it is usually a metallic blue or green, sometimes almost black), but in some cases it is necessary to study the genitalia to tell them apart. ^[2]

Distribution

B. fulvipes is distributed in the Russian Far East, China, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan. ^[1] Within the Russian Far East, it is recorded from Primorsky Krai, Khabarovsk Krai, Amur Oblast, and Sakhalin Island. ^[2]

Host plants

B. fulvipes is a highly polyphagous species, feeding on a variety of plants, and is known as a pest of crops such as soybean, maize and bananas. ^{[4] [5]}

References

1. Moseyko, A. G. (2024). "subfamily Eumolpinae Hope, 1841". In Bezděk, J.; Sekerka, L. (eds.). Chrysomeloidea II (Orsodacnidae, Megalopodidae, Chrysomelidae) – Part 1. Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 6/2/1 (Updated and Revised Second ed.). Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. pp. 688–728. doi:10.1163/9789004443303_003. ISBN   978-90-04-44330-3.
2. Moseyko, A.G. (2011). "The genus Basilepta Baly, 1860 in Russia, with a key to the species (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)". Entomologica Basiliensia et Collectionis Frey. 33: 369–373. doi: 10.5169/seals-980975 .
3. Gressitt, J.L.; Kimoto, S. (1961). "The Chrysomelidae (Coleopt.) of China and Korea, part 1" (PDF). Pacific Insects Monograph . 1A: 1–299. Retrieved 28 January 2026.
4. Suzuki, Kunio (2015). アオバネサルハムシ（ハムシ科，サルハムシ亜科）の寄主植物選好性（予報） [Host plant preference of Basilepta fulvipes (Motschulsky, 1860) (Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae) (A preliminary report)](PDF). Sayabane. new series (in Japanese). 17: 17–21. ISSN   2185-9787 . Retrieved 28 January 2026.
5. "Risk Management Proposal: Fresh Bananas (Musa spp.) for Consumption from the People's Republic of China". MPI Discussion Paper (2015/03). Wellington, New Zealand: Ministry for Primary Industries. January 2015. ISBN   978-0-477-10533-0. ISSN   2253-3907 . Retrieved 28 January 2026.