Tortoise beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) collected by Jaro Mráz in Sao Paulo, Brazil

Tortoise beetles are a specialised group of leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) closely tied to their nourishing plants, with the greatest species diversity in the tropical and subtropical areas of South America. A large number of species were described from the strip of unique Atlantic forests on the coast of Brazil (around 1,000; there are 6,300 species of this subfamily worldwide), but over 50% of them have never been collected again because the Brazilian Atlantic forests have been largely devastated by human activities and urbanisation. Since many species are specifically tied to their host plant and biotope, they are used as bio-indicators of biotope intactness. Further, tortoise beetles are endowed with very diverse adaptations to survival in the surroundings (such as caring for their offspring, the sequestration of secondary metabolites from nourishing plants, the most varied larval stage from among leaf beetles), thanks to which, they have become a model subject of numerous ecological studies. All these adaptations have allowed them to effectively utilise their nourishing plants and to withstand a strong predatory pressure, and some species have become dread pests with a huge impact on agriculture. On a local scale, they especially limit the growing of crop plants in a traditional way (such as sweet potatoes) or they are unwelcome pests on decorative plants. On a global scale, they are especially significant pests on palm trees, and several species have already become cosmopolitan quarantine pests. Collections of the Department of Entomology of the National Museum contain an extensive material of tortoise beetles collected by fellow countryman, Jaro Mrázi in the Atlantic rain forests of Brazil in the early 20th century. This material has not yet been properly processed, although it is unique on a global scale, since it had been collected in the Sao Paulo metropolitan area where nature was almost completely destroyed by intensive urbanisation of the last half-century. Thus, the processing of this material is very desirable both from the scientific and collection-making views because it contains a large number of species which have not yet been included in the systematic collection of the Department of Entomology, including very probably certain species that will never be collected again.
The project objective is to carry out revision, identification and arrange this material of tortoise beetles collected by Jaro Mráz in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In this way, all specimens, i.e. approximately 2,000 pieces, will be gradually processed and, subsequently, sorted into morpho-species.

Project name: Tortoise beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) collected by Jaro Mráz in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in collections of the Department of Entomology of the Natural History Museum ((National Museum)
Duration: 2017–2018
Agency: National Museum
Project type: Internal grant
NM’s investigator: RNDr. Lukáš Sekerka, Ph.D.

Anticipated results/outputs:
The project will have two outputs in total. A clearly arranged collection of tortoise beetles collected by Jaro Mráz, in dustproof entomological boxes, which will form the basis of a systematic museum collection of tortoise beetles for the following tribes: Chalepini, Imatidiini, Mesomphaliini, Spilophorini, and Sceloenoplini. Publication in an impact periodical (Acta Entomologica, Musei Nationalis Pragae) containing an overview of all species collected by Mráz, with the depiction of all interesting taxon, and descriptions of new species.