title: Salixtransect of Europe: patterns in the most abundant chrysomelid beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) herbivores of willow from Greece to Arctic Norway.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chrysomelid beetles associated with willow (Salixspp.) were surveyed at 41 sites across Europe, from Greece (lat. 38.8 °N) to arctic Norway (lat. 69.7 °N).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In all, 34 willow-associated chrysomelid species were encountered, of which eight were very abundant. The abundant species were:Crepidodera aurataMarsham, 1802 at 27 sites,Phratora vitellinae(Linnaeus, 1758) at 21 sites,Galerucella lineola(Fabricius, 1781) at 19 sites,Crepidodera fulvicornis(Fabricius, 1792) at 19 sites,Plagiodera versicolora(Laicharting, 1781) at 11 sites,Crepidodera plutus(Latreille, 1804) at nine sites,Chrysomela vigintipunctataScopoli, 1763 at nine sites andGonioctena pallida(Linnaeus, 1758) at eight sites. The mean number of willow associated chrysomelid morphospecies at each site was 4.2. Around 20% of the total variance in chrysomelid distribution could be accounted for by latitude, but this is mainly due to distinctive occurrence patterns at the northern and southern parts of the transect. There was a paucity of chrysomelids at Greek sites and a distinctively northern faunal composition at sites north of Poland. Considerable site-to-site variation in colour was noted, except inG. lineola, which was chromatically invariant.
authors.affiliation: Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Roy
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Canty
authors.affiliation: Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruzzier
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Quentin
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Cronk
authors.affiliation: Natural History Museum, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Percy
keywords:  Chrysomelidae ;  Salicaceae ; Europe; Salicophagy; megatransect; salicivorous insects