Dietary specialization in European species groups of seed beetles (Coleoptera: Bruchidae: Bruchinae)

Because of their particular biology, seed beetles exhibit a strong relationship with their larval host plants. In Europe, however, field data have long been scarce and unreliable. The results of Legume seed collections of nearly 1,000 samples belonging to 292 species from various locations in Europe are summarized. The status of current Bruchidius species groups is amended on morphological and phylogenetic bases. Recent advances in the knowledge of phylogenetic structures of both Fabaceae and Bruchinae provide a new picture of Bruchinae–Fabaceae interactions. It reveals a certain level of host conservatism. The hypothesis of radiative adaptation seems the most compatible with observed data.According to currently accepted phylogenies, seed beetles constitute a sister group to Sagrinae within the family Chrysomelidae (see discussion in Lingafelter and Pakaluk 1997). For convenience, we have, however, retained the name Bruchidae.