Chaetocnema rileyi, the Boca Chica flea beetle, is a species of flea beetle in the family Chrysomelidae.[1][2][3][4] It is known to be found only in a dune system at Boca Chica Beach, in Boca Chica, Texas, United States.[1][2][5] The beetles inhabit the stems of sedges in the beachside dunes, while the larvae are subterranean and feed on the underground portions of their host plants.[6]
| Chaetocnema rileyi | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
| |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Chrysomelidae |
| Genus: | Chaetocnema |
| Species: | C. rileyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Chaetocnema rileyi R. White, 1996
| |
Conservation
editThe Boca Chica flea beetle is designated as a species of great conservation need (SGCN) by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).[7] Spacecraft company SpaceX operates its Starbase spaceport and production facility for Starship rockets nearby, and environmental groups have warned that noise pollution and debris from launches threaten wildlife, including this rare flea beetle.[8] In 2022, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) finalized their environmental assessment for the Starship program, and found that Boca Chica flea beetles close to the launchpad could be killed by exposure to high temperatures from engine plumes. In the event of a possible launch anomaly, debris or debris clean-up could impact dune vegetation where the beetle inhabits.[6] SpaceX would later coordinate with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to reduce the environmental impact made from activities at Starbase, and would also conduct an environmental review in partnership with them before Starship's second integrated flight test.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b "Chaetocnema rileyi Species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ a b "Chaetocnema rileyi". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ "Chaetocnema rileyi Overview". Encyclopedia of Life. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ "Chaetocnema rileyi species details". Catalogue of Life. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ "North American Cryptocephalus species (Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae)". Texas Entomology. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- ^ a b "Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program at the SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas" (PDF). FAA. June 2022. pp. 130, 143–144. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ "Section II" (PDF). Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD). 2005-11-10. pp. 57, 81. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ^ Moreno, Gaby (2021-04-06). "Public responds to SpaceX debris from SN11, still scattered across Boca Chica". KXAN Austin. Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ Robinson-Smith, Will (2023-10-31). "FAA concludes SpaceX Starship safety review, continues environmental review". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
Further reading
edit- Barney, R.J.; Clark, S.M.; Riley, E.G. (2009). "Annotated list of the leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Kentucky: Subfamily Galerucinae, Tribe Alticini". Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science. 70: 29–55. doi:10.3101/1098-7096-70.1.29. S2CID 84955059.
- Clark, S.M.; Le Doux, D.G.; Riley, E.G.; Gilbert, A.J.; et al. (2004). Host Plants of Leaf Beetle Species Occurring in the United States and Canada. Coleopterists Society. ISBN 9780972608732.
- Nie, R-E; Bezděk, J.; Yang, X-K (2017). "How many genera and species of Galerucinae s. str. do we know? Updated statistics (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae)". ZooKeys. 720: 91–102. Bibcode:2017ZooK..720...91N. doi:10.3897/zookeys.720.13517. PMC 5740445. PMID 29290727.
- Riley, Edward G.; Clark, Shawn M.; Gilbert, Arthur J. (2001). "New records, nomenclatural changes, and taxonomic notes for select North American leaf beetles". Insecta Mundi. 15 (1): 1–17. Archived from the original on 2019-03-29. Retrieved 2018-03-04.
- Riley, Edward G.; Clark, Shawn M.; Seeno, Terry N. (2003). Catalog of the leaf beetles of America north of Mexico (Coleoptera: Megalopodidae, Orsodacnidae and Chrysomelidae, excluding Bruchinae). Special Publication. Vol. 1. The Coleopterists Society. ISBN 0-9726087-1-0.
- White, Richard E. (1998) [1983]. A Field Guide to the Beetles of North America (Peterson Field Guides). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 0395910897.
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