Chaetocnema rileyi explained

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.^[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]

Conservation

The 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. 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]

Further reading

• 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. 10.3101/1098-7096-70.1.29. 84955059.
• Book: Clark . S.M.. Le Doux . D.G.. Riley . E.G.. Gilbert . A.J.. Sullivan . J.M.. 4. 2004. Host Plants of Leaf Beetle Species Occurring in the United States and Canada. Coleopterists Society. 9780972608732.
• Book: LeConte. J.L.. 1861. Classification of the Coleoptera of North America. Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections. 3. 136. Smithsonian Institution. 0665100558. 10.5962/bhl.title.38459. free.
• 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). In: Chaboo CS, Schmitt M (Eds) Research on Chrysomelidae 7. ZooKeys. 720. 10.3897/zookeys.720.13517. free . 29290727 . 5740445 . 91–102. 2017ZooK..720...91N.
• 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. 2018-03-04. 2019-03-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20190329172638/http://journals.fcla.edu/mundi/article/view/24950. dead.
• Book: 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). The Coleopterists Society. Special Publication no. 1. 0-9726087-1-0.
• Book: White. Richard E.. 1998. 1983. A Field Guide to the Beetles of North America (Peterson Field Guides). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 0395910897. registration.
• Wilcox . John A.. 1965. A Synopsis of the North American Galerucinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). New York State Museum and Science Service.

Notes and References

1. Web site: Chaetocnema rileyi Species Information. BugGuide.net. 2018-03-04.
2. Web site: Chaetocnema rileyi Report. Integrated Taxonomic Information System. 2018-03-04.
3. Web site: Chaetocnema rileyi Overview. Encyclopedia of Life. 2018-03-04.
4. Web site: Chaetocnema rileyi species details. Catalogue of Life. 2018-03-04.
5. Web site: North American Cryptocephalus species (Chrysomelidae, Cryptocephalinae) . 2018-03-04 . Texas Entomology.
6. Web site: June 2022 . Final Programmatic Environmental Assessment for the SpaceX Starship/Super Heavy Launch Vehicle Program at the SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas . 2024-04-28 . FAA . 130, 143–144.
7. Web site: 2005-11-10 . Section II . 2024-04-28 . Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD) . 57, 81.
8. News: Moreno . Gaby . 2021-04-06 . Public responds to SpaceX debris from SN11, still scattered across Boca Chica . 2024-04-27 . KXAN Austin.
9. Web site: Robinson-Smith . Will . 2023-10-31 . FAA concludes SpaceX Starship safety review, continues environmental review . 2024-04-28 . Spaceflight Now.