Metafemoral Spring Studies of Some Neotropical Genera of

Examination of the metafemoral spring in a variety of Neotropical genera was undertaken th order to further the study of this internal generic level charac ter and to relate some Neotropical genera to the previously established metafemoral spring morpho-groups of Palearctic and Nearctic genera. Although this study concerns only a portion 91 of the more than 220 genera of Neotropical Alticinae, it does elucidate relationships of certain genera and groups of genera. Study of other generic level morpho logical characters such as male and female reproductive structures increases the security of establishing generic group relationships. It is currently evident that most subfamily group names, especially tribes, used in the past have little foundation, and their use only adds confusion to research on systematics and phylogeny of Alticinae. Although the large and unique biodiversity of the Neotropical Region has been known for a long time, it is only in recent years that we are beginning to realize the immensity of this diversity and that much of it may be lost before it and its practical and theoretical appli cations is known to science. One of the best indicators of the "new biodiversity awareness" is the diversity of the Chrysomelidae being discovered in the rainforest canopy Farrell and Erwin, this sympo sium. The author has begun to examine differences and similarities of the metafemoral spring jumping organ in some Neotropical genera, partly because of his proximity to this area, but also because of the growing awareness of the importance and necessity for learning initially the generic level diversity of the Neotropical Alticinae fauna. Previous study of this chitinized organ inside the hind femora has revealed that genera can be separated using morphological characters of the spring Furth, 1980. Further examination and comparison estab lished anatomical terminology for the metafemoral spring Furth, 1982 and a system of grouping genera according to simple morphological differences and similarities of this structure Furth, 1985. The six "spring morpho-groups" were intended only as a convenient way of grouping the alticine genera of the Palearetic Region Furth, 1982 and then for comparison with the Nearctic Region Furth, 1985. These six morpho-groups are not in any way intended to imply phylogeny for the