Malvajordloppa Podagrica fuscicornis (L.) – nytt ljus på en gammal skalbaggsart i Sverige (Col., Chrysomelidae)

The recent finding of the flea beetle species Podagrica fuscicornis (Linné, 1767) in a commercial market garden at Ystad just off the south coast of Skåne (Scania), the southernmost province of Sweden, is discussed. The species was found in August 2010 residing on plants of Lavatera cashmeriensis (Malvaceae), the follwing years in numbers. Old literature records from Sweden of the species (e.g. Gyllenhal (1813)) were previously disregarded in Swedish checklists due to doubtful origin and lack of reference specimens. Investigations of historical insect collections revealed several old specimens of P. fuscicornis in the main Swedish museums. However, the history of these records is ambiguous, and their Swedish origin cannot be settled with absolute certainty.