ABSTRACT
Occurrence and abundance of flea beetle species associated with Amaranthus spp. was studied
in Slovakia with the aim to assess their potential as biological control agents. Insects were collected
by sweeping/catching at 10 localities three times during the growing season. Together 13 species
from the subfamily Alticinae were collected on A. retroflexus L. and A. caudatus L. plants by
sweeping net. They were Altica oleracea (L.), Chaetocnema concinna (Marsh.), C. leavicolis Thoms., C.
tibialis (Ill.), Longitarsus longipennis Kutsch., L. melanocephalus Deg., L. nasturtii (F)., L. pellucidus
Foudras, Phyllotreta atra (F.), P. cruciferae (Goeze), P. nigripes (F.), P. vittula (Redt.) and Psylliodes
chrysocephala (L.). C. tibialis contained 41.17- 97.45 percent of all flea beetles population and it was
found at all observed localities. It comprised 94.85-99.74 percent of flea beetles on cultivated A.
caudatus. Another two Chaetocnema species, C. concinna and C. leavicollis did not overcome more
than one percent of C. tibialis population. P. vittula was present at each locality. All the other species
occurred on Amaranthus plants were probably concomitant. Species composition of subfamily
Alticinae on cultivated species A. caudatus did not differ significantly from those on A. retroflexus.
