Data from: Using a comprehensive DNA barcode library to detect novel egg and larval host plant associations in a Cephaloleia Rolled-leaf Beetle (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

To fully understand the ecology and evolution of plant-herbivore
interactions, information regarding the life history of both immature and
adult insect stages is essential. However, most knowledge of
plant-herbivore associations is derived from observations of adults. One
reason for this bias is that species identification of immature stages is
usually challenging. DNA barcodes can be used to identify immature stages
to the species-level. This technique compares short sequences of the
appropriate DNA barcode loci (e.g., mitochondrial COI gene for insects) of
an unidentified specimen to a known DNA barcode library. The accuracy of
DNA-based identifications depends on the comprehensiveness of the DNA
barcode library. We generated a comprehensive DNA barcode library for a
community of Rolled-leaf Beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in a
premontane tropical forest in Costa Rica. The DNA barcode COI accurately
identified all beetle species included in this study. Using this DNA
barcode library, we identified eggs and larvae of Cephaloleia histrionica
Baly with 100% confidence. This new record of C. histrionica is unique in
that this species completes its life cycle on a bromeliad, whereas most
Cephaloleia species are associated with plants from the order
Zingiberales. The life cycle, diet breadth, immature stages, and sexual
dimorphism are described for C. histrionica.