Key to the groups of British CHRYSOMELIDAE
The following key to subfamilies will work for the U.K. list only, but in any case many of the species, and certainly genera, are very distinctive and so may be confirmed by comparison with reliable photographs. The subfamilies will link to much more detailed discussions than those given above.
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1.
Form broadly rounded, elytral margins explanate and the head hidden beneath the anterior pronotal margin. Very distinctive species.
Not as above.
Head rostrate with deeply emarginate eyes. Apical abdominal segments exposed. Very distinctive species.
2.
Head not produced anteriorly, eyes entire or only weakly emarginate. Habitus very different.
3.
Head free, produced forward and usually with a distinct neck exposed beyond the pronotal margin. Pronotum without lateral borders. Form elongate and in all cases very distinctive.
Head inserted into the thorax, without a distinct neck, hypognathous or opisthognathous. Pronotum with lateral borders except in the very distinctive.
4.
Eyes emarginate although sometimes very weakly so e.g. in Oulema des Gozis, 1886. Basal antennomere rounded or oval in outline, at most only a little longer than the second.
Eyes entire. Basal antennomere elongate and not rounded; much longer than the second segment.
Body parallel-sided and convex above and below; almost cylindrical. Head entirely or mostly hidden from above. All species distinctive and not likely to be confused with those of any other subfamily.
5.
Body convex-oval or elongate, never cylindrical. Form variable but never as above.
6.
Antennal insertions closely approximated, inside the base of the mandibles and distant from the eyes; separated by at most the length of the basal segment.
Antennal insertions widely spaced, by at least twice the length of the basal antennomere, placed under the lateral margin of the head and close to the eyes.
Head produced obliquely forward. Pro-coxae round and projecting. Species distinctive when compared to those that follow.
7.
Head strongly declined, hypognathous with the mouthparts pointing down.
8.
< 3.5mm. Tarsal claws small and simple. Very distinctive species.
>5.0mm. Tarsal claws large and longitudinally divided. Very distinctive species.