{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T08:51:52Z","timestamp":1781772712784,"version":"3.54.5"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"PeerJ","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1781740800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100011033","name":"Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigaci\u00f3n","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","award":["TED2021-130795B-I00"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["TED2021-130795B-I00"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100011033","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"name":"MCIU\/ACI\/UE"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":[],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      Natural History Collections (NHC) often contain exceptional specimens documenting unusual historical events, and these records can be valuable for detecting overlooked biological introductions. Here, we examine a striking case: a Neotropical leaf beetle,\n                      <jats:italic>Acentroptera norrisii<\/jats:italic>\n                      , labelled as collected in central Spain in 1998 by Dr J. Modolell. Given the species\u2019 native distribution in the Neotropics, this record raises the question of whether it represents a failed historical introduction or a curatorial artefact.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We reconstructed the circumstances of the collection event using the collector\u2019s personal archives. We conducted scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to document microscopic particles on the specimen\u2019s cuticle. We also analysed the content of the original specimen box to evaluate the likelihood of pollen cross-contamination, considering the geographical origin and family-level identity of all co-stored specimens.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Archival evidence confirms the collector\u2019s presence at the labelled locality and date. SEM revealed several pollen grains consistent with plant taxa occurring at the collection site. However, the original box also contained numerous Spanish specimens belonging to beetle families with known anthophilous habits, meaning that cross-contamination during storage cannot be fully excluded. As a result, the palynological evidence remains inconclusive.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Together, the available evidence makes a failed historical introduction a plausible scenario, yet the inconclusive particle analysis prevents any confident confirmation. This case highlights both the potential and the limitations of NHC-derived data in invasion biology: while museum collections can preserve traces of otherwise \u201cinvisible\u201d introductions, interpreting isolated and context-poor specimens remains inherently uncertain.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.7717\/peerj.21213","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]],"date-time":"2026-06-18T08:00:22Z","timestamp":1781769622000},"page":"e21213","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The enigmatic historical record of the leaf beetle\n                    <i>Acentroptera norrisii<\/i>\n                    in Spain: failed biological introduction or curatorial artefact?"],"prefix":"10.7717","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Adri\u00e1n","family":"S\u00e1nchez Albert","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Entomology Collection, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jos\u00e9 Antonio","family":"L\u00f3pez-S\u00e1ez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Environmental Archaeology Research Group, Institute of History (CCHS-CSIC), Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"In\u00e9s","family":"Modolell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH) Foundation Trust, Cambridge University, Cambridge,  United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Peter","family":"Lawrence","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Zoology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mercedes","family":"Par\u00eds","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Entomology Collection, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), Madrid, Comunidad de Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"4443","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,18]]},"reference":[{"issue":"3","key":"10.7717\/peerj.21213\/ref-1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"521","DOI":"10.11646\/zootaxa.4243.3.6","article-title":"The natural history and morphology of two bromeliad associated hispines from Brazil: Acentroptera basilica Thomson, 1856 and A. cf. tessellata Baly, 1958 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Sceloenoplini)","volume":"4243","author":"Albertoni","year":"2017","journal-title":"Zootaxa"},{"issue":"3","key":"10.7717\/peerj.21213\/ref-2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"251","DOI":"10.1093\/biosci\/biae131","article-title":"Community science brings together natural history collections and historical survey data to understand changing ecological patterns","volume":"75","author":"Alofs","year":"2025","journal-title":"Bioscience"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.21213\/ref-3","first-page":"11","article-title":"On some poorly known, misidentified and mislabelled Chilean Chrysomelidae (Coleoptera)","volume":"19","author":"Askevold","year":"1991","journal-title":"Revista Chilena de Entomolog\u00eda"},{"issue":"4","key":"10.7717\/peerj.21213\/ref-4","first-page":"179","article-title":"Translocation in leaf beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)","volume":"54","author":"Beenen","year":"2005","journal-title":"Bonner Zoologische Beitr\u00e4ge"},{"key":"10.7717\/peerj.21213\/ref-5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"267","DOI":"10.3897\/biorisk.4.52","article-title":"Leaf and seed beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). 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