Biodiversity and biogeography in Madagascar: revision of the endemic flea beetle genus NeoderaDuvivier, 1891 with description of 19 new species (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)

Abstract

A revision of the Malagasy flea beetle genus Neodera Duvivier is provided. This genus includes 31 species of which 19 are new to science: Neodera amplicollis sp.n., N. breviantennata sp.n., N. didiensis sp.n., N. diversitarsis sp.n., N. jenisi sp.n., N. kraussi sp.n., N. longicollis sp.n., N. marojejyensis sp.n., N. nigrotibialis sp.n., N. opaca sp.n., N. pauliani sp.n., N. perroti sp.n., N. peyrierasi sp.n., N. reducta sp.n., N. similvadoni sp.n., N. sogai sp.n., N. speronata sp.n., N. straminoides sp.n. and N. vadoni sp.n.. The following two synonymies are proposed: N. fraterna Duvivier = N. amarella Bechyné and N. fulva Jacoby = N. hilari Bechyné. In addition, neotypes for N. emarginata Duvivier and N. fraterna Duvivier, and lectotypes for N. fulva Jacoby, N. imitatrix Duvivier, N. madagassa (Harold), N. picticornis (Harold), N. transversicollis Jacoby and N. varicornis (Harold) are designated. Additionally, the revision comprises a key for the identification of all 31 species considered, some habitus photos, microscope and scanning electron micrographs of many diagnostic characters, including median lobe of aedeagus and spermatheca. A first phylogenetic analysis based on parsimony is also provided. It is used with distributional data to put forward hypotheses about the natural history of the taxon in the light of the species differentiation models proposed thus far for Madagascar. This published work has been registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:CABEB580-7591-4F49-A838-280C6DE0B0F9.

Revision of Diphaulacosoma Jacoby, an endemic flea beetle genus from Madagascar, with description of three new species (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)

“…Recent published papers highlighted how Alticini are a taxon whose species richness is strongly underestimate in Madagascar, because of cryptic diversity and high level of microendemism (Biondi & D'Alessandro 2013;D'Alessandro et al 2014). Diphaula cosoma species seem associated with forest habitats and, considering the substantial increase in the deforestation rate during the last 10 years in Madagascar (Mercier 2012), this taxon could be strongly threatened in near future.…”

Ugandaltica gen. n., a tiny flea beetle from the forest canopy in Central Africa (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)

“…There is a higher species richness of flea beetles in the tropics of the southern hemisphere, even though our knowledge about this tribe is still incomplete for many of these areas (Biondi and D’Alessandro 2010a, 2012, Nadein and Beždek 2014). Based on our current knowledge, the whole Afrotropical region, including Madagascar, hosts about 1600 known species, ascribed to 101 different genera (Biondi and D’Alessandro 2010a, 2010b, 2012, 2013a, 2013b, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, Döberl 2010, D’Alessandro et al 2014, 2016, 2017, Biondi et al 2017, Biondi personal data); and sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, hosts 85 flea beetle genera of which about 65% are endemic (Biondi and D’Alessandro 2010a, 2012, Biondi 2017, Biondi et al 2017). One of the most interesting, but still poorly and/or methodologically incorrectly investigated habitats is the forest canopy (Wagner 2000, Basset et al 2003a, 2003b, Furth et al 2003, Charles and Basset 2005, Davis et al 2011).…”

Two new species of Chaetocnema Stephens from South Africa (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)

“…In sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, 86 flea beetle genera are recorded of which about 66% are endemic (Biondi 2017, Biondi & D'Alessandro 2010a, 2010b, 2011, 2013a, 2013b, 2016, 2017, 2018, Dö-berl 2010, 2014, 2017, Biondi et al 2017.…”