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Corresponding author: Jesús Gómez-Zurita ( j.gomez-zurita@ibe.upf-csic.es ) Academic editor: Michael Schmitt
© 2017 Jesús Gómez-Zurita.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Gómez-Zurita J (2017) Insights on the genus Acronymolpus Samuelson with new synonymies and exclusion of Stethotes Baly from the fauna of New Caledonia (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae). In: Chaboo CS, Schmitt M (Eds) Research on Chrysomelidae 7. ZooKeys 720: 65-75. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.720.13582
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In this work, several taxonomic problems affecting the recently erected genus Acronymolpus Samuelson, 2015, endemic to New Caledonia, are addressed. Two of the three New Caledonian species described in Stethotes Baly are transferred to Acronymolpus and their priority is recognized over the names proposed in the revision of this genus. Moreover, different forms of Acronymolpus always found in sympatry, one reddish and larger, and the other black and smaller, were each given species status in that revision, but they are recognized here as the females and males, respectively, of the same species. The taxonomic summary of these discoveries is: (i) A. bertiae (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007), comb. n. = A. meteorus Samuelson, 2015, syn. n., and A. turbo Samuelson, 2015, syn. n.; and (ii) A. jourdani (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2013), comb. n. = A. gressitti Samuelson, 2015, syn. n., and A. joliveti Samuelson, 2015, syn. n. New distribution data and the male genitalia and the spermatheca of the two valid species of Acronymolpus are described for the first time with reference to taxonomically important characters. Finally, the last New Caledonian species described in Stethotes is recognized here as a member of the endemic genus Taophila Heller: T. mandjeliae (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2010), comb. n.
Eumolpinae , New Caledonia, new combinations, new synonyms
The fauna of Eumolpinae in New Caledonia has received considerable attention in recent years, including the description of several genera and many species (e.g.,
In this article, the opportunity offered by the availability of new material of Acronymolpus from the Museum of Natural History of the University of Wroclaw (
The specific material for each taxon treated in the study, including all available label information, is given under each species treatment. Type material of Stethotes bertiae Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007 as well as a reassessment of other taxa mentioned in this study confirming the main conclusions presented in this work were kindly informed by G. Allan Samuelson (Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawai’i), after I shared these results with him. The specimens were dissected and studied using a Leica M80 stereomicroscope. Genitalia were mounted dry next to the specimen and pictures were taken to aid line drawings using a Leica DFC420 digital camera and stacking with the freely distributed software CombineZP (Alan Hadley, distributed by the author: alan@micropics.org.uk). Beetle anatomic features were described using the standard nomenclature proposed by
An interesting circumstance affecting Acronymolpus, unapproachable by A. Samuelson because of his scant material for study and zeal in avoiding dissection, is the fact that the four species that he described are known from two distant areas only, and each locality has two divergent forms of the genus. This repeated pattern may be suggestive of some kind of general process allowing the coexistence of related species of Acronymolpus only if they differ enough in some traits, at least anatomically. One of these forms is larger (3.0–3.3 mm), broader, more convex and reddish, and the other one is smaller (2.4–2.6 mm), more slender, less convex and black. These divergent forms would be, respectively, A. turbo Samuelson and A. meteorus Samuelson from Col d’Amieu and a nearby locality, and A. joliveti Samuelson and A. gressitti Samuelson from Mont Panié. The availability for this study of
However, the dissection of material from all known localities where Acronymolpus is present proved that what could be an interesting case of competitive exclusion or niche partitioning of some kind is nothing but sexual dimorphism. The large reddish specimens are always the females and the black, small specimens are the males of two species, one in Col d’Amieu and one in Mont Panié, respectively. Indeed, knowing that these divergent forms represent sexual dimorphic extremes, and that the characters that were used to distinguish them taxonomically are in fact secondary sexual traits, one can concentrate on the traits that help recognizing them as belonging to the same species. One that is obvious is punctation, which is stronger and deeper on the pronotum and even rugose on the elytra of the species in Col d’Amieu, and finer, distinct in the species in Mont Panié (
= Acronymolpus meteorus Samuelson, 2015, syn. n.
= Acronymolpus turbo Samuelson, 2015, syn. n.
IBE-JGZ: one male and one female, New Caledonia, Aoupinié, refuge, -21.14890 165.32348, 400 m, 29.xi.2008, leg. M. Wanat, beating rainforest, Acronymolpus bertiae (Jolivet, Verma and Mille) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2017. HNHM: (1) one male, New-Caledonie, Col d’Amieu, 19.i.1977, leg. Dr. J. Balogh, Acronymolpus bertiae (Jolivet, Verma et Mille) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2017.
The original description of S. bertiae was very generic, without much useful information on characters that could help in recognizing the correct generic placement of the species, except perhaps the two differentiated arrangements of elytral punctation: confused at basal half and aligned at apical half of elytra. However, the original description included a photograph of the holotype (
The original work describing Stethotes bertiae included a drawing of the penis, but as it is customary in contributions by the authors of this species, the sexual organ was shown in lateral view, which is of very limited utility for identification purposes (
Based on this complete account, which takes into account geographical but mainly anatomical data and the recognition of sexual dimorphism in the species as described above, three taxonomic acts are necessary. The first is the transfer of Stethotes bertiae to the genus Acronymolpus, resulting in Acronymolpus bertiae (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007), comb. n., and the other two are recognizing that A. meteorus (males) and A. turbo (females) are junior synonyms of this taxon; thus, Stethotes bertiae Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007 = Acronymolpus meteorus Samuelson, 2015, syn. n. and Acronymolpus turbo Samuelson, 2015, syn. n.
= Acronymolpus gressitti Samuelson, 2015, syn. n.
= Acronymolpus joliveti Samuelson, 2015, syn. n.
HNHM: (1) one male and one female, New-Caledonie, Mont Panié, 7.ii.1977, leg. Dr. J. Balogh, Acronymolpus jourdani (Jolivet, Verma et Mille) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2017.
A few years after the description of S. bertiae,
Moreover, additional material, even if limited, made it possible to draw an analogy with the previous case whereby A. joliveti could be recognized as the female of A. gressitti. The spermatheca of this species was known due to the description of A. joliveti, and the only information available on the male genitalia was a drawing of the penis in lateral view (
As before, three taxonomic acts are required, the first transferring Stethotes jourdani to Acronymolpus, to propose the new combination Acronymolpus jourdani (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2013), comb. n., and the second establishing that A. gressitti and A. joliveti are junior synonyms of this taxon, thus Stethotes jourdani Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2013 = Acronymolpus gressitti Samuelson, 2015, syn. n. and Acronymolpus joliveti Samuelson, 2015, syn. n.
A third species of Eumolpinae originally ascribed to Stethotes, S. mandjeliae, was described based on several specimens collected near the summit of Mt. Mandjélia, in the northern part of the Massif du Panié (
All the localities reported in this study where S. bertiae has been confirmed are in the Central Chain, in the northwestern and southeastern edges of the Massif de la Boghen (Fig.
New Caledonia is very rich in species of Eumolpinae of the Eumolpini tribe (
This work was possible thanks to funds from the European Commission Synthesys Programme (Contract no.: HU-TAF-6793). I am indebted to Ottó Merkl for hosting me during my stay at HMNH (Budapest, Hungary), and to Marek Wanat and his co-workers, R. Dobosz and R. Ruta, for the loan of relevant material of the