Insights on the genus Acronymolpus Samuelson with new synonymies and exclusion of Stethotes Baly from the fauna of New Caledonia (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae)
Author
Gomez-Zurita, Jesus
text
ZooKeys
2017
720
65
75
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.720.13582
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.720.13582
1313-2970-720-65
3B26061F853D41E7A0A58328FF2CC709
3B26061F853D41E7A0A58328FF2CC709
Taophila mandjeliae (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2010)
comb. n.
Remarks.
A third species of
Eumolpinae
originally ascribed to
Stethotes
,
S. mandjeliae
, was described based on several specimens collected near the summit of Mt.
Mandjelia
, in the northern part of the Massif du
Panie
(
Jolivet et al. 2010
). However, conversely to the other species of
Stethotes
described by the same authors, this species does not belong to the genus
Acronymolpus
. This species unmistakably fits the nominotypical subgenus of
Taophila
instead (
Gomez-Zurita
and Cardoso 2014
), allied to
T. subsericea
Heller, 1916 and
T. corvi
Samuelson, 2010, and easily recognizable by the elongate shape, bicolor antennae, angulated sides of pronotum, which is darker than elytra, marked humeri wider than pronotum, and tapering elytra with partially aligned punctures and stiff hairs, amongst others. It remains to be seen if this species had been previously described by
Samuelson (2010)
, but it may be a valid taxon considering the local area endemism of the Massif du
Panie
and that no other
Taophila
s. str. had been reported in the area. Until the validity of the species is settled, it is appropriate to propose the following transfer:
Taophila mandjeliae
(Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2010), comb. n.