Taxonomic revision of the genus Arsipoda Erichson, 1842 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) in New Caledonia

Abstract

A taxonomic revision of the New Caledonian species of Arsipoda Erichson, 1842 is provided. This group includes 21 species, of which 14 are new to science: Arsipoda atra sp. nov., A. communis sp. nov., A. doboszi sp. nov., A. elongata sp. nov., A. gomezzuritai sp. nov., A. gressitti sp. nov., A. longifrons sp. nov., A. montana sp. nov., A. paniensis sp. nov., A. povilaensis sp. nov., A. punctata sp. nov., A. rutai sp. nov., A. transversa sp. nov. and A. wanati sp. nov. A key for the identification, with figures of habitus, main diagnostic characters, and genitalia is supplied. The range of host plants for these species is extraordinarily broad, and a significant number of them feed on pollen. Crepicnema Scherer, 1969, close to Arsipoda, is also investigated and maintained as a separate genus, and the following synonymies and combination are proposed: Crepicnema parvula (Jacoby, 1885) comb. nov. = Chaetocnema tenimberensis Jacoby, 1894 syn. nov., = Arsipoda salomonensis Bryant, 1941 syn. nov. The phylogenetic analysis, including also A. bifrons Erichson, 1842 and Crepicnema, confirms some trends in distribution patterns of the endemic New Caledonian fauna, and highlights the necessity of further studies to clarify the relationships between Arsipoda and related genera.