Afrogethes Audisio & Cline, 2009

Audisio, Paolo, Cline, Andrew Richard, Biase, Alessio De, Antonini, Gloria, Mancini, Emiliano, Trizzino, Marco, Costantini, Lorenzo, Strika, Sirio, Lamanna, Francesco & Cerretti, Pierfilippo, 2009, Preliminary re-examination of genus-level taxonomy of the pollen beetle subfamily Meligethinae (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 49 (2), pp. 341-504 : 375-381

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.5281/zenodo.5319334

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03BE87CC-F648-FFAC-BA9C-FBE3FD5CF9A6

treatment provided by

Felipe

scientific name

Afrogethes Audisio & Cline
status

gen. nov.

10. Afrogethes Audisio & Cline View in CoL View at ENA , gen. nov.

( Figs. 10 a–h View Fig )

Type species. Meligethes reticulatus Reitter, 1872: 243 , 253 (by present designation) [= Afrogethes reticulatus (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov.].

Generic description and diagnosis. Inclusive species vary greatly in size (1.4–4.4 mm length), and share the following combination of characters.

Body color and pubescence: pubescence silvery-whitish, highly variable, short and fine, faintly distinct to long and dense, recumbent, in a few species partly obscuring the blackish (rarely reddish-brown) dorsal body surface; pronotal and elytral sides narrowly flattened, typically the same color as disc. Lateral margin of pronotum and elytra with a series of more or less distinct, small and short setae, each seta usually 0.3–0.5× as long as those on elytral disc; posterior margin of pronotum comprising moderately long, usually distally trifid to multifid and stellate microsetae, microsetae uniformly distributed on middle region anterior to scutellum ( Fig. 10e View Fig ).

Dorsal habitus: body more or less convex, highly variable in shape ( Figs. 10a, k View Fig ; Figs. 1–13 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig , 15– 16 View Fig View Fig in AUDISIO 1997b); dorsal punctures on discal portion of pronotum as large as or larger than eye facets, usually deeply impressed and densely distributed, rarely fine, sparse, and shallow; anterior margin of clypeus usually moderately arcuately emarginate, distinctly and narrowly bordered ( Fig. 10b View Fig ), usually with a small, faintly distinct medial bulge, slightly protruding anteriorly; circum-ocular furrows (occipital sulci) on dorsal side of head not developed, absent or indistinct ( Fig. 10b View Fig ); eyes large and usually moderately projecting laterally ( Figs. 10a, b, d, k View Fig ); pronotum with distinct obtuse posterior angles, never posteriorly directed ( Figs. 10a, k View Fig ); scutellum more or less regularly and sparsely punctured at least in posterior half of exposed portion ( Fig. 10k View Fig ); elytra with highly variable punctation, completely transversely strigose or with simple punctures; elytral humeral angle moderately distinct, not protruding laterally ( Figs. 10a, k View Fig ); elytral humeral striae usually distinct; elytral pre-sutural striae visible, originating slightly posterior to scutellar vertex, terminating close to elytral apex, and delimiting on each elytron a more or less distinct, flat, unraised sutural border, widest at posterior third and nearly as wide as proximal portion of 3 rd antennomere; elytral apices truncately rounded in both sexes ( Figs. 10a, k View Fig ); pygidium partially exposed, moderately convex, apically rounded in both sexes ( Figs. 10a, k View Fig ).

Ventral habitus: antennal furrows markedly delimited, nearly parallel-sided, slightly divergent posteriorly; mentum subpentagonal ( Fig. 10d View Fig ); prosternal antennal furrows of anterior margin of prosternum more or less strongly raised but relatively short ( Fig. 10d View Fig ); prosternal process variable, usually relatively narrow, subapical dilated portion 2.0–2.5× as wide as maximum width of 1 st antennomere, usually distally blunt ( Fig. 10c View Fig ); lateral borders of prosternal process delimiting moderately deeply impressed and distinct furrows, distally terminating over predistal lateral expansions, frequently nearly reaching posterior margin ( Fig. 10c View Fig ), which is usually microscopically denticulate; posterior margin of mesoventrite simple, never incised medially; male impressions on metaventrite moderately developed; first two visible abdominal ventrites simple in both sexes, without tufts of setae; caudal marginal lines of metacoxal cavities simple, moderately narrowly paralleling metacoxal cavities, comprising moderately deep arched impression of outer ‘axillary’ line ( Fig. 10g View Fig ); ‘axillary’ space on first abdominal ventrite moderately developed, ‘axillary’ angle usually broadly obtuse ( Fig. 10g View Fig ); relatively large, long, and deeply impressed arched impressions on basal portion of last visible abdominal ventrite, typically partially covered by distal portion of penultimate visible abdominal ventrite ( Fig. 10f View Fig ).

Appendages: male 1 st antennomere 0.8–0.9× as long as width of protibiae excluding distal teeth ( Figs. 10a, k View Fig ); 3 rd antennomere in both sexes usually only 2.0–2.1× as long as wide, 0.9–1.0× as long but distinctly thinner than 2 nd antennomere ( Fig. 10d View Fig ); 4 th and 5 th antennomeres in both sexes subequal, short, nearly as long as wide; antennal club compact, small, simple, comprising last 3 antennomeres in both sexes (8 th antennomere scarcely widened, 0.5–0.6× as wide as 9 th antennomere) ( Figs. 10a, d View Fig ), slightly or distinctly narrower than width of protibiae, sexual dimorphism absent; labial palpi relatively short in both sexes ( Fig. 10d View Fig ), terminal segment nearly1.8× as long as wide; maxillary palpi moderately long and slender in both sexes ( Fig. 10d View Fig ), terminal segment 2.1–2.2× as long as wide; mandible mid-sized ( Fig. 10d View Fig ), apex moderately acuminate, no sexual dimorphism present; tarsal claws highly variable, simple, bluntly toothed at base, or strongly and acutely toothed; tarsi of normal size and shape, 0.6–0.7× as long as corresponding tibiae ( Figs. 10a, k View Fig ); protibiae with a series of usually large, uneven, long and variably shaped (blunt to sharply acuminate) teeth on lateral margin ( Figs. 10a, k View Fig ; Figs. 18–19 View Fig View Fig and 23–32 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig in EASTON 1960; Figs. 129 f–l, m–n in AUDISIO 1993b; Figs. 17–29 View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig View Fig in AUDISIO 1997b); meso- and metatibiae on lateral margin bearing a single and usually moderately even row of large and robust pegs ( Fig. 10h View Fig ), without U-shaped sinuosity at distal third; meso- and metatibiae of variable width, usually moderately slender and narrow ( Figs. 10a, h, k View Fig ), never subtrapezoidal or axe-shaped; male metatibiae more sinuate than in females; tarsal plates of prolegs usually distinctly wider in males; posterior margin of metafemora simple in both sexes, without tubercles or projections.

Male genitalia: processes along inner side of parameres absent (Figs. 70–73 and 76–93 in EASTON 1960; Figs. 140 and 141 m –p in AUDISIO 1993b; Figs. 30–80 in AUDISIO 1997b), with more or less deeply incised or truncate distal margin, without deep median longitudinal desclerotization from proximal portion of tegmen extending to medial distal V-shaped excision; median lobe of aedeagus variable, without lateral emargination, narrowed and variably shaped distally.

Female genitalia (ovipositor): highly variable in shape, usually large; styli long and pigmented, or short and unpigmented, simple, cylindrical. Afrogethes howdeni ( Kirejtshuk, 1990) from South Africa with entire ovipositor absent and replaced by an unsclerotized tubular structure ( AUDISIO 1997b). Afrogethes africanus ( Kraatz, 1895) from Western Africa, with abruptly and widely truncate apex (AUDISIO unpublished data). Styli situated close to apex of usually contiguous gonostyloids, each gonostyloid lightly sclerotized and not darkly pigmented distally. Outer portion of basicoxites simple, never indentate (Figs. 112–116 and 118–127 in EASTON 1960; Figs. 157 a–f in AUDISIO 1993b; Figs. 81–93 in AUDISIO 1997b), with a single, narrow, scarcely pigmented and sclerotized arcuate area along outer subdistal portion of gonostyloids. ‘Central point’ of ovipositor usually more distad than middle, with or without proximad directed spicule.

Etymology. The generic name is derived from the Latin ‘ africanus ’ (= African), to emphasize the probable African origin of the ancestor for all inclusive species and species-groups, and from ‘- gethes ’, to emphasize its phylogenetic relationship with Meligethes . Gender masculine.

Biology. The biology of most inclusive species is only partially known, and likely being heterogeneously expressed within this large taxon. Members of the large Afrogethes reticulatus / forcipatus / coronatus species-group are likely all associated with flowers of Verbenaceae , while members of the A. planiusculus species-group are all associated with the related Boraginaceae , in particular with Echium L., Trichodesma R. Brown and allied genera ( AUDISIO 1993b; WILLIAMS 2002; AUDISIO et al. 2009b). Members of the large African A. amplicollis and A. aethiopicus species-groups are, on the contrary, all associated with Fabaceae , except the single southern African species, A. breithenbachae Audisio, 1997 , which is likely associated ( AUDISIO 1997b, AUDISIO & DE BIASE 2004a) with phylogenetically related Polygalaceae ( JUDD et al. 1994, 2002).

Phylogenetic position. Available molecular and morphological datasets provide moderately concordant evidence for a possible monophyletic clade including Afrogethes gen. nov., as well as Fabogethes gen. nov., Genistogethes gen. nov., Sagittogethes gen. nov., and Thymogethes gen. nov. ( AUDISIO et al. 2009b, TRIZZINO et al. 2009). However, phylogenetic relationships between these taxa and between this clade and Aristogethes gen. nov. are still unclear.

Taxonomy and geographic distribution. Afrogethes gen. nov. is the largest genus of the ‘ Meligethes s. l. ’ generic complex, including ~120 described and some additional 30 undescribed species. The genus is mainly distributed in Tropical Africa and Madagascar, with a few species-groups marginally penetrating into Europe, eastern Asia, and North America ( AUDISIO et al. 2009b). The tentatively included species below are attributed to at least five formerly recognized species-groups, i.e. the ‘ Meligethes reticulatus / forcipatus / coronatus ’,

M. planiusculus ’, ‘ M. aethiopicus ’, ‘ M. voeltzkowi ’, and ‘ M. amplicollis ’ species-groups (EAS- TON 1954b, 1959b, 1960; AUDISIO 1994, 1997b; KIREJTSHUK 2001; AUDISIO et al. 2009b).

Afrogethes abstractus (Grouvelle, 1908) comb. nov. Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somaliland

Afrogethes adenensis (Easton, 1954) comb. nov. S Arabian Peninsula

Afrogethes adversus (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes aethiopicus (Grouvelle, 1908) comb. nov. Central and S Africa

Afrogethes africanus ( Kraatz, 1895) comb. nov. Togo

Afrogethes alani (Kirejtshuk, 1988) comb. nov. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga Afrogethes alluaudi ( Grouvelle, 1896) comb. nov. Gambia, Senegal

Afrogethes altercatio (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes amplicollis ( Boheman, 1851) comb. nov. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, E Cape

Afrogethes amplimanus ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Tanzania

Afrogethes annae (Kirejtshuk, 1996) comb. nov. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal

Afrogethes arabicus ( Jelínek, 1988) comb. nov. Arabian Peninsula

Afrogethes arcopenis (Kirejtshuk, 1996) comb. nov. Namibia

Afrogethes aspalathi (Audisio & De Biase, 2004) comb. nov. South Africa: W and E Cape

Afrogethes assutus ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Kenya

Afrogethes astylus ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Kenya

Afrogethes attactus ( Kirejtshuk & Viklund, 2002) Kenya comb. nov.

Afrogethes basicollis (Easton, 1964) comb. nov. South Africa: NW Province

Afrogethes bocaki ( Audisio, Jelínek & Cooter, 2005) S China comb. nov.

Afrogethes breitenbachae (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes breviusculus ( Kraatz, 1895) comb. nov. Tropical Africa

Afrogethes brittoni (Easton, 1954) comb. nov. S Arabian Peninsula

Afrogethes buduensis (Ganglbauer, 1899) comb. nov. E Mediterranean areas, SE Europe, Middle East, W Middle Asia

Afrogethes canadensis (Easton, 1955) comb. nov. W North America

Afrogethes canariensis (Kirejtshuk, 1997) comb. nov. Canary Islands

Afrogethes capensis (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: E Cape, KwaZulu-Natal

Afrogethes chevrolati (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes clavatus (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes clypeonitens ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Kenya

Afrogethes colophonoides (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes conformis ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: E Cape comb. nov.

Afrogethes cornutus ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda

Afrogethes coronatus (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes curtulus ( Grouvelle, 1916) comb. nov. Southern Central Africa

(= Meligethes tutimanus Easton, 1964 )

Afrogethes dahlgreni (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes debiasei (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: E Cape, KwaZulu-Natal

Afrogethes dentellus ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) Swaziland comb. nov.

Afrogethes desperatoides ( Audisio, 1994) comb. nov. Sierra Leone

Afrogethes desperatus (Easton, 1964) comb. nov. Congo

Afrogethes edwardsi ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Kenya, Uganda

Afrogethes elgonensis ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Uganda

Afrogethes exiguus ( Kirejtshuk, 1990) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes fistuca ( Kirejtshuk & Viklund, 2002) comb. nov. Kenya

Afrogethes floralimimus (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: E Cape, KwaZulu-Natal

Afrogethes floralis (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: E Cape, KwaZulu-Natal

Afrogethes forcipatus ( Kirejtshuk & Easton, 1988) South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, Free State comb. nov.

Afrogethes fossilis (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes fritschii (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes fruticola ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: W Cape comb. nov.

Afrogethes grandicollis (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: E Cape?

Afrogethes gurjevae ( Kirejtshuk, 1984) comb. nov. Mongolia, E Siberia: Yakutia

Afrogethes howdeni ( Kirejtshuk, 1990) comb. nov. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal

Afrogethes imperator (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes inconspicuus ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: Free State; Swaziland comb. nov.

Afrogethes isoplexidis ( Wollaston, 1854) comb. nov. Madeira

Afrogethes janczyki (Kirejtshuk, 1988) comb. nov. Madagascar

Afrogethes johnstoni ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Uganda

Afrogethes kirkspriggsi ( Audisio, 1994) comb. nov. Sierra Leone

Afrogethes largus ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) comb. nov. South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal

Afrogethes latimanus (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes latissimus (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. S Africa: W and E Cape

Afrogethes lepelleyi ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Kenya

Afrogethes limifer (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes livens (Grouvelle, 1908) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes lividus (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia, Kenya, Congo

Afrogethes lomaensis ( Audisio, 1994) comb. nov. Sierra Leone

Afrogethes maureenae (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Eritrea

Afrogethes mauritii (Grouvelle, 1908) comb. nov. East Africa, Ethiopia

Afrogethes maynei ( Kirejtshuk, 1990) comb. nov. Congo, Sierra Leone

Afrogethes microclavatus (Easton, 1964) comb. nov. Congo

Afrogethes micropunctatus (Easton, 1959) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes mimetes ( Grouvelle, 1910) comb. nov. Tanzania, Congo

Afrogethes mimoides ( Audisio, 1994) comb. nov. Sierra Leone

Afrogethes mimus (Easton, 1964) comb. nov. Congo

Afrogethes montisatris (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes natalensis ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal comb. nov.

Afrogethes obtusidentatus ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: W Cape comb. nov.

Afrogethes pamirensis (Kirejtshuk, 1979) comb. nov. Tajikstan, N Pakistan

Afrogethes paraproctatus ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Kenya

Afrogethes patiens ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Uganda, Kenya

Afrogethes pectinatus (Schilsky, 1894) comb. nov. Turkey, Caucasus

Afrogethes planiusculus ( Heer, 1841) comb. nov. W Palaearctic areas

Afrogethes primigenius (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes profugus ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Tanzania: Zanzibar

Afrogethes pseudorimulosus (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes pygmaeus (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes regalis (Easton, 1964) comb. nov. Congo, Sierra Leone

Afrogethes reticulatus (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes rimulosus (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: W and N Cape

Afrogethes robertsoni (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes roeri (Kirejtshuk, 1998) comb. nov. N Namibia

Afrogethes rossii ( Audisio, 1994) comb. nov. Sierra Leone

Afrogethes rugifer ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga comb. nov.

Afrogethes rugipennis ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: W and E Cape, KwaZulu-Natal comb. nov.

Afrogethes rugipusillus (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes saevus (J. LeConte, 1859) comb. nov. N America

Afrogethes schilskyi (Reitter, 1896) comb. nov. Middle Asia, N Africa?

Afrogethes schoutedeni ( Kirejtshuk, 1990) comb. nov. Congo

Afrogethes scotti (Easton, 1954) comb. nov. S Arabian Peninsula, E Africa

Afrogethes serrator (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. subtropical Southern Africa, Central Africa

(= Meligethes cinctus Easton, 1964 )

Afrogethes sokolovi ( Kirejtshuk, 1990) comb. nov. Kenya

Afrogethes strigulosus (Reitter, 1872) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes subcaerulescens (Grouvelle, 1908) comb. nov. E Africa

Afrogethes subexilis (Grouvelle, 1908) comb. nov. Ethiopia

Afrogethes subfloralis (Kirejtshuk, 1988) comb. nov. South Africa: W Cape

Afrogethes subtristis (Easton, 1957) comb. nov. Middle Asia

Afrogethes tatjanae (Kirejtshuk, 1982) comb. nov. Uzbekistan

Afrogethes tenuirugatus ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: W and E Cape, KwaZulu-Natal comb. nov.

Afrogethes testudo (Audisio, 1997) comb. nov. South Africa: Mpumalanga

Afrogethes trapezicollis ( Kirejtshuk, 1990) comb. nov. Congo

Afrogethes tristis ( Sturm, 1845) comb. nov. Europe, N Caucasus

Afrogethes univestis ( Spornraft & Kirejtshuk, 1993) South Africa: E Cape comb. nov.

Afrogethes upembanus (Easton, 1964) comb. nov. Congo

Afrogethes vacca ( Easton, 1960) comb. nov. Uganda

Afrogethes voeltzkowi (Grouvelle, 1913) comb. nov. Tropical E Africa, NE South Africa

Afrogethes yemenensis (Easton, 1954) comb. nov. NE Africa, Arabian Peninsula, Jordan

Species ‘ incertae sedis ’. The placement of the following African and Indian species within Afrogethes gen. nov. or their assignment to separated genera remains uncertain, and requires further analyses. Members of the ‘ Meligethes ’ perfectus group ( EASTON 1960, 1961) are likely not too distantly related from Aristogethes gen. nov. ‘ Meligethes ’ rileyi Easton, 1960 from E Africa, is the only known representative of Meligethinae known to be probably associated with Proteaceae ( EASTON 1960) . The isolated ‘ Meligethes ’ heteropus Gerstaecker, 1871 from Tropical Africa, is the only known ‘ Meligethes s. l. ’ associated with Poaceae (KIRK- SPRIGGS 1985).

Meligethes ’ braeti Grouvelle, 1894 N India

Meligethes ’ heteropus Gerstaecker, 1871 Tropical Africa

Meligethes ’ imperfectus Easton, 1960 Tanzania

Meligethes ’ perfectus Easton, 1960 Tanzania

Meligethes ’ rileyi Easton, 1960 Kenya, Tanzania

Meligethes ’ suppar Easton, 1961 Tanzania

Meligethes ’ waterhousei Grouvelle, 1908 N India

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Coleoptera

Family

Nitidulidae

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