Search

The genus Meligethinus Grouvelle, 1906 represents a small group of pollen beetles, including some twenty species distributed from southern Palaearctic areas to northern Oriental and Afrotropical regions. All constituent species appear to be strictly associated as larvae and adults to male inflorescences of palms (Monocots: Arecaceae). Two new species of this genus (Meligethinus mondlanei sp. nov. and M. hamerlae sp. nov.) were recently discovered in southern Mozambique, and are described herein. Both are associated as larvae with male inflorescences of the widespread eastern African palm Phoenix reclinata Jacq. The two new species are compared with related taxa from central Africa. Additionally, the presence of additional species of the same genus in southern Mozambique is reported, and the local associations of several Meligethinus species are discussed.

Five new species of the genus Lamiogethes Audisio & Cline are described from western, central and southern China: L. falcatus sp. n. (Sichuan), L. hastipenis sp. n. (Hubei), L. sagittalis sp. n. (Shaanxi), L. unditibiis sp. n. (Chongqing), and L. limaelytralis sp. n. (Sichuan). The first four new species appear to be morphologically related to Lamiogethes ancestor (Kirejtshuk, 1980) (comb. n.) from Central China, and allied taxa. Lamiogethes limaelytralis sp. n. appears to be more isolated, probably with relationships to the recently described L. forcipenis Liu, Huang, Cline & Audisio, 2017 and L. convexistrigosus Liu, Huang, Cline & Audisio, 2017 from Sichuan. All new species differ from other closely related taxa by details of the body shape and color, as well as the shape of the male and/or female genitalia.

During recent expeditions in North and Southwest Iran, 10 species of Kateretidae and Nitidulidae (Coleoptera) were found. One species of Kateretidae, Brachyleptus bicoloratus Reitter, 1896, and three nitidulid species, Afrogethes schilskyi (Reitter, 1897), Stachygethes khnzoriani (Kirejtshuk, 1979), and S. nigerrimus (Rosenhauer, 1856) are recorded for the first time for the Iranian fauna (the latter is also a new record for Asia). Thymogethes ahriman (Jelínek, 1981) is herein resurrected to species rank, and two species, Thymogethes kassites sp. nov. and T. khorasanicus sp. nov., are described as new. An updated key to the known Near East and Afghan species of the genus Thymogethes Audisio & Cline, 2009 is also provided. Available and recently collected biological and distributional data, as well as short taxonomic comments, are given for the discussed species.

The Afrotropical endemic pollen beetle genera Tarchonanthogethes AudisioCline and Xenostrongylogethes AudisioCline, of the Anthystrix genus-complex, are revised. Eleven new species of Tarchonanthogethes (T. autumnalis, sp. nov., T. bisignatus, sp. nov., T. fasciatus, sp. nov., T. gratiellae, sp. nov., T. hermani, sp. nov., T. hystrix, sp. nov., T. lilliputianus, sp. nov., T. maasai, sp. nov., T. manconiae, sp. nov., T. pectinipes, sp. nov., T. thalycriformis, sp. nov.) and one new Xenostrongylogethes (X. cychramoides, sp. nov.) are described, illustrated and compared with related taxa. Tarchonanthogethes hirtus KirejtshukEaston, 1988 is synonymized with T. martini (syn. nov.). Meligethes assutus Easton, 1960 from Kenya is transferred from Afrogethes AudisioCline to Tarchonanthogethes (comb. nov.). Meligethes singularis Grouvelle, 1919 from southern Africa is transferred from Tarchonanthogethes to Meligethinus Grouvelle, 1906 (comb. nov.). Larval host-plants for Tarchonanthogethes and Xenostrongylogethes include dioecious bushes and trees of Tarchonantheae Asteraceae (genera Brachylaena R.Br. and Tarchonanthus L.). All species currently attributed to the genera Anthystrix Kirejtshuk, Sebastiangethes Audisio, Kirk-SpriggsCline, Tarchonanthogethes and Xenostrongylogethes (Anthystrix genus-complex) are included in a morphology-based cladistic analysis to provide a rigorous hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships. An identification key to all 25 known species in the Anthystrix genus-complex, including all available data on insect host plant relationships, is presented.

The Afrotropical endemic pollen beetle genera Tarchonanthogethes Audisio & Cline and Xenostrongylogethes Audisio & Cline, of the Anthystrix genus-complex, are revised. Eleven new species of Tarchonanthogethes (T. autumnalis, sp. nov., T. bisignatus, sp. nov., T. fasciatus, sp. nov., T. gratiellae, sp. nov., T. hermani, sp. nov., T. hystrix, sp. nov., T. lilliputianus, sp. nov., T. maasai, sp. nov., T. manconiae, sp. nov., T. pectinipes, sp. nov., T. thalycriformis, sp. nov.) and one new Xenostrongylogethes (X. cychramoides, sp. nov.) are described, illustrated and compared with related taxa. Tarchonanthogethes hirtus Kirejtshuk & Easton, 1988 is synonymized with T. martini (syn. nov.). Meligethes assutus Easton, 1960 from Kenya is transferred from Afrogethes Audisio & Cline to Tarchonanthogethes (comb. nov.). Meligethes singularis Grouvelle, 1919 from southern Africa is transferred from Tarchonanthogethes to Meligethinus Grouvelle, 1906 (comb. nov.). Larval host-plants for Tarchonanthogethes and Xenostrongylogethes include dioecious bushes and trees of Tarchonantheae Asteraceae (genera Brachylaena R.Br. and Tarchonanthus L.). All species currently attributed to the genera Anthystrix Kirejtshuk, Sebastiangethes Audisio, Kirk-Spriggs & Cline, Tarchonanthogethes and Xenostrongylogethes (Anthystrix genus-complex) are included in a morphology-based cladistic analysis to provide a rigorous hypothesis of phylogenetic relationships. An identification key to all 25 known species in the Anthystrix genus-complex, including all available data on insect host plant relationships, is presented.