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Type: Article
Published: 2020-06-22
Page range: 32–40
Abstract views: 94
PDF downloaded: 5

Palms and pollen beetles: two new anthophilous beetle species of Meligethinus from Mozambique (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae: Meligethinae)

Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
College of Agriculture, Yangtze University, Jingzhou, China
Plant Pest Diagnostics Center, California Department of Food & Agriculture, Sacramento, CA, USA
ul. Wiejska 4B/85, 15-352 Białystok, Poland
Museu de História Natural, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Travessia do Zambeze 104, Maputo 1100, Mozambique
Museu de História Natural, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Travessia do Zambeze 104, Maputo 1100, Mozambique
Museu de História Natural, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Travessia do Zambeze 104, Maputo 1100, Mozambique
Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie “Charles Darwin”, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
Coleoptera taxonomy larval host-plants Afrotropical Cucujoidea

Abstract

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.

 

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