Plagiodera
Creators: name: Uebersax, Eva Sprecher-
name: Daccordi, Mauro
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Plagiodera

description: Species groups of <i>Plagiodera</i>CHEVROLAT, 1836 The genus <i>Plagiodera</i> was divided into several subgenera (DACCORDI 1987, BALSBAUGH &amp; DACCORDI 1986) with particular reference to the Neotropical region. Additional study in future should clarify in particular the species from the Afrotropical and Oriental regions. In spite of the rather monotonous nature of its homogeneous external characters and aspect (roundish body, maxillary palpi proximate at the base with terminal article sharpened, epipleura folded inward, elytral punctures irregular, simple claws), the spermathecal complex offers good characters for taxonomy. Other interesting characters are the postcoxal lines extending on the first abdominal segment or not, the dimensions of the eyes and of the antenna, the shape of the onychium etc. In the Oriental, Australian and Oceanic (sensu USINGER 1963) regions, two large species groups can be recognized based on the presence or absence of a prominent carina on the first abdominal segment. The species of the Oriental region (China, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal etc.) lack a prominent carina on the first abdominal seg- ment, where the coxal lines follow the cavity margins. In some species of the Oriental region (<i>P. atmanama</i> DACCORDI, 1982, <i>P. cupreata</i> CHEN, 1934, <i>P. rufescens</i> GYLLENHAL, 1808 and <i>P. yunnanica</i> CHEN, 1934, Fig. 1) the carina is present broadens at the base into a more or less wide plate, in other exclusively Oceanic species (<i>P. cheni</i> LHOSTE, 1934, <i>P. fulvicollis</i> BRYANT, 1936, <i>P. violaceipennis</i> BRYANT, 1925, <i>P. chapuisi</i> JACOBY, 1885, <i>P. philippinensis</i> DUVIVIER, 1885, <i>P. samoana</i> MAULIK, 1929) it is reduced to a simple line, which doesn’t touch the anterior margin of the second segment (Fig. 2, 3, 4). In <i>P. aerea</i> (EYDOUX &amp;SOULEYET, 1839), <i>P. hiekei</i> n. sp. and <i>P. riparia</i> JACOBY, 1885 the carina reaches the anterior margin of the second abdominal segment without broadening to a distinct plate (Figs 5, 6, 7, 8). Within the species with a symmetrical carina on the first abdominal segment, particularly in the Pacific area, two species groups can be distinguished. The first one in- cludes species with normal roundish eyes (Figs 9, 10), a “sickle” shaped spermatheca (Figs 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) and the aedeagus with sides subparallel almost to the apex (<i>P. aerea, P. hiekei</i> n. sp., <i>P. punctipennis, P. riparia</i>, Figs 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24). The antennae of the species of this group are shown in Figs 25, 26, 27, 28, 29 and 30. The species of <i>Plagiodera</i> of tropical Asia belong to this group. The second group is characterized by a plication on the first abdominal segment, but without touching the anterior margin of the second segment (Figs 31, 32), and a “fibula” shaped spermatheca (Figs 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39) and includes <i>P. cheni, P. fulvicollis, P. violaceipennis, P. chapuisi, P. philippinensis, P. lownei, P. amplipennis, P. nitidipennis</i> and <i>P. samoana</i>. These species occur in Australia, New Guinea and various archipelagos of the Pacific Ocean until Samoa. Some species of this group (<i>P. cheni, P. fulvicollis, P. violaceipennis, P. samoana</i>) have very large eyes (Figs 40, 41) and particularly long and thickened antenna (Figs 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49). The aedeagi are shown in Figs 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 and 57. The antennae of other species of the group are shown in Figs 58, 59, 60 and 61. Based on the label data “at light” they are assumed to be nocturnal. As a conclusion based on all these characters, to simplify handling, a division of the Oriental and Oceanic species of <i>Plagiodera</i> into three groups is proposed: 1. group “A” or <i>aerea</i> -group (<i>P. aerea, P. hiekei</i> n. sp., <i>P. punctipennis, P. riparia</i>); 2. group “ B” or <i>lownei</i> -group (<i>P. amplipennis, P. chapuisi, P. lownei, P. nitidipennis, P. philippinensis</i>); 3. group “ C” or <i>violaceipennis</i> -group (<i>P. cheni, P. fulvicollis, P. samoana, P. violaceipennis</i>). During the study of these groups, one species from New Guinea was recognized as new to science and is described above. Their distribution is shown in Fig. 62.
description: Published as part of <i>Eva Sprecher- Uebersax &amp; Mauro Daccordi, 2016, Notes on the species of Plagiodera CHEVROLAT, 1836 of the Australian, Oceanic and Oriental regions, with a description of P. hiekei n. sp. (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), pp. 373-385 in Entomologische Blätter und Coleoptera 112 (1)</i> on page 374, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.3095951
description: {"references": ["BALSBAUGH, E. U. &amp; DACCORDI, M. (1987): Reclassifica- tion of some Chrysomelini and a new species of Plagiodera (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae). - Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 60 (1): 30 - 40.", "DACCORDI, M. (1986): Nuove Plagiodera della Regione Neotropicale. - Bollettino del Museo civico di Storia Naturale di Verona 13: 443 - 454.", "USINGER, R. L. (1963): Animal distribution Patterns in the Tropical Pacific. - In: GRESSITT, J. L. (Ed.): Pacific Basin Biogeography. Symposium of the 10 th Pacific Science Congress, Honolulu Hawaii. - Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu: 255 - 261.", "CHEN, S. H. (1934): Description of some new Asiatic Chrysomelidae. - Transactions of the Science Society of China 8 (1): 61 - 65.", "MAULIK, S. (1929): The Fauna of British India including Ceylon and Burma. Coleoptera Chrysomelidae (Chysomelinae and Halticinae). - Taylor and Francis, London: 442 pp."]}