Revision of the Australopapuan and West Pacific species of plain pumpkin-beetles, the Aulacophora indica species-complex (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae)

• DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4932.1.1
• Publication Date: 2021-02-17T00:38:01Z
• Authors: CHRIS REID; LUKE HALLING; MAX BEATSON
• Keywords: Synonym (taxonomy)

The ‘plain pumpkin-beetle’, indica species-complex of Aulacophora Chevrolat, 1836, is revised for Australopapua, Timor and the West Pacific. defined following eight included species are diagnosed described: A. abdominalis (Fabricius, 1781); barrogae Reid, Halling & Beatson, sp. nov.; cornuta Baly, 1879; (Gmelin, 1790); mbabaram relicta (Boisduval, 1835); wallacii 1886; wilsoni 1888. three other similar in region interest, bicolor (Weber, 1801), A coffeae 1801) deplanchei (Perroud Montrouzier, 1864), from a key provided all 11 species. New synonyms noted as follows (senior synonym first): 1781) = argyrogaster (Montrouzier, 1861) syn. nov., fabricii 1886 armigera 1889 aruensis (Weise, 1892) fauveli Beenen, 2008 1835) palmerstoni Blackburn, 1888 imberbis Weise, 1916 nov.. (stat. rev.) revalidated synonymy with scutellata (Boisduval 1835). flava Olivier, 1808, not an available name. robusta Duvivier, 1884 confirmed. Five traditionally placed Aulacophora, Galleruca flaveola Boisduval, 1835, G. punctata flavescens 1856 artensis 1861, identifiable to genus or therefore listed nomina dubia within Galerucinae. previously designated lectotype shown be invalid. Neotypes created both lack original type material. palmerstoni. plain pumpkin-beetle distributed follows: barrogae, mbabaram, endemic Australia; widespread southwestern Pacific Melanesia, west east Niue, but absent mainland eastern India Melanesia far Guadalcanal; southeast northeast Guam, adventitious further south east, from, established in, Australia, Fiji, Caledonia, Samoa, Tonga Vanuatu; Timor. Native hosts unknown any species, abdominalis, indica, pests exotic cucurbit crops.