Diversity and trophic ecology of the Monoleptites group (Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae, Luperini) in the Núi Chúa National Park (S Vietnam) with description of new species of Monolepta Chevrolat and Paleosepharia Laboissière

Abstract

A local survey of Chrysomelidae in a coastal area of some 10 km2 in the Núi Chúa National Park (Ninh Thuan, S Vietnam) yielded a remarkable number of Galerucinae. Most of them, up to 18 species, could be ascribed to the informal group Monoleptites, i.e. galerucines with very long first metatarsomere, longer than the remaining four combined. These representatives of Monoleptites constitute a strongly supported monophyletic group based on a combined analysis of one mtDNA (cox1) and one nuclear (wnt) marker, and include up to thirteen species which are not recognisable as species previously described or reported from Vietnam or neighbouring countries. These species are described herein, including eleven species tentatively assigned to the genus Monolepta Chevrolat (M. decretasp. nov., M. deminutasp. nov., M. densopunctatasp. nov., M. dubiasp. nov., M. fluctuanssp. nov., M. fuscicornesp. nov., M. interruptomarginatasp. nov., M. ochraceasp. nov., M. praetextasp. nov., M. quotidianasp. nov. and M. thomaswagnerisp. nov.) and two to the genus Paleosepharia Laboissière (P. frontissp. nov. and P. nuichuasp. nov.). Moreover, the name Desbordeleptanom. nov. is proposed to remove the homonymy of Desbordesius Laboissière, 1936 nec Maindron, 1906, and the spermatheca of D. picea (Kimoto) and male and female genitalia of M. dalatica Kimoto and M. semicostata Kimoto are described for the first time. Finally, a molecular analysis of putative diets based on the identification of chloroplastic psbA-trnH sequences obtained from total DNA extractions of the beetles, provides with some robust hypotheses for the diet of these animals, showing that they are polyphagous, and able to utilise a wide range of mainly eudicots in their environment. The results of this study roughly represent a 12% increase in the number of known species of the Monoleptites group in Vietnam and highlight the need for a profound revision of generic attributes in this group.