''Taophila'' is a genus of
leaf beetles in the subfamily
Eumolpinae.
The genus is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to
New Caledonia
)
, anthem = ""
, image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg
, map_alt = Location of New Caledonia
, map_caption = Location of New Caledonia
, mapsize = 290px
, subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...
.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist
Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single described species, ''Taophila subsericea''. The genus remained monotypic for nearly a century, until two further species were described in 2007. In 2010, the genus was revised by G. Allan Samuelson, who added another nine species.
In 2014, entomologists Jésus Gómez-Zurita and Anabela Cardoso made a morphological and molecular phylogenetic study of the genus, using the results to propose two new subgenera: ''Jolivetiana'' and ''Lapita''.
The subgenus ''Lapita'' was later found to be a junior homonym of the fly genus ''
Lapita
The Lapita culture is the name given to a Neolithic Austronesian people and their material culture, who settled Island Melanesia via a seaborne migration at around 1600 to 500 BCE. They are believed to have originated from the northern Philipp ...
'' Bickel, 2002, and moreover the group has many morphological differences to ''Taophila'' s. str., so it was renamed to ''
Tricholapita'' and elevated in rank to genus in 2020.
Species
''Taophila'' contains 21 species, which are divided into two subgenera:
* Subgenus ''Taophila''
Heller, 1916
** ''
Taophila bituberculata''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila carinata''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila corvi''
Samuelson, 2010
** ''
Taophila dapportoi''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila davincii''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila deimos
''Taophila'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single descr ...
''
Samuelson, 2010
** ''
Taophila draco''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila goa''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila hackae''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila hydrae''
Samuelson, 2010
** ''
Taophila joliveti''
Samuelson, 2010
** ''
Taophila millei''
Samuelson, 2010
** ''
Taophila nigrans''
Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007
** ''
Taophila sagittarii
''Taophila'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single descr ...
''
Samuelson, 2010
** ''
Taophila samuelsoni
''Taophila'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single descr ...
''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila scorpii
''Taophila'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single descr ...
''
Samuelson, 2010
** ''
Taophila sideralis
''Taophila'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single descr ...
''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila subsericea''
Heller, 1916 (synonym: ''Taophila mandjeliae''
(Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2010))
** ''
Taophila taaluny
''Taophila'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single descr ...
''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
** ''
Taophila wanati
''Taophila'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single descr ...
''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2021
* Subgenus ''Jolivetiana''
Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso, 2014
** ''
Taophila mantillerii
''Taophila'' is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The genus is endemic to New Caledonia.
Taxonomy
''Taophila'' was first established in 1916 by the Austrian entomologist Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller for a single describe ...
''
Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007
Species now in ''
Tricholapita''
Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso, 2020 (formerly the subgenus ''Lapita''
Gómez-Zurita & Cardoso, 2014 nec Bickel, 2002):
* ''Taophila aphrodita''
Gómez-Zurita, 2014
* ''Taophila atlantis''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2019
* ''Taophila gaea''
Gómez-Zurita, 2014
* ''Taophila hermes''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2019
* ''Taophila kronos''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2019
* ''Taophila mars''
Samuelson, 2010
* ''Taophila oceanica''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2019
* ''Taophila olympica''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2019
* ''Taophila ouranos''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2019
* ''Taophila riberai''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2019
* ''Taophila tridentata''
Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2019
''T. cancellata''
Samuelson, 2010 was tentatively transferred to ''
Dematochroma'' in 2014,
then was proposed as a synonym of ''
Dumbea striata'' in 2023.
References
Eumolpinae
Chrysomelidae genera
Insects of New Caledonia
Beetles of Oceania
Taxa named by Karl Borromaeus Maria Josef Heller
Endemic fauna of New Caledonia
{{Eumolpinae-stub