Papers by Maurizio Biondi
ZooKeys, Feb 3, 2023
Polyclada Chevrolat and Procalus Clark are flea beetle genera (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galeruc... more Polyclada Chevrolat and Procalus Clark are flea beetle genera (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini). Polyclada is endemic to the Afrotropical region, while Procalus has never been described outside of the Neotropical region. The new combination Procalus maculipennis , comb. nov. is proposed for Polyclada maculipennis Bryant, 1942. Its plausible type locality is Venezuela, and not Cameroon, as recorded on the labels of the type material, and hence the occurrence of P. maculipennis in Africa is questionable.
Biological Control, Sep 1, 2019
This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service... more This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Three prospective agents instead of one? Cryptic diversity of the biological control agent Psylliodes chalcomera
Insect Conservation and Diversity, Apr 7, 2019
1. Levels of endemism are usually expressed as percentage of endemics among all species recorded ... more 1. Levels of endemism are usually expressed as percentage of endemics among all species recorded in a given area. Endemism levels also vary among taxa, yet inter-taxon variation in endemism levels has received much less attention. 2. We used the Italian tenebrionids to investigate how endemism levels vary among different but related lineages. We evaluated endemism variations among taxonomic levels both as a percentage of endemics to the number of species included in a given taxon (i.e. the tendency of a taxon to produce endemics) and as a percentage to the total number of species (i.e. the importance of that taxon to the overall endemic component). We also considered the residuals of regression lines of endemics against non-endemics. We tested the influence of phylogenetic position, lifestyle, and body size on the percentage of endemics within genera. 3. Use of percentages and residuals gave similar outcomes. Pimeliinae were the subfamily with the highest level of endemism. Erodiini, Pimeliini, Tentyriini, Asidini, Opatrini, and Pedinini were among the tribes with the highest endemism levels. Asida, Pimelia, Tentyria, and Opatrum were the genera with the highest levels of endemism. 4. Phylogenetic position and body size affected significantly endemism levels, with genera including larger species being also those with higher endemism, whereas lifestyle was not significant. This suggests that endemism in the Italian tenebrionid beetles is phylogenetically constrained and that lines including larger species (which are possibly less subject to passive dispersal) tend to be richer in endemics, independently from their lifestyle.
Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography, 2008
European Journal of Entomology, Jun 19, 2001
The species of ilea beetles of the genus Chaetocnema Stephens, 1831 occurring in Madagascar are r... more The species of ilea beetles of the genus Chaetocnema Stephens, 1831 occurring in Madagascar are revised. Four new spe cies (C. cachani, C. hygrophila, C. malgascia and C. orophila) are described and five species (C. bamakoensis Bechyné C. confinis Crotch, C. fiuscipennis Scherer, C. ganganensis Bechyné and C. picipes Stephens) are added to the Madagascar fauna. The following new synonymies are proposed: C.
Zootaxa, Oct 7, 2020
Based on a well-preserved specimen from Eocene Baltic amber, Groehnaltica batophiloides gen. nov.... more Based on a well-preserved specimen from Eocene Baltic amber, Groehnaltica batophiloides gen. nov. and sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) is described and illustrated using X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT). The new monotypic genus is compared with fossil and extant flea-beetle genera. In the extant Eurasian fauna Groehnaltica shows most similarity to Batophila Foudras, 1859. However, it is also similiar to a Palaeotropical group of genera, including Bikasha Maulik, 1931, and Lanka Maulik, 1926. Groehnaltica batophiloides is the tenth member of Alticini to be described from Baltic amber, adding to our understanding of the evolutionary history of this diverse group of beetles.
Zoologischer Anzeiger, Mar 1, 2013
The Oriental flea beetle genus Chabria Jacoby, 1887 for the first time is reported from the Afrot... more The Oriental flea beetle genus Chabria Jacoby, 1887 for the first time is reported from the Afrotropical region. Three new species, Chabria betsilea sp. n., C. betsimisaraka sp. n., C. bezanozana sp. n., are described from Madagascar, while C. angulicollis (Clark, 1865), probably accidentally introduced in Sub-Saharan Africa, is reported from Cameroon and Republic of South Africa. A key to the Afrotropical Chabria species, scanning electron micrographs of some diagnostic morphological characters, micrographs of male and female genitalia are provided. In addition, an annotated catalogue of all worldwide known species of Chabria Jacoby based both on literature and new examined material is also provided. Finally, the presence of Chabria in Sub-Saharan Africa and in Madagascar is discussed.
European Journal of Entomology, Jul 20, 2010
This paper consists of an up to date annotated catalogue of the Afrotropical genera of Alticinae ... more This paper consists of an up to date annotated catalogue of the Afrotropical genera of Alticinae (Chrysomelidae), with biogeographical notes on the flea beetle fauna occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. The following new synonymies are proposed:
Zootaxa, Dec 15, 2015
Sucinolivolia torpida gen. nov. et sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) is... more Sucinolivolia torpida gen. nov. et sp. nov. (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini) is described and illustrated from Eocene Baltic amber. The new monotypic genus is compared with fossil and extant flea-beetle genera. Sucinolivolia gen. nov. is similar to the extant Livolia Jacoby and Orthaltica Crotch, but difference include the absence of an antebasal pronotal sulcus, not crenulate lateral pronotal margins, possessing very short genae, more robust legs, and the shape of tibiae. Including this new record, six described species of Alticini are known from Baltic amber.
ZooKeys, Dec 17, 2015
The Afrotropical flea beetle genus Notomela Jacoby, 1899 is reviewed. Notomela joliveti sp.n. fro... more The Afrotropical flea beetle genus Notomela Jacoby, 1899 is reviewed. Notomela joliveti sp.n. from Principe Island is described. The following new synonymies are established: N. cyanipennis Jacoby, 1899 = N. viridipennis Bryant, 1941, syn. n. = N. cyanipennis macrosoma Bechyné, 1959, syn. n. In addition, the new combination is established: Notomela fulvofasciata Jacoby, 1903 is transfered to Amphimela [A. fulvofasciata (Jacoby, 1903), comb. n.]. Micrographs of male and female genitalia, scanning electron micrographs of some diagnostic morphological characters, a key to identification, and distributional data for all species of Notomela, are provided.
Zootaxa, Sep 25, 2017
The genus Guilielmia Weise from the high mountains of Central Africa, known on a female specimen ... more The genus Guilielmia Weise from the high mountains of Central Africa, known on a female specimen only, is redescribed based on new specimens of the type species, and the new species Guilielmia leleupi sp. nov. described here. Habitus photos, and microscope and scanning electron micrographs of diagnostic characters, including the aedeagus, are provided for both the species. Some considerations about taxonomic affinities and morphological adaptations to high altitudes are suggested.
Insect Systematics & Evolution, 2013
Ntaolaltica antennata gen.n. and sp.n. and Pseudophygasia gen.n. from Madagascar are described. T... more Ntaolaltica antennata gen.n. and sp.n. and Pseudophygasia gen.n. from Madagascar are described. The following new combinations are established:
Zoologischer Anzeiger, Sep 1, 2015
Abstract Maximum entropy modeling for predicting the potential suitability distribution of specie... more Abstract Maximum entropy modeling for predicting the potential suitability distribution of species using presence-only occurrence records and associated environmental factors is one of the most widely used tools in ecology and biogeography. The aim of this study is to identify the potential suitable habitat for 17 Italian endemic species of flea beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) by assessing which environmental factors are mostly responsible for current distributions. Potential species distributions were reconstructed by using Maxent application with nineteen bioclimatic variables and three topographic factors. We evaluated the model accuracy by AUC values based on test data, training data and total records, highlighting the high power of Maxent to create potential habitat distribution. Presence records were used to build the final habitat map to obtain the best estimate of the species distribution. To distinguish unsuitable from suitable areas, a reclassification of the probability maps was performed using a 10th percentile training presence logistic threshold. The results of our analysis indicate that species occurrences are significantly associated with bioclimatic factors mainly characterized by annual trend, such as “temperature seasonality” (BIO4) and “precipitation seasonality” (BIO15), and to a lesser extent by variables with quarterly intervals, such as the “mean temperature of driest quarter” (BIO9). Furthermore we performed a cluster analysis finding significant correlation between the distribution of the species considered in the Maxent models and the bioclimatic and topographic variables used for the predictions. Potential suitability distribution modeling of endemic flea beetle species is an appropriate method to identify particular environmental situations that require maximum attention both for the conservation of particular species and the protection of their habitat.
Ecology and Evolution, 2022
The influence of climate on the distribution of taxa has been extensively investigated in the las... more The influence of climate on the distribution of taxa has been extensively investigated in the last two decades through Habitat Suitability Models (HSMs). In this context, the Worldclim database represents an invaluable data source as it provides worldwide climate surfaces for both historical and future time horizons. Thousands of HSMs‐based papers have been published taking advantage of Worldclim 1.4, the first online version of this repository. In 2017, Worldclim 2.1 was released. Here, we evaluated spatially explicit prediction mismatch at continental scale, focusing on Europe, between HSMs fitted using climate surfaces from the two Worldclim versions (between‐version differences). To this aim, we simulated occurrence probability and presence‐absence across Europe of four virtual species (VS) with differing climate‐occurrence relationships. For each VS, we fitted HSMs upon uncorrelated bioclimatic variables derived from each Worldclim version at three grid resolutions. For each fa...
PLOS ONE, 2020
The accuracy of the DNA barcoding tool depends on the existence of a comprehensive archived libra... more The accuracy of the DNA barcoding tool depends on the existence of a comprehensive archived library of sequences reliably determined at species level by expert taxonomists. However, misidentifications are not infrequent, especially following large-scale DNA barcoding campaigns on diverse and taxonomically complex groups. In this study we used the species-rich flea beetle genus Longitarsus, that requires a high level of expertise for morphological species identification, as a case study to assess the accuracy of the DNA barcoding tool following several optimization procedures. We built a cox1 reference database of 1502 sequences representing 78 Longitarsus species, among which 117 sequences (32 species) were newly generated using a non-invasive DNA extraction method that allows keeping reference voucher specimens. Within this dataset we identified 69 taxonomic inconsistencies using barcoding gap analysis and tree topology methods. Threshold optimisation and a posteriori taxonomic revision based on newly generated reference sequences and metadata allowed resolving 44 sequences with ambiguous and incorrect identification and provided a significant improvement of the DNA barcoding accuracy and identification efficacy. Unresolved taxonomic uncertainties, due to overlapping intra-and inter-specific levels of divergences, mainly regards the Longitarsus pratensis species complex and polyphyletic groups L. melanocephalus, L. nigrofasciatus and L. erro. Such type of errors indicates either poorly established taxonomy or any biological processes that make mtDNA groups poorly predictive of species boundaries (e.g. recent speciation or interspecific hybridisation), thus providing directions for further integrative taxonomic and evolutionary studies. Overall, this study underlines the importance of reference vouchers and high-quality metadata associated to sequences in reference databases and corroborates, once again, the key role of taxonomists in any step of the DNA barcoding pipeline in order to generate and maintain a correct and functional reference library.
Biogeographia – The Journal of Integrative Biogeography, 2008
European journal of taxonomy, Sep 15, 2016
A taxonomic revision of the New Caledonian species of Arsipoda Erichson, 1842 is provided. This g... more A taxonomic revision of the New Caledonian species of Arsipoda Erichson, 1842 is provided. This group includes 21 species, of which 14 are new to science:
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Papers by Maurizio Biondi