Natural history, ecology, and conservation of the genus Polyphylla Harris, 1841. 1. New species from the southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico, with notes on distribution and synonymy (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)

Authors

Delbert A. La Rue, University of California, RiversideFollow

Date of this Version

2016

Citation

Delbert A. La Rue Natural history, ecology, and conservation of the genus Polyphylla Harris, 1841. 1. New species from the southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico, with notes on distribution and synonymy (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) Insecta Mundi 0491: 1–41

Comments

Published in 2016 by Center for Systematic Entomology, Inc. P. O. Box 141874 Gainesville, FL 32614-1874 USA http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/

Copyright held by the author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License

Abstract

Four new species of the genus Polyphylla Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from the

southwestern United States and Baja California, Mexico, are described and illustrated: Polyphylla anivallis, P.

koso, P. morroensis, and P. socorriana. Two nomenclatural changes are proposed: Polyphylla ratcliffei Young is

placed into synonymy with P. avittata Hardy and Andrews, new synonymy; P. uteana Tanner is removed from

synonymy and reinstated as a valid species, reinstated status. The females of P. monahansensis Hardy and Andrews

and P. stellata Young are described and illustrated. New distributional records and ecological associations

are amended for P. avittata Hardy and Andrews, P. cavifrons LeConte, P. concurrens Casey, P. crinita LeConte,

P. diffracta Casey, P. mescalerensis Young, P. petitii (Guérin-Méneville), and P. rugosipennis Casey. A checklist

of the “Western Clade” species of Polyphylla, north of Mexico, is included.

Cuatro especies nuevas del género Polyphylla Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) del

suroeste de los Estados Unidos y Baja California, México, se describen e ilustran: Polyphylla anivallis, P. koso, P.

morroensis, y P. socorriana. Se proponen dos cambios de nomenclatura: Polyphylla ratcliffei Young se coloca en

sinonimia con P. avittata Hardy y Andrews, nueva sinonimia; P. uteana Tanner es removido de la sinonimia y

reinstalado como una especie válida, estado reinstalado. Las hembras de P. monahansensis Hardy y Andrews y

P. stellata Young se describen e ilustran. Nuevos registros de distribución y asociaciones ecológicas se complementan

para P. avittata Hardy y Andrews, P. cavifrons LeConte, P. concurrens Casey, P. crinita LeConte, P. diffracta

Casey, P. mescalerensis Young, P. petitii (Guérin-Méneville), y P. rugosipennis Casey. Se incluye una lista de las

especies del “Clado Occidental” de Polyphylla, al norte de México.