From Asia to Africa via Madagascar – a biogeographic and taxonomic review of Afrotropical Eidophelus beetles with discovery of a related new genus in Ernoporini (Curculionidae, Scolytinae)

The Afrotropical species of Ernoporini are revised based on morphological and molecular data. Three genera are present: Ernoporus Thompson, 1859, Eidophelus Eichhoff, 1875, and Proternoporus Jordal, gen. nov. to accommodate Proternoporus dimorphus Jordal, sp. nov. from Madagascar, and Proternoporus devius (Schedl, 1975), comb. nov., from Republic of South Africa. Altogether, 26 species of Ernoporini are currently valid after the synonyms proposed for Eidophelus grobleri (Schedl, 1962) (= Cryphalomorphus apicalis Schedl, 1971, syn. nov.), Eidophelus spirostachius (Schedl, 1958) (= Cryphalophilus afer Schedl, 1970, syn. nov.), Eidophelus usagaricus (Eggers, 1922) (= Cryphalomorphus hobohmi Schedl, 1955, syn. nov.; = Cryphalomorphus robustus Schedl, 1955, syn. nov.).

Eidophelus similaris (Schedl, 1965), comb. ressurr. is removed from its previous synonymy with Eidophelus onyanganus (Schedl, 1941). An illustrated key to all Afrotropical species is included. Molecular data from four gene fragments combined, and a larger pantropical data set for 28 S, strongly support a monophyletic Eidophelus, and a separate standing of Proternoporus from Ernoporus and Eidophelus.

The largest clade of Afrotropical species of Eidophelus are relatively young (early Miocene) compared to the ancestor for the genus (late Cretaceous). Reconstruction of ancestral areas in a Bayesian framework indicated an origin of Afrotropical lineages from the eastern Palearctic region (multigene, smaller taxon set), or from the Australasian region (28 S, larger taxon set). An eastern origin was also supported by a late colonization of Africa from Madagascar and nearby islands in the Indian Ocean.