title: Taxonomy, host-plant associations and phylogeny of African Crotalaria-feeding seed beetles (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Bruchinae): the Conicobruchus strangulatus (Fåhraeus) species group.
abstract: A small group of six morphologically related seed beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) belonging to the Conicobruchus genus is reviewed. Species in this group for which host-plants are known feed on various species of Crotalaria (Fabaceae, Crotalarieae). Here we provide diagnoses and a dichotomous key for all six species. The following synonymies are proposed: Conicobruchus cicatricosus (Fåhraeus, 1839) (= Bruchus cicatricosus pallidioripennis Pic, 1941) syn. nov.; Conicobruchus strangulatus (Fåhraeus, 1839) (= Bruchus hargreavesi Pic, 1933) syn. nov. The corresponding Conicobruchus strangulatus species group is hereby designated. New host-plant data are also included, which correspond to the results of recent collections of legume pods in East Africa. In addition we carried out molecular phylogenetic analyses on a representative sampling of Conicobruchus species (including the six species of interest). The latter allow us to assess the monophyly of the group of interest and to unravel their evolutionary relationships. Molecular phylogenetic analyses also indicate that at least two lineages of Conicobruchus successfully shifted toward Crotalarieae during the course of their diversification.
authors.affiliation: Unité de Recherche IRD 072, African Insect Science for Food and Health (icipe), PO Box 30772, Nairobi, Kenya.; Email: bleru@icipe.org.
authors.forename: Bruno P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Le Ru
authors.affiliation: Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, 45 rue Buffon, 75005 Paris, France.; Email: delobel.alex@aliceadsl.fr.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Delobel
authors.affiliation: Department of Zoology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, H-1088 Budapest, Baross u. 13, Hungary.; Email: gyorgy@zoo.nhmus.hu.
authors.forename: Zoltán
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: György
authors.affiliation: INRA - UMR 1062 CBGP (INRA/IRD/Cirad, Montpellier SupAgro), 755 Avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France.; Email: kergoat@supagro.inra.fr.
authors.forename: Gwenaëlle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Genson
authors.affiliation: INRA - UMR 1062 CBGP (INRA/IRD/Cirad, Montpellier SupAgro), 755 Avenue du Campus Agropolis, 34988 Montferrier-sur-Lez, France.; Email: kergoat@supagro.inra.fr.
authors.forename: Gael J
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Kergoat
mesh_terms: D000351:Africa, Eastern; D063147:Animal Distribution; D000825:Animal Structures / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development; D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D029864:Crotalaria / Q000469:parasitology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D058507:Host Specificity; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size; D010802:Phylogeny; D012639:Seeds / Q000469:parasitology