Afromontane forests hide 19 new species of an ancient chafer lineage (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae): Pleophylla Erichson, 1847 – phylogeny and taxonomic revision

Abstract The species of Pleophylla Erichson, 1847, are revised here and the phylogenetic relationships of all known species inferred based on external and genital morphology. For almost half of the species we were able to reconstruct gene trees for one nuclear marker (internal transcribed spacer 1) and one mitochondrial gene (cytochrome oxidase subunit 1). Based on the morphology-based taxonomic revision of the type material the following new synonymy is established: Pleophylla navicularis Burmeister, 1855 (= Pleophylla flavicornis Schaufuss, 1871, syn. nov.); Pleophylla pilosa Boheman, 1857 (= Pleophylla opalina Schaufuss, 1871, syn. nov.). Additionally, both Pleophylla ferruginea Burmeister, 1855, and Pleophylla pilosa Boheman, 1857, are removed from synonymy with Pleophylla fasciatipennis Blanchard, 1850. Nineteen new species are described, mainly from South Africa (RSA): Pleophylla burundiensis sp. nov. (Burundi), Pleophylla charlyi sp. nov. (Tanzania), Pleophylla congoensis sp. nov. (Rwanda), Pleophylla harrisoni sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla kruegeri sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla lizleri sp. nov. (Tanzania), Pleophylla mlilwaneensis sp. nov. (Swaziland), Pleophylla mpumalanga sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla murzini sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla nelshoogteensis sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla pseudopilosa sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla ruthae sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla settentrionalis sp. nov. (Democratic Republic of Congo), Pleophylla silvatica sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla stalsi sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla taitaensis sp. nov. (Kenya), Pleophylla transkeiensis sp. nov. (RSA), Pleophylla wakkerstroomensis sp. nov. (RSA), and Pleophylla warnockae sp. nov. (RSA). The lectotypes of the following taxa are designated: P. fasciatipennis Blanchard, 1850, P. ferruginea Burmeister, 1855, P. flavicornis Schaufuss, 1871, Pleophylla maculipennis Boheman, 1857, P. navicularis Burmeister, 1855, P. opalina Schaufuss, 1871, P. pilosa Boheman, 1857, and Pleophylla tongaatsana Péringuey, 1904.