Cazeresia thyiana (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2008), 2025

Gómez-Zurita, Jesús & Cardoso, Anabela, 2025, Systematics and evolution of the New Caledonian endemic genus Cazeresia (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae), Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny 83, pp. 127-170 : 127-170

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/asp.83.e143543
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9FC2F5B4-97ED-4E25-9ECF-7F670BB36DA5
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15594292
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/AEA0EE21-9E88-5DF7-9B05-E8E1B355C903
treatment provided by	Arthropod Systematics & Phylogeny by Pensoft
scientific name	Cazeresia thyiana (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2008)
status	comb. nov.

Treatment

Cazeresia thyiana (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2008) n. comb.

Figures 1 i View Figure 1 , 8 a View Figure 8 , 9 j View Figure 9 , 11 a View Figure 11

Dematochroma thyiana Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2007 c [2008], p. 196.

Species # 21: Papadopoulou et al., 2013, p. 481.

Dematochroma thyiana : Platania & Gómez-Zurita, 2023 a, p. 45.

Material.

Holotype: Female (Fig. 11 a View Figure 11 ), Forêt de Thy, near Saint-Louis [22°12’36”S 166°32’38”E], 20.i.1978, J. Faimka leg. ( MNHN). GoogleMaps

Other material examined.

JGZC: 2 females, JGZC-NC 041 and JGZC-NC 042 , Monts Kwa Ne Mwa, on road btw Nouméa and Yaté, 2 km E Pic Mouirange , 22°12.356’S 166°40.798’E, 220 m, 19.i–17.ii.2007, R. Pöllabauer leg. GoogleMaps MNHW: 1 male, JGZC-5349 , Bois du Sud , -22.17200 166.76111, 220 m, 18.x.2008, day beating, M. Wanat leg. GoogleMaps ; 1 female, Bois du Sud , -22.17288 166.76330, 220–250 m, beating along track entering forest reserve, 20.x.2008, M. Wanat leg. GoogleMaps ; 3 males (two with: JGZC-5123 and JGZC-5124 ), Bois du Sud, ‘ Araucaria’ hut , -22.1740 166.7627, 220 m, at light, 8.xii.2010, M. Wanat and R. Ruta leg. GoogleMaps ; 2 males (one with: JGZC-5376 ) and 1 female ( JGZC-5449 ), Pic du Grand Kaori , 22°16.8’S 166°53.5’E, 240 m, night coll. (lamp and beating), 26.xii.2006, M. Wanat and R. Dobosz leg. GoogleMaps

Remarks.

This species was described based on a single female specimen collected in the forest along the river Thi in the commune of Saint-Louis, not far from the capital of New Caledonia, Nouméa. The description included an illustration of the spermatheca that is the typical of this group ( Jolivet et al. 2007 c), therefore the adscription of the species to Cazeresia is granted (see Fig. 1 i View Figure 1 ), and we propose the new combination Cazeresia thyiana (Jolivet, Verma & Mille, 2008) comb. nov. Interestingly, Jolivet et al. (2007 c) also stressed the marked similarity of their new species with De. humboldtiana Heller , which is also transferred to Cazeresia in this work. The challenge for us was establishing if any of our unidentified samples of Cazeresia belonged to this species, because there were not many diagnostic characters available in the description and the type was not in the best conditions for sound comparisons (Fig. 11 a View Figure 11 ). Gómez-Zurita and Cardoso (2014) erroneously mentioned this taxon in their molecular phylogeny using one specimen ( JGZC-NC 193 ) collected in Aoupinié and recognized here as a representative of C. laticollis sp. nov. This mistake was corrected in Platania et al. (2024), who alternatively identified as De. thyiana one specimen ( JGZC-NC 206 ) collected in Mont Do. While this identification proved significantly closer to the true C. thyiana according to their indistinguishable morphology and close phylogenetic proximity as established here (Fig. 3 View Figure 3 ), the output of phylogenetic species delimitation approaches, the geographic gap between Mont Do and the area where C. thyiana occurs, as well as the strong elevation difference between localities, compelled us to consider the specimens from Mont Do a different species. Here we recognized two males from Bois du Sud and two females from Kwa Ne Mwa, localities 14 and 23 km away, respectively, eastwards from the type locality of C. thyiana , as conspecific. Thus, C. thyiana should be considered at present a low elevation (up to 240 m a. s. l.) species with a medium range in the forests east of Nouméa (Fig. 8 a View Figure 8 ). The availability of males putatively belonging to this species allows recognizing the differences with females, mainly a subtrapezoidal clypeus with deep broad anterior emargination apart from typical sexually dimorphic traits, and description for the first time of the male genitalia. Penis (Fig. 9 j View Figure 9 ) slender, regularly curved ventrally, with sides slightly concave in ventral view, slightly widened preapically; apex elongate elliptical, arched distally with short bilobed broad distal projection; gonopore short oval, with distal end separated from apex of penis by distance slightly longer than maximum width of gonopore; dorsal flap subtrapezoidal, longer than wide, covering about half of gonopore.