A peculiar new genus and species of pollen-beetle (Coleoptera, Nitidulidae) from eastern Africa, with a molecular phylogeny of related Meligethinae

The pollen beetle Tarchonanthopria freidbergi gen. nov., sp. nov., from SW Kenya, Rift Valley, is described and illustrated. The taxonomic and phylogenetic position of Tarchonanthopria is discussed using evidence from a preliminary molecular analysis of the new genus and a group of related genera, as well as results from a companion paper implementing a morphological cladistic analysis of all 47 extant and fossil Meligethinae genera. Morphological data suggest a taxonomic position of the new genus near the speciose Palaeotropical genus Pria Stephens, 1830, whereas molecular data suggest a closer relationship with the African genus Micropria Grouvelle, 1899. Larval host-plants of the single known species of the new genus are male inflorescences of Asteraceae trees in the genus Tarchonanthus Linnaeus, 1753. Tarchonanthopria freidbergi does not exhibit any close phylogenetic relationships with other Afrotropical meligethine genera associated with Asteraceae Tarchonantheae (i.e. members of the African Anthystrix genus-complex). A table is presented summarizing all available data on Meligethinae larval-host plant relationships. © 2014 © The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London 2014.