New xyleborine (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) genus with an Afrotropical-Neotropical distribution

Plant-associated arthropods have been shown to cross large oceanic distances on floating plant material and to establish themselves on distant landmasses. Xyleborini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) ambrosia beetles occur in forests worldwide and are likely capable of  long range dispersal. In less than 20 million years, this group dispersed from Asia to tropical regions of Africa and South America. The phylogeny, taxonomy, and biogeography of one Xyleborus species group which occurs on both continents are reviewed for this study. Based on a well-resolved molecular phylogeny resulting from parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian analyses of four gene loci, we describe a new monophyletic genus, Xenoxylebora Osborn, Smith & Cognato, gen. nov., for this bicontinental Xyleborus species group with seven Afrotropical and six Neotropical species. Six new species are described: Xenoxylebora pilosa Osborn, Smith & Cognato, sp. nov. from Africa, and Xenoxylebora addenda Osborn, Smith &...