Relaciones filogenéticas de las especies de Chlaenobia con otros miembros de Phyllophaga s. lato (Coleoptera: Melolonthidae: Melolonthinae)

Previous studies of the genus Phyllophaga Harris, 1827 have provided evidence that would allow the subgenus Chlaenobia Blanchard, 1850 to be restored at the genus level. Moreover, they suggest that Chirodines Bates, 1888 could be a branch of the ancestral stem of species included in subgenus Chlaenobia, because it shares with them the highest number of morphological characters. To test the Chlaenobia status and to corroborate the monophyly of Chlaenobia + Chirodines, a phylogenetic study based on parsimony, including 12 representatives of such genera and 88 taxa of other groups of Phyllophaga s. lato was carried out. The topology obtained in the strict consensus tree shows that the Chlaenobia limits are very clear (bootstrap of 80%), supported by 3 synapomorphies and a combination of 4 character states that are not exclusive to the group. Based on the hypothesis obtained, the revalidation of Chlaenobia as genus and the synonymy of Chirodines are proposed.