A three-year research by Spanish scientists in Caledonia has led to the discovery of two new herbivorous beetles – Arsipoda geographica and Arsipoda rostrata. The interesting point is that the beetles feed on plants that the scientists have still not found on the archipelago.
The researchers used previously-developed molecular tools in order to classify the DNA sequences of the animals' diet obtained from the digestive tract of the insects at the time they were killed in order to extract their DNA.
The new species, Arsipoda geographica, feeds on a tropical plant in the mountains (Myrsinaceae), while Arsipoda isola, feeds on another plant (Ericaceae) in the southern jungles of the island. These botanical species have still not been found on the archipelago. This provides indirect evidence of botanical diversity of Caledonia,
Details appear in the latest edition of Journal of Natural History
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