Taxonomy in color, revision of the subgenus Chrooxantha (Coleoptera: Buprestidae: Chrysochroa) using morphological and color data

Taxonomy defines the basic categories on which all biological research operates. In Jewel Beetles (Coleoptera: Buprestidae), the 8^th most speciose Coleopteran family with >15,000 species, color is often utilized to distinguish between morphologically similar species. The taxonomically difficult genus Chrysochroa is assembled of several morphologically conserved species-complexes highly diverse in coloration, and differential interpretations of perceived color furthered taxonomic instability. Colors in the members of Chrysochroa are produced through organized, alternating layers of melanin and chitin in the epicuticle, forming Bragg stacks which selectively reflect specific wavelengths of light. In this research, color is investigated as an extended phenotype in the form of spectral reflectance measured through spectrophotometry, and as ultrastructural morphology analyzed through transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The resulting color data was combined with morphological and biogeographical analysis to produce a revision of the subgenus Chrooxantha (Buprestidae: Chrysochroa). Superficially similar taxa previously classified as the same species were revealed to possess distinctly different spectral reflectance patterns produced by divergent epicuticle ultrastructure. Dissection further revealed species level differences in internal morphology, and distributional boundaries indicative of allopatric speciation were discovered through biogeographical analysis.