Zoologia Neocaledonica 8

The Mémoires du Muséum publish the eighth volume of the series Zoologia Neocaledonica, dealing with the study of the fauna of New Caledonia, one of the « hot spots » of biodiversity in the Southern hemisphere. More than ever, the study of biodiversity in this megadiverse island is a current question. On the one hand, a growing number of molecular phylogenies bring crucial information about the origin and the evolution of local biodiversity. On the other hand, this biodiversity is more and more threatened by multiple landscape uses and its deleterious consequences. In this context, systematic studies like those  of Zoologia Neocaledonica are strongly needed as both a background and a primary source of knowledge, invaluable for evolutionary studies and land management policies.

This volume comprises 19 contributions bearing on Lizards, Fishes and diverse Insects, with the description of many species new to Science, taking into account more than one hundred taxa from New Caledonia.

Éric Guilbert and Tony Robillard are Maître de conférences at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle and they study respectively systematics and evolution of lace bugs and crickets. Hervé Jourdan, Ingénieur de recherche at Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Nouméa, studies the ecology and evolution of native and invasive species in New Caledonia. Philippe Grandcolas, Directeur de recherche CNRS at the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, studies the phylogeny and the evolution of insects. He has been in charge of teams, programs and grants devoted to the study of New Caledonian biodiversity.