Habitat use and diet as biogeographic indicators for subantarctic Ectemnorhinini (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Most of the species in the Ectemnorhinini are cryptogam feeders, angiosperm feeders representing a minority. It is hypothesized that this dearth of angiosperm feeders is due to previous climatic conditions, which precluded angiosperm herbivory, but allowed for the exploitation of a diverse cryptogamic flora, and that only with the post-glacial warm-up of the Subantarctic has angiosperm herbivory become possible. When examined in the light of the Quaternary history of the South Indian Ocean Province islands, evidence obtained from a study of the habitat use, diet and morphology of species within the tribe supports this hypothesis.