Erythraella, Zoia, 2012

Zoia, Stefano, 2012, Eumolpinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of Socotra Island, Insect biodiversity of the Socotra Archipelago (Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 52), pp. 449-501 : 474-475

Erythraella gen. nov.

Type species. Erythraella bicuspidata sp. nov., by present designation.

Description. Body oblong, dorsum pubescent; head with relatively long genae, only little shorter than diameter of eyes; eyes prominent, inner border feebly emarginate, without supraocular sulci; antennae robust, with four apical segments relatively short, feebly widened; pronotum little wider than long, subglobose, with only traces of margins at sides, narrower than elytra; prosternum oblong, nearly 2.5 times longer than wide between coxae; notosternal suture not evident; elytra oblong, punctation arranged into regular longitudinal rows; humeral callus present, wings completely developed; legs long, profemora swollen, clearly wider than the meso- and metafemora which are weakly widened, femora with small, acute, median tooth; meso- and metatibiae not emarginate near apex, obliquely truncate apically; claws bifid; abdominal tergites poorly sclerotized, with exception of pygidium which is not grooved and shows two symmetrical patches of microsetae.

Diagnosis. A genus related to Fidia Motschulsky, 1860 (= Lypesthes Baly, 1863 ) and Trichotheca Baly, 1860 , characterized by short antennae with stocky antennomeres VIII–XI, relatively short and wide tarsomeres, and oblong head with genae only a little shorter than the diameter of eye.

Comments. The new genus is close to the genera Fidia Motschulsky, 1860 (nec Fidia Walsh, 1867 ) and Trichotheca . A large part of the representatives of this group of genera is known from the southeastern and eastern Palaearctic, but they are not reported from Arabia, Iran or Iraq. In the Afrotropical Region, only two species are known: Fidia (Lypesthinia) multidentata ( Pic, 1939) from Ethiopia which is geographically closer, and Fidia (Fidia) bicoloripes ( Pic, 1936) , doubtfully reported from Algeria by PIC (1936): ‘provenance évidemment fausse’ he stated, as at that time no other representatives of this genus were known from Africa.

Erythraella clearly differs from all representatives of this group of genera, as reported above, and it looks quite characteristic and is geographically isolated from its relatives.

Etymology. From the Latin name of the Arabian Sea: “mare Erythraeum”. Gender feminine.