Lebiini

Erwin, Terry L., 2004, The beetle family Carabidae of Costa Rica: The genus Epikastea Liebke of the Plochonida Group, with new Neotropical species and notes on their way of life (Insecta: Coleoptera, Lebiini, Agrina), Zootaxa 790, pp. 1-20 : 4-5

Tribe Lebiini , Subtribe Agrina, Plochionida Group

Diagnosis: Head robust with short occiput and broad neck, gena absent; mandible robust, scrobe large with lower margin markedly flanged; mentum with anterior margin produced; ligula quadrisetose, medial setae longer than lateral ones; antennae short, robust, barely extended to level of humerus; antennomere 3 with apical ring of setae only, antennomere 4 pubescence various, in apical 3/4th, half, or in area of apical setal ring only. Pronotum quadrate, rectangulate, or cordiform with lateral margins moderately to broadly flanged; side of pronotum nearly straight or evenly rounded, not dentiform at anterior setigerous pore. Elytron truncate, margin straight or slightly sinuate, lateral angle rounded, dorsal surface smooth with normal interneurs and intervals (although interneurs may be nearly effaced). Tarsomeres smooth dorsally; tarsomere 4 triangulate, emarginate or bilobed.

Notes: Subtribe Agrina consists of those species formerly included in the Subtribe Calleidina (cf. Lorenz, 1998). The Plochionida Group, by virtue of the attributes above, formally is designated here with the type genus, Plochionus Dejean. The heretofore monobasic genus Epikastea Liebke was cataloged in a listing of Agrina genera and placed near other genera of Plochionida ( Lorenz, 1998). Liebke (1935) in his key to genera that he considered Calleidina listed the Genus Epikastea , but he did not designate a type species nor did he later in the same paper treat this new taxon. In Liebke (1936), he formally described the genus as new and designated E. limonae Liebke as the type species. In this 1936 paper he compared his specimens with those of Andrewes[i]ella Csiki (= Euproctinus Leng & Mutchler , see Shpeley, 1986), but did not attempt to place his new genus in a higher­level classification of Carabidae . In his paper of 1935, he keyed Epikastea away from other members of the Plochionida, thus I believe he did not know where they should be classified. Here, I have placed Epikastea Liebke in the Plochionida Group based on character agreement with the Diagnosis above.

New world taxa: Amelus Chaudoir 1872 , Epikastea Liebke 1936 , Menidius Chaudoir 1872 , Phacocerus Chaudoir 1872 , Plochionus Dejean 1821 .