Genus Scelida Chapuis, 1875

Scelida Chapuis, 1875: 184 (type species Scelida elegans Chapuis, 1875, by monotypy).

Remarks

This genus contains eleven described species. Numerous undescribed species also belong here (Clark 1987b). They occur from the southwestern United States to Panama. Most of them have appendiculate tarsal claws, but one species, S. metallica Jacoby, 1888, has bifid claws. In some species, the males have curious appendages on the ventral side of the abdomen, but these are lacking in other species. See Clark (1987b) for a key to the species. See Fig. 127 for a habitus illustration. As noted in the preceding discussion of Metacycla, the species Cneorane nigripes does not belong in Scelida, although it has been classified in this genus. Additionally, in recent classifications, Scelolyperus tenuimarginatus Bowditch, 1925, has been included in Scelida . However, examination of the male holotype (Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University) reveals that this species properly belongs in Mimastra Baly, 1865 as a comb. nov. Furthermore, we believe the specimen matches Mimastra semimarginata Jacoby, 1886, a species occurring in Indonesia. Syntype photographs from the Genoa Museum support this (photographs shared by one of the reviewers). Thus, we synonymize these two names, syn. nov. The locality label “ Brasil ” for S. tenuimarginatus is probably in error.