BiondiMaurizioD’AlessandroPaolaAfrotropical flea beetle genera: a key to their identification, updated catalogue and biogeographical analysis (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Galerucinae, Alticini)Zookeys201220122012253115810.3897/zookeys.253.3414 Chirodica http://species-id.net/wiki/Chirodica Germar, 1834Figs 30156–157303References.

Germar 1834: 2; Baly 1876a: 441; Scherer 1983: 173; Biondi 1998b: 17, 45; Biondi and D’Alessandro 2010a: 406.

Type species.

Chirodica chalcoptera Germar, 1834: 16 (Cape of Good Hope), designation by monotypy.

Distribution.

Namibia and the Republic of South Africa (Fig. 303).

Ecology.

This genus is strictly associated with the plant family Proteaceae (mainly Protea spp. and Leucadendron spp.) (Biondi 1998b).

Notes.

Eight species have been described.

Habitus. 29 Chaillucola formicicornis Bechyné 30 Chirodica chalcoptera Germar 31 Collartaltica cryptostoma Bechyné 32 Decaria abdominalis Jacoby 33 Diamphidia nigroornata Stål 34 Dibolia bimaculata Jacoby 35 Dimonikaea descarpentriesi Bechyné 36 Diphaulacosoma laevipenne Jacoby 37 Djallonia maindra Bechyné.

Morphological characters. 152 Celisaltica ruwenzorica Biondi, metasternum and abdomen 153 Chabria betsimisaraka Biondi & D’Alessandro, sublateral sulci on pronotum 154 Chaetocnema sudafricana Biondi & D’Alessandro, ciliate dentate emargination of hind tibiae 155 Chaillucola formicicornis Bechyné, head and right antenna in dorsal view in male 156 Chirodica similfulva Biondi, buccal parts 157 Chirodica chalcoptera Germar, prosternum and anterior femora in ventral view.

Maps of distribution. 302 Chaillucola Bechyné 303 Chirodica Germar 304 Collartaltica Bechyné 305 Decaria Weise 306 Diamphidia Gerstaecker 307 Dibolia Latreille.

GermarEF (1834) Description du genre Chirodica. Revue Entomologique 2. Deuxième Partie: Descriptions d’espèces nouvelles: 16, pl. 18.BalyJS (1876a) Descriptions of new genera and species of Halticinae. Transactions of the Entomological Society of London 1876: 433−449.SchererG (1983) Review of the genus Chirodica Germar. Entomologische Arbeiten aus dem Museum Georg Frey 31−32: 173−175.BiondiM (1998b) Revision of the Genus Chirodica Germar with description of five new species (Coleoptera Chrysomelidae). In: Biondi M, Daccordi M, Furth DG (Eds), Proceedings of the Fourth International Symposium on the Chrysomelidae. Proceedings of XX I.C.E. Firenze, 1996. Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali, Torino, 17−48.BiondiMD’AlessandroP (2010a) Genus-group names of Afrotropical flea beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae): Annotated catalogue and biogeographical notes. Eur. J. Entomol.107: 401-424.