Guide to Palearctic Flea Beetle Genera
(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae)

Orestia Chevrolat

Orestia hampei Click here to see a larger image

Orestia Chevrolat in Dejean, 1836:440 (type species Lycoperdina alpina Germar, 1824, Europe, designated by Heikertinger, 1950) (in Endomychidae, Erotylidae). - Germar in Redtenbacher, 1845:121. - Heikertinger, 1924a:42, 47; 1950:82. - Heikertinger & Csiki in Junk, 1939:299. - Kaszab, 1962:368. - Mohr, 1966:245. - Gruev & Tomov, 1986:260. - Konstantinov & Vandenberg, 1996:300. Pyladia Weise, 1882-1893(1886):730 (type species Orestia brulerieri Allard, 1876, Syria, by monotypy) as subgenus. - Heikertinger, 1950:131 (synonymized).

Distribution: South and central Europe, Caucasus, northern Africa.

Statistics: About 20 species in Palearctic.

Host Plants: Ampelodesmos, Prasium (Doguet, 1994).

Comments: According to Barber & Bridwell (1940), Madge (1988) and Pope (1992) the author of this genus should be Chevrolat (in Dejean 1836).

Diagnosis: Body small to medium sized, convex from lateral view. Color brown, dark brown or almost black, with or without light metallic lustre.
Head hypo-prognathous, oval, convex from lateral view. Frontal ridge wide between antennal calli, narrow apically, forming low T-shaped ridge with anterior margin of head capsule. Antennal calli raised, broadly connected, well delineated laterally and from frontal ridge, not delineated from vertex by furrow. Interantennal space usually wider than diameter of antennal socket, and narrower than transverse diameter of eye. Eye small. Orbital line present. Second segment of maxillary palpus slightly swollen. Antenna 11-segmented, more or less moniliform.
Pronotum wide, with transverse and longitudinal impressions basally. Procoxal cavity closed behind.
Elytra oval, with acute apex, without humeral calli. Elytral punctures arranged in striae. Interspaces wide and flat. Epipleuron subhorizontal, sometimes almost reaching elytral apex.
Metatibia thin, cylindrical, slightly expanded and flattened apically. First metatarsal segment shorter than following three segments combined.

Generic Key	Generic Index	Morphology	Host Plants	Overview of Palearctic Fauna	Literature Cited

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