(Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae)
Minota Kutschera
Minota obesa |
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Minota obesa |
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Distribution: Europe, Japan, Nepal.
Statistics: 5 species.
Host Plants: Vaccinium
myrtillus (Heikertinger, 1950).
Comments: According to several authors (Kimoto 1965,
Gruev & Tomov 1986) the date of this genus is 1859, but Kutschera
(1859) mentions Minota only in his key, without a
description, diagnosis or species names. Probably for this reason
Kutschera (1864) later accepted the name Hypnophila,
properly proposed by Foudras (1859 (1860)). Hypnophila
Foudras is presently recognized as a junior homonym.
According to the rules of Zoological Nomenclature Minota
has been available since 1859.
Diagnosis:
Body small to medium sized, oval, very convex. Color
dark brown or black, with or without metallic lustre.
Head pro-hypognathous, ovoid, convex from lateral
view. Facial part typical in length. Frontal ridge short, wide
and flat between antennae, notably tapering anteriorly, not
forming elevated ridge with anterior margin of head capsule.
Antennal calli transverse, very narrow, not connected, well
delineated from vertex and frons by furrows. Interantennal space
wider than diameter of antennal socket. Orbital line present.
Antenna 11-segmented, filiform, 4 apical segments moniliform.
Pronotum wide, very convex, basally almost as wide as
elytra, with antebasal short longitudinal furrows. Procoxal
cavity closed behind. Intercoxal prosternal process narrow with
apex notably broadened and explanate laterally.
Elytra oval, very convex, without humeral calli.
Punctures arranged in striae; interspaces convex. Epipleuron
wide, subhorizontal, almost reaching posterolateral elytral
margin.
Metatibia comparatively long, laterally flattened,
thin, slightly thickened and flat apically. Dorsal surface
without hairs, convex. First metatarsal segment short, shorter
than following three segments combined.
