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Podagrica menetriesi |
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Distribution: Europe, Asia Minor and Central Asia, Africa,
India, Sri Lanka.
Statistics: 5 species in Palearctic, near 30 species
worldwide.
Host Plants: Malvaceae:
Althaea rosea, A.apterocarpa, A.pallida, A.
officinalis, Malva silvestris, M.neglecta, M.arborea,
Lavatera thuringica, Hibiscus (Heikertinger 1924b, Medvedev &
Roginskaya 1988).
Comments: Based on Barber & Bridwell (1940), White
(1970) and Pope (1992) we consider Chevrolat as the author of
this genus. The earliest attempt to designate a type species for
this genus (Chevrolat 1845) is invalid.
Diagnosis: Body medium sized, oval, convex from
lateral view. Head and pronotum usually reddish brown or red;
elytra dark blue, green or violet with metallic lustre.
Head pro-hypognathous, broadly oval. Frontal ridge
very wide, flat, forming angular T
shaped, elevated ridge with anterior margin of head capsule.
Facial part of head short. Antennal calli transverse, very
narrow, not connected, well delineated from vertex and frons by
furrows. Interantennal space wider than diameter of antennal
socket and transverse diameter of eye. Gena with very deep
antennal furrow. Eye small. Clypeus and labrum short. Apical
segment of maxillary palpus very long. Antenna 11-segmented,
filiform.
Pronotum wide, convex, with two antebasal
longitudinal impressions. Procoxal cavity closed behind.
Intercoxal prosternal process wide, convex.
Elytra oval, convex, with well developed humeral
calli. Elytral punctures irregularly placed. Epipleuron wide,
almost reaching elytral apex.
Metatibia thin, cylindrical, apically flat and slightly
thickened. First metatarsal segment not longer than following two
segments combined.