PHYTODECTA. 



77 



Genus PHYTODECTA, Kirby. 



Phytodecta, Kivbv, Fauna Bor.-Amer. iv, 1837, p. 213 ; Weise, Ins. 

 Deutschl. vi, 3, 1884, p. 488; Jacobson, Hor. Ross, xxxv, 1901, 

 p. 89; Reitter, Fauna Germ, iv, 1912, p. 128. 



Genotype, Ghrysomela rufipes, de Geer, 1775 (North America). 



In 1837 Kirby proposed Phytodeda as a subgenus of Chrysomela, 

 for the above North American insect, ou two characters : (1) 

 "tibia armed near apex with an external tooth, (2) elytra 

 punctured with the punctures arranged in rows." Later the 

 subgenus was given the rank of a genus. The geographical 

 distribution is generally Palsearctic, representatives having been 

 obtained from North America, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Siberia, 

 China, Japan, the Carpathians, and the Ural Mountains, and also 

 occurring in Central Europe. The insects described under this 

 genus from our faunistic limits are from Burma and Manipur 

 ill the north-east corner of India. In general form and build 

 of the body and in the possession of the external tibial tooth 

 our species resemble the genotype, but they differ in having the 

 elytral punctures confused and not arranged in definite series. 

 In spite of this fact a tendency to form series amongst the confused 

 punctures is always noticeable, in some species, as for example in 

 Ph. flavoplagiata, Jac, from Tonkin, more markedly than in 

 Ph. chrysomeloides, Jac. In those species in which the regularity 

 of the series is most pronounced, as in all which are before me 

 in the collection of the British Museum, the interspaces are more 

 minutely and confusedly punctate. On the other hand, when the 

 interspatial punctures become stronger and more dominant, the 

 whole punctuation of the elytra is confused. In spite of their 

 geographical distribution and the absence of seriate punctuation 

 of the elytra, I am unwilling to erect a separate genus for these 

 species, although it is possible that examination of more material 

 later may justify their separation. 



Range, discussed above. 



Key to the Species. 



1. Pronotum with four round black spots [p. 78. 



in a transverse line Ph. chrysomeloides, Jac, 



Pronotum with no such spots 2. 



2. Elytral punctures strongly impressed, 



entirely confused, body feebly 



shining Ph. trilochana, sp. n., p. 81. 



Elytral punctures not strongly im- 

 pressed, with at least a certain 

 amount of arrangement in longi- 

 tudinal rows 3. 



3. Insect opaque Ph. siva, sp. n., p. 80. 



4. Insect shining Ph. manipuria, sp. n., p. 79. 



