Bechyneia
Genus of leaf beetles from South Africa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Bechyneia is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae.[1] It contains only one species, Bechyneia spinosa, which is found in South Africa.
| Bechyneia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Chrysomelidae |
| Subfamily: | Eumolpinae |
| Tribe: | Euryopini |
| Genus: | Bechyneia Jolivet, 1950 |
| Species: | B. spinosa |
| Binomial name | |
| Bechyneia spinosa Jolivet, 1950 | |
The genus and species were first described by the French entomologist Pierre Jolivet in 1950, and were originally placed in the subfamily Chrysomelinae. However, this placement was later found to be in error, as the genus actually belongs to the Eumolpinae.[2]
The genus is very similar to roughly sculptured species of Euryope; according to unpublished information on the African Eumolpinae website, B. spinosa is likely a synonym of Euryope monstrosa. This synonymy was formalised by Stefano Zoia in 2024.[3] An association with the spilopyrine genus Cheiloxena was suggested by Jolivet in 1950, but this could not be seen by later authors.[4]