''Neofidia'' (formerly known as ''Fidia'') is a genus of

leaf beetle The beetle family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as leaf beetles, includes over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making it one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous s ...

s in the subfamily

Eumolpinae The Eumolpinae are a subfamily of the leaf beetles, or Chrysomelidae. It is one of the largest subfamilies of leaf beetles, including more than 500 genera and 7000 species. They are oval, and convex in form, and measure up to 10 mm in size. ...

. It is distributed in

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

and

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

. There are 24 species recognised in ''Neofidia''.

Etymology

The original name for the genus, ''Fidia'', is taken from mythology. The replacement name, ''Neofidia'', refers to the fact it is a new name for ''Fidia'' Baly, 1863, as well as the distribution of the genus in the

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America ...

and

Neotropical The Neotropical realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting Earth's land surface. Physically, it includes the tropical terrestrial ecoregions of the Americas and the entire South American temperate zone. Definition In biogeogra ...

realms.

Taxonomic history

The name "''Fidia''" was first used in 1836 by the French entomologist

Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean (; 10 August 1780 – 17 March 1845), was a French soldier and entomologist. Dejean described a large number of beetles in a series of catalogues. A soldier of fortune during the Napoleonic Wars, he rose ...

in his ''Catalogue des Coléoptères'', listing two species from the New World, ''F. lurida'' and ''F. murina''. Because no description or indication was given for either species, they are considered ''

nomina nuda Nomen may refer to: *Nomen gentilicium, the middle part of Ancient Roman names ** ''Nomen est omen'', a Latin quote about nominative determinism *Nomen (ancient Egypt), the personal name of Ancient Egyptian pharaohs *Jaume Nomen (born 1960), Catal ...

''. Likewise, ''Fidia'' Dejean is also considered a ''nomen nudum''. In 1861,

Victor Motschulsky Victor Ivanovich Motschulsky, sometimes Victor von Motschulsky ( Russian: Виктор Иванович Мочульский; 11 April 1810, St. Petersburg – 5 June 1871, Simferopol) was a Russian entomologist mainly interested in beetles. ...

described a new species of beetle from Japan with the name ''Fidia atra''. Motschulsky's species description, in combination with the generic name ''Fidia'', constitutes an indication for the latter, thereby making the name ''Fidia'' available. In 1863,

Joseph Sugar Baly Joseph Sugar Baly (1816 – 27 March 1890) was an English medical doctor and entomologist. He described a number of species of beetle in the family Chrysomelidae. Baly was born in Warwick, first son of Joseph Baly. He studied at the local gramm ...

provided a description of Dejean's ''Fidia'' and ''Fidia lurida'', making both names available (and making ''Fidia'' Baly, 1863 a junior homonym of ''Fidia'' Motschulsky, 1861). In the same work, Baly also established the Old World genera '' Lypesthes'', with Motschulsky's ''Fidia atra'' as the type species, and ''Leprotes'', which was later treated as a junior synonym of ''Lypesthes''. Following Baly's work, the name ''Lypesthes'' was consistently used for the Old World genus group based on ''Fidia atra'', while ''Fidia'' was consistently used for the New World genus group based on ''Fidia lurida''. An application to suppress ''Fidia'' Motschulsky, 1861 (with the year incorrectly given as "1860") and conserve usage of ''Fidia'' Baly, 1863 and ''Lypesthes'' Baly, 1863 was submitted to the

ICZN The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature (ICZN) is a widely accepted convention in zoology that rules the formal scientific naming of organisms treated as animals. It is also informally known as the ICZN Code, for its formal author, t ...

in 2006. This proposal was rejected by the commission in 2009, upholding the priority of ''Fidia'' Motschulsky, 1861. Following this ruling, ''Fidia'' Baly, 1863 was renamed to ''Neofidia'' in 2020.

Species

There are 24 species currently recognised in the genus ''Neofidia'': * '' Neofidia albovittata'' (

Lefèvre Lefebvre (; commonly in English-speaking countries, as well as or ) is a common northern French surname. Alternative forms include ''Lefebvre'', ''le Febvre'', ''Le Febvre'', ''Lefèbvre'', ''le Fèbvre'', ''Le Fèbvre'', as well as the common var ...

, 1877) (synonyms: ''F. sallei''

, 1877; ''F. unistriata'' Jacoby, 1882) – southern

Tamaulipas Tamaulipas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas, is a state in Mexico; one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 43 municipalities. It is located in nor ...

, Mexico to central

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

* '' Neofidia cana'' (

Horn Horn may refer to: Common uses * Horn (acoustic), a tapered sound guide ** Horn antenna ** Horn loudspeaker ** Vehicle horn ** Train horn *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various animals * Horn (instrument), a family ...

, 1892) – Texas * ''

Neofidia chapini ''Neofidia'' (formerly known as ''Fidia'') is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. It is distributed in North America, North and Central America. There are 24 species recognised in ''Neofidia''. Etymology The original name for t ...

'' (Strother, 2008) –

Guerrero Guerrero, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Guerrero, is one of the 32 states that compose the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into Municipalities of Guerrero, 85 municipalities. The stat ...

, Mexico * '' Neofidia clematis'' ( Schaeffer, 1904) – extreme southern Texas to central

Veracruz Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entit ...

, Mexico * '' Neofidia comalensis'' (Strother, 2008) –

Comala f''or the pseudonymous artist, see Therese Emilie Henriette Winkel'' Comala () is a town and municipality located in the Mexican state of Colima, near the state capital of Colima, being the northernmost and second smallest municipality in Colima ...

Colima Colima, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Colima, is among the 31 states that make up the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It shares its name with its capital and main city, Colima. Colima is a small state of western Mexico on the cen ...

, Mexico * '' Neofidia confusa'' (Strother in E. Riley, S. Clark and Seeno, 2003) – Illinois south to Louisiana, from Kansas and Oklahoma to Kentucky and Tennessee * '' Neofidia convexicollis'' (Strother, 2008) – Texas and Oklahoma * '' Neofidia costaricensis'' (Strother, 2008) –

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

* '' Neofidia delilahae'' (Strother, 2008) – Alabama and Mississippi * '' Neofidia dicelloposthe'' (Strother, 2008) –

Tejupilco Tejupilco de Hidalgo is the seat of Tejupilco Municipality in the State of Mexico, Mexico. It is located approximately 100 kilometres (62 mi) southwest of the state capital Toluca, along Federal Highway 34. The name Tejupilco comes from Náhu ...

Mexico State The State of Mexico, officially just Mexico, is one of the administrative divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of the United Mexican States. Colloquially known as Edomex (from , the abbreviation of , and ), to distinguish it from the name o ...

, Mexico * '' Neofidia dichroma'' (Strother, 2008) –

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

and

Chiapas Chiapas, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Chiapas, is one of the states that make up the Political divisions of Mexico, 32 federal entities of Mexico. It comprises Municipalities of Chiapas, 124 municipalities and its capital and large ...

, Mexico * '' Neofidia guatemalensis'' ( Jacoby, 1879) –

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

El Salvador El Salvador, officially the Republic of El Salvador, is a country in Central America. It is bordered on the northeast by Honduras, on the northwest by Guatemala, and on the south by the Pacific Ocean. El Salvador's capital and largest city is S ...

, Guatemala * '' Neofidia humeralis'' (

, 1877) – Arizona and New Mexico south to

Oaxaca Oaxaca, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Oaxaca, is one of the 32 states that compose the political divisions of Mexico, Federative Entities of the Mexico, United Mexican States. It is divided into municipalities of Oaxaca, 570 munici ...

, Mexico * '' Neofidia longipes'' ( F. E. Melsheimer, 1847) – east of the

Appalachian Mountains The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, are a mountain range in eastern to northeastern North America. The term "Appalachian" refers to several different regions associated with the mountain range, and its surrounding terrain ...

* '' Neofidia lurida'' ( Baly, 1863) (synonym: ''Fidia viticida''

Walsh Walsh may refer to: People and fictional characters * Walsh (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters Places Australia * Mount Walsh, Mount Walsh National Park Canada * Fort Walsh, one of the first Royal Canadian Mounted ...

, 1867) – Grape rootworm; found throughout eastern North America * '' Neofidia marraverpa'' (Strother, 2008) – Oaxaca, Mexico * '' Neofidia papillata'' (Strother, 2008) –

Hidalgo Hidalgo may refer to: People * Hidalgo (nobility), members of the Spanish nobility * Hidalgo (surname) Places Mexico :''Most, if not all, named for Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla (1753–1811)'' * Hidalgo (state), in central Mexico * Hidalgo, Coah ...

, Mexico * '' Neofidia pedestris'' (

, 1877) – along

Sierra Madre Oriental The Sierra Madre Oriental () is a mountain range in northeastern Mexico. The Sierra Madre Oriental is part of the American Cordillera, a chain of mountain ranges (cordillera) that consists of an almost continuous sequence of mountain ranges that ...

in eastern Mexico, from Hidalgo to Oaxaca * '' Neofidia pedinops'' (Strother, 2008) – Alabama, Florida and Georgia * '' Neofidia rileyorum'' (Strother, 2008) – southwestern United States, west of the Appalachian Mountains * '' Neofidia spuria'' (

, 1877) (synonym: ''F. atra'' Jacoby, 1882) –

Sierra Madre del Sur The Sierra Madre del Sur is a mountain range in southern Mexico, extending from southern Michoacán east through Guerrero, to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in eastern Oaxaca. Geography The Sierra Madre del Sur joins with the Eje Volcánico Transv ...

in Guerrero and Oaxaca, Mexico * '' Neofidia texana'' ( Schaeffer, 1934) – Texas * '' Neofidia tibialis'' ( Jacoby, 1890) – Mexico * '' Neofidia xanthonioides'' (Strother, 2008) –

in Mexico ''Fidia murina'' Glover, 1868 is considered a ''

nomen dubium In binomial nomenclature, a ''nomen dubium'' (Latin for "doubtful name", plural ''nomina dubia'') is a scientific name that is of unknown or doubtful application. Zoology In case of a ''nomen dubium,'' it may be impossible to determine whether a ...

''. ''Fidia lateralis'' Jacoby, 1882 was transferred to '' Xanthonia''.

Etymology

Taxonomic history

Species

References

Further reading