''Megascelis'' 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 known from both North America, North and South America. There are around 140 described species in ''Megascelis''. The genus is traditionally placed in the tribe Megascelidini, which was formerly considered a separate subfamily. However, according to Integrated Taxonomic Information System, ITIS, it is now placed in Eumolpini.

Nomenclature

The generic name "''Megascelis''" first appeared as a ''nomen nudum'' in Pierre François Marie Auguste Dejean, Dejean's Catalogue of Coleoptera in 1821. According to Barber & Bridwell (1940), the name ''Megascelis'' became available in Jacob Sturm, Sturm (1826), where the species ''Megascelis aenea'' is described. This species is considered the type species of the genus. However, according to Tiape Gómez & Savini (2001), the name ''Megascelis'' should instead be attributed to Pierre André Latreille, Latreille (1825), who was the first to give a description of the genus.

Species

These species belong to the genus ''Megascelis'': * ''Megascelis acuminata'' Maurice Pic, Pic, 1910 * ''Megascelis acutipennis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis aenea'' Jacob Sturm, Sturm, 1826^g * ''Megascelis aerea'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis affinis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis altamira'' Tiape Gómez & Savini, 2001 * ''Megascelis amabilis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 ** ''Megascelis amabilis amabilis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 ** ''Megascelis amabilis caripennis'' Jan Bechyné, Bechyné, 1997 * ''Megascelis ambigua'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis anguina'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis anisobia'' Tiape Gómez & Savini, 2001 * ''Megascelis argutula'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis asperula'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis aureola'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis baeri'' Maurice Pic, Pic, 1910 * ''Megascelis basalis'' Joseph Sugar Baly, Baly, 1878 * ''Megascelis bitaeniata'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis boliviensis'' Maurice Pic, Pic, 1911 * ''Megascelis briseis'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis brunnipennis'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis brunnipes'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis caeruleipennis'' Maurice Pic, Pic, 1914 * ''Megascelis carbonera'' Tiape Gómez & Savini, 2001 * ''Megascelis championi'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis chloris'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis circumducta'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis cleroides'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis coccinea'' Papp, 1951 * ''Megascelis collaris'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis columbina'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis corcula'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis crenipes'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis crucifera'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis curta'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis cyanoptera'' Theodor Franz Wilhelm Kirsch, Kirsch, 1875 * ''Megascelis decora'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis diducta'' Julius Weise, Weise, 1921 * ''Megascelis dilecta'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis discicollis'' Theodor Franz Wilhelm Kirsch, Kirsch, 1875 * ''Megascelis dispar'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis donckieri'' Maurice Pic, Pic, 1910 * ''Megascelis doralis'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis dryas'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis dubiosa'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1878 * ''Megascelis elegans'' Joseph Sugar Baly, Baly, 1861 * ''Megascelis elegantula'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis exclamationis'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis exilis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis fasciolata'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis fatuella'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis femoralis'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1878 * ''Megascelis femorata'' Joseph Sugar Baly, Baly, 1878 * ''Megascelis filicornis'' Julius Weise, Weise, 1921 * ''Megascelis fissurata'' Tiape Gómez & Savini, 2001 * ''Megascelis flavipes'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis frenata'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 ** ''Megascelis frenata bicolor'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 ** ''Megascelis frenata frenata'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis frontalis'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis fulgida'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis fulvipes'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis fusipes'' Tiape Gómez & Savini, 2001 * ''Megascelis gounellei'' Maurice Pic, Pic, 1911 * ''Megascelis gracilis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis grayi'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis herbacea'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis humeronotata'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis inscriptis'' Papp, 1952 * ''Megascelis insignis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis integra'' Theodor Franz Wilhelm Kirsch, Kirsch, 1875 * ''Megascelis jacobyi'' Clavareau, 1905 * ''Megascelis joliveti'' Papp, 1952 * ''Megascelis lacertina'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis laevicoma'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis larvata'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis lemoides'' Monrós, 1959 * ''Megascelis lucida'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis luculenta'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis melancholica'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1878 * ''Megascelis mexicana'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis minuta'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis miranda'' Tiape Gómez & Savini, 2001 * ''Megascelis misella'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis mucronata'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis nigripennis'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis nitidula'' (Johan Christian Fabricius, Fabricius, 1801) * ''Megascelis obscurevittata'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis opalina'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis ornata'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1878 * ''Megascelis parallela'' Edgar von Harold, Harold, 1870 * ''Megascelis picturata'' Monrós, 1959 * ''Megascelis postica'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis posticata'' Joseph Sugar Baly, Baly, 1878 * ''Megascelis prasina'' Louis Alexandre Auguste Chevrolat, Chevrolat, 1844 * ''Megascelis princeps'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis proteus'' Tiape Gómez & Savini, 2001 * ''Megascelis puella'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis purpurea'' Maximilian Perty, Perty, 1832 * ''Megascelis purpureicollis'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1877 * ''Megascelis purpureipennis'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866^g * ''Megascelis purpureiotincta'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis quadrimaculata'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis quadrisignata'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis robusta'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis rubricollis'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis ruficollis'' Theodor Franz Wilhelm Kirsch, Kirsch, 1875 * ''Megascelis rufipes'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis rufotestacea'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis sacerdotalis'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis sallaei'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis sapphireipennis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis satrapa'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis semipurpurea'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis semiviolacea'' Maurice Pic, Pic, 1910 * ''Megascelis semiviridis'' Maurice Pic, Pic, 1914^g * ''Megascelis smaragdula'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis socialis'' Henry Walter Bates, Bates, 1866 * ''Megascelis spinipes'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis stratiotica'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis submetallescens'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1878 * ''Megascelis subtilis'' Carl Henrik Boheman, Boheman, 1859^{i c g} * ''Megascelis suturalis'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis taeniata'' Theodor Franz Wilhelm Kirsch, Kirsch, 1875 * ''Megascelis tenella'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis texana'' Linell, 1898^{i c g b} * ''Megascelis tibialis'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis titan'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis tricolor'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis unicolor'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845^g * ''Megascelis virgo'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis viridana'' Jean Théodore Lacordaire, Lacordaire, 1845 * ''Megascelis viridipallens'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis viridis'' Johann Karl Wilhelm Illiger, Illiger, 1807 * ''Megascelis viridisimplex'' Hamlet Clark, Clark, 1866 * ''Megascelis vittata'' (Johan Christian Fabricius, Fabricius, 1801)^g * ''Megascelis vittatipennis'' Martin Jacoby, Jacoby, 1888 * ''Megascelis yepezi'' Tiape Gómez & Savini, 2001 * ''Megascelis yungarum'' Monrós, 1959 Data sources: i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.net

Nomenclature

Species

References

Further reading