''Muisca'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of
checkered beetle
Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences.
Cleridae have many niches and f ...
s of the subfamily of
Clerinae
Clerinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Cleridae.
Genera
* ''Allonyx''
* '' Aphelocerus''
* ''Aphelochroa''
* ''Aulicus''
* '' Balcus''
* '' Calendyma''
* '' Caridopus''
* ''Clerus''
* '' Colyphus''
* '' Corynommadius''
* '' Dologenit ...
or
Enopliinae
Enopliinae is a subfamily of beetles in the family Cleridae.
Genera
'' Apolopha'' – '' Apteropilo'' – '' Boschella'' – '' Chariessa'' – '' Corinthiscus'' – ''Cregya'' – '' Curacavi'' – '' Enoplium'' – '' Exochonotus'' – '' La ...
. It is only known from two species, the
type species
In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen( ...
, ''
Muisca bitaeniata'' and ''
Muisca cylindricollis''. The genus was first described by entomologist
Maximilian Spinola in 1844.
[
Spinola contributed extensively to the entomological knowledge in the mid 19th century when specimens were brought to him from South America. The ''Muisca'' beetle was found in Colombia and part of the collection of Buquet.][
In 1962 Brazilian zoologist described a species ''Cregya cylindricollis''. Peracchi later transferred this species to the genus ''Paracregya''. ''Paracregya cylindricollis'' was then reclassified as ''Muisca cylindricollis'' by Ekis in 1975.List of Cleridae with ''Muisca bitaeniata'' and ''Muisca cylindricollis'']
- accessed 21-04-2016
Etymology
The genus ''Muisca'' has been named after the Muisca
The Muisca (also called Chibcha) are an indigenous people and culture of the Altiplano Cundiboyacense, Colombia, that formed the Muisca Confederation before the Spanish conquest. The people spoke Muysccubun, a language of the Chibchan l ...
of central Colombia.[ Maresq, 186]
Encyclopédie d'histoire naturelle ou Traité complet de cette science, d'après les travaux des naturalistes les plus éminents de tous les pays et de toutes les époques: Coléoptères, Volumes 1-3 - p. 258
- accessed 21-04-2016
Description
The labium and maxilla
The maxilla (plural: ''maxillae'' ) in vertebrates is the upper fixed (not fixed in Neopterygii) bone of the jaw formed from the fusion of two maxillary bones. In humans, the upper jaw includes the hard palate in the front of the mouth. The ...
of the black-striped red ''Muisca'' beetle are less wide than long. This differs from the genus ''Aulicus
''Aulicus'' is a genus of checkered beetles in the family Cleridae
Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety o ...
''.[
]
See also
* List of flora and fauna named after the Muisca
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q18591195
Cleridae genera
Endemic fauna of Colombia
Arthropods of Colombia
Altiplano Cundiboyacense