Aratea Lacordaire, 1848 Fig. 4

Lacordaire 1848: 467; Chapuis 1874: 151; Jacoby and Clavareau 1906: 73; Guérin 1943: 86; Monrós 1953a: 261; Moldenke 1981: 88.

Type species.

Aratea costata Lacordaire, 1848. By monotypy.

Diagnosis.

This genus is easily recognized by the presence of strong parallel carinae on the elytra; other diagnostic characters include: frons very narrow; scutellum slanting posterodorsally, distinctly protruding from the plane of elytra; intercoxal prosternal process nearly absent between fore coxae; epipleural margin broadly angled, tip rounded; elytra without pubescence; frons with medial pit, densely and coarsely punctate throughout; and pygidium strongly convex.

Distribution.

Only two species from Brazil, one present in Argentina, likely to also occur in Paraguay.

Remarks.

Agrain and Roig-Juñent (2011), found eight autapomorphies for the genus, among them elytra with strongly marked longitudinal striae constitutes an exclusive synapomorphy to the genus.

Argentinian species checklist.

1. Aratea costata Lacordaire, 1848 (FOR, MNS, SEO).