Barybas Blanchard, 1850

Ctilocephala Burmeister, 1855: 78 . Type species: Ctilocephala pellucens Burmeister, 1855 (original designation).

Eubarybas Gutiérez, 1952: 216 . Type species: Eubarybas asper Gutiérez, 1952 (original designation).

Hercitis Burmeister, 1855: 79, syn. nov. Type species: Hercitis pygmaea Burmeister, 1855 (designation: monotypy), syn. nov. of Barybas nana .

Microcrania Burmeister, 1855: 75, 536 (synonymy). Type species: Philochloenia compacta Erichson, 1847 (designation: Evans 2003: 230).

Pseudohersitis Moser, 1921: 174. Type species: Pseudohersitis viridiaenea Moser, 1921 (designation: Evans 2003: 343).

Ctilocephala – Katovich 2008: 6 (synonymy).

Eubarybas – Katovich 2008: 6 (synonymy).

Pseudohersitis – Katovich 2008: 24 (synonymy).

Type species

Barybas nana Blanchard, 1850 (designation: Bates 1887: 150).

Diagnosis

Clypeus transverse and narrow (Fig. 5 B), or trapezoid (Fig. 5 A), clypeal posterior angle partially covering the canthus (Fig. 5 A–B), ventral area deflected vertically or not (Fig. 5 C–H); pronotal anterior and posterior margins not beaded, lateral margins crenulate (Fig. 5 A–B); prosternum anteriorly concave (similar to Fig. 12 K); mesoscutum–scutellum limit angulate; mesoscutum with a transverse carina (Fig. 6 G); male protarsomere I with an internodistal tooth (Fig. 5 A–B); elytral striae indistinct, posterior margin not beaded, posterointernal margin beaded; metatarsomere V with internoproximal spine-like setae.

Remarks

Burmeister (1855) described Ctilocephala, Hercitis and Microcrania, and placed them in the Microcranidae division (these genera were differentiated from each other by antennal and tarsal claw characters). The author (Burmeister 1855) also proposed the synonymy of Microcrania with Barybas Blanchard (as an invalid name), described Barybas Burmeister, and noted that Barybas nana (type species of Barybas Blanchard) was probably a synonym of Hercitis pygmaea (type species of Hercitis). Harold (1869) proposed the replacement name Byrasba for Barybas Burmeister, and Bates (1887) gave precedence to Barybas Blanchard over Microcrania . Moser (1921) described Pseudohercitis as a similar genus to those placed in Microcranidae, and discussed the differences in antennae and tarsal claws of these genera. Gutiérrez (1952), also using antennal and tarsal claw characters as diagnoses, described Eubarybas Gutiérrez, 1952, and erected the subtribe Barybasina for Eubarybas and those genera formerly in Microcranidae. Katovich (2008) proposed Pseudohercitis and Eubarybas as synonyms of Barybas Blanchard.

The lectotype of Barybas nana, photos of the syntype of H. pygmaea (by Holger Dombrow), two specimens of B. nana from the Fry collection (BMNH, with in litteris note about B. nana = H. pygmaea), and the type series of Hercitis zikani Moser, 1921 (ZMHU) were studied, and the synonymy of Hercitis pygmaea with Barybas nana is proposed here. The tarsal and antennal variation that were presented as the basis of generic diagnoses in previous studies, are also present in other Macrodactylini genera (e.g., Ceraspis; Dicrania LePeletier de Saint-Fargeau & Audinet-Serville, 1828; Faula Blanchard, 1850; Plectris), and are noted here as interspecific variation. The other three species previously placed in Hercitis are transferred to Barybas, which now comprises 53 species of which the following three are new combinations: Barybas flavosquamosa (Moser, 1924) comb. nov.; Barybas testacea (Moser, 1918) comb. nov.; Barybas zikani (Moser, 1921) comb. nov.

Colporhina is a monotypic genus ( C. bifoveolata, a junior synonym of Melolontha variegatus Germar, 1824) which has been synonymized twice: with Barybas (Lacordaire 1856) and with Isonychus (Gemminger & Harold 1869) . Blanchard (1850: 94) placed Melolontha variegatus Germar, 1824 in Barybas and Burmeister (1855: 47) placed the species in Isonychus and noted the similarity between Colpohrina and Micorcrania and Hercitis (both synonyms of Barybas). After that, Lacordaire (1856) proposed C. bifoveolata as a synonym of M. variegatus, and confirmed the species position within Barybas (in agreement with Blanchard 1850). Gemminger & Harold (1869) confirmed this synonymy but placed the species in Isonychus (in agreement with Burmeister 1855). The type series of C. biflaveolata was not found, and the possibility that Colporhina might be a senior synonym of Barybas needs to be checked.