Palmaraltica Bechyné, 1959

Roie, Martijn Van, D’Hont, Anouk, Konstantinov, Alexander & Furth, David, 2023, Types of Cuyabasa Bechyné, Palmaraltica Bechyné and Rhynchasphaera Bechyné (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Alticini: Oedionychina) of the Naturhistorisches Museum, Basel, with keys to species and descriptions of genitalia, and new combinations for species transferred to the oedionychine, Zootaxa 5318 (1), pp. 67-82 : 73

Genus Palmaraltica Bechyné, 1959

Palmaraltica Bechyné 1959:347 (type species: Palmaraltica heteronycha Bechyné, 1959 , by original designation).

Number of species. Three.

Distribution. Costa Rica, Bolivia, Ecuador, Venezuela.

Remarks. Bechyné (1959) erected this genus to accommodate species with clearly pubescent elytra, with the third antennomere as long as the fourth, and with bifid pro- and mesotarsal claws (metatarsal claws simple). The latter character was amended in Bechyné & Bechyné (1969), with the description of the second species in the genus, Palmaraltica yepezi , in which all tarsal claws are bifid. Based on our examination of both species, the following additional diagnostic characters of the genus are proposed: pronotum at least twice as wide as long; anterior corners of pronotum not overly thickened (like in Omophoita ) and directed anterolaterally; posterior corners of pronotum slightly directed upwards in lateral view; sides of pronotum explanate. Currently, only one other genus with clearly pubescent elytra is known in Oedionychina : the genus Hirtasphaera Medvedev, 2004 from the West Indies (see also Konstantinov et al. 2022). However, Hirtasphaera clearly differs from Palmaraltica by the shape of the pronotum, simple tarsal claws, much more diffuse pubescence of the elytra and more slender antennomeres. Furth et al. (2003) reported Palmaraltica in Costa Rica, but the species could not be determined since only a few photographs of the specimen were available for study. These photographs did however show some morphological differences from P. yepezi , like the lack of a yellow sutural band, less elongate antennal calli and more finely punctate vertex. It is highly likely that this genus also occurs in Colombia and Panama.