Neefioides rufobasalis (Fairmaire), comb. nov.

(Figs. 9, 11, 13, 15, 25)

Cisseis rufobasalis Fairmaire, 1897:380 (orig. desc.); Alluaud, 1900: 197; Marie & Lesne 1917: 27. Entomogaster rufobasalis: Kerremans, 1903: 226; Théry, 1905: 118; Obenberger, 1928: 340; 1934: 809; Bellamy 2001a: 61.

Specimens examined. Holotype, (MNHN): [Madagascar West, S.P. de Maevatanana] Suberbieville, H. Perrier; 1, 1, Madagascar Est, Belalono, 30 km S. O. Sambava, xi.1968, Vadon et Peyrieras; 5, same data except ii.1969; 1, 1, same data except i.1970; 3, same data except ii.1970; 1 (CASC): CASCENT 8022136/MADASCAR: Mahajanga Prov., For/ret de Tsimembo, 8.7 km 336ENNW Soatana elev 20m, 21­25 Nov. 2001 /19E 1' 17"S 44E 26' 26" E, coll: Fisher, Griswold, et al., California Academy of Sciences, malaise trap in tropical forest coll. code: BLF4507. The remainder of the non­type specimens are deposited in TNSC and CLBC.

Remarks. This species is placed in a new monotypic genus because, although in general facies it resembles the species of Neefia described above, it differs in several important character states as indicated in Table 2. The original description by Fairmaire (1897) in the genus Cisseis Gory & Laporte, 1839 may have been sufficient in 1897, but Cisseis is limited almost entirely to the Australasian region with 84 valid species known from Australia, three species from Papua New Guinea, one species from New Caledonia and two species from the Indo­Malayan region, one each from Indonesia and the Philippine Islands (see Barker 2002).