Exomis Weise, 1889

Wang, Feng-Yan & Zhou, Hong-Zhang, 2020, Taxonomy of the leaf beetle genus Exomis Weise (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Clytrini) with description of six new species from China, Zootaxa 4748 (2), pp. 351-364 : 352

Genus Exomis Weise, 1889

Weise, 1889: 563, 577; Jacoby & Clavareau, 1906: 48 (subg. of Gynandrophthalma ); Clavareau, 1913: 67 (subg. of Cyaniris ); Gressitt, 1942: 328; Gressitt & Kimoto, 1961: 93; Seeno & Wilcox 1982: 33 (synonym of Smaragdina ); Regalin & Medvedev 2010a: 78 (resurrected from synonymy with Smaragdina ), Regalin & Medvedev, 2010b: 569 (catalogue).

Type species: Exomis peplopteroides Weise, 1889 , fixed by monotypy.

Diagnosis: The genus Exomis Weise, 1889, can be recognized amongst other Clytrini by the following characteristics: body cylindrical, elongate; antennae short, 1 st antennomere strongly swollen, 2 nd and 3 rd antennomeres small; Pronotum convex, as wide as or wider than elytra in males. Scutellum elevated toward posterior angle and above elytral plane. Epipleura pubescent. Legs robust, tarsi short, first tarsomere longer than second or third. Pygidium not exposed in dorsal view.

The aedeagi in this genus are different from other genera: elongate, tegmen situated at apical part of the median lobe, basal half of median lobe behind tegmen feebly sclerotized or membranous. The characteristics of the aedeagi are not as reliable as in other genera of the tribe Clytrini for species recognition. The female spermatheca and kotpresse sclerites are useful species diagnosing structures. The following determination key to species is a balanced one, and easy to use. For exact species recognition it is helpful to consider both genital characters of both sexes and external morphological structures.

Key to Chinese species of the genus Exomis Weise, 1889

1. Elytra pubescent...................................................................................... 2

- Elytra glabrous, at most lateral sides with a short row of setae.................................................. 3

2. Pronotum pubescent (male body length 5.1 mm; female unknown).............................. E. pubescens sp. nov.

- Pronotum glabrous (male body length 6.8–6.9 mm; female unknown)........................... E. pubipennis sp. nov.

3. Elytra almost entirely metallic green or blue, with a fulvous apical spot (5.4–7.0 mm)................. E. viridis sp. nov.

- Elytra without metallic tinge............................................................................ 4

4. Elytra completely fulvous, without dark markings, at most an indistinct spot at humerus............................. 5

- Elytra black with fulvous markings, or fulvous with black markings............................................. 7

5. Abdomen and thorax entirely dark........................................................................ 6

- Venter with episternum and epimeron fulvous, body length 3.7–5.3 mm ......................... E. deqinensis sp. nov.

6. Legs entirely black........................................................................ E. degenevei Pic

- Femora except for black apex orange, body length 4.6–5.4 mm .......... E. oblongum (Lopatin & Konstantinov) com. nov.

7. Elytra black, each elytron with a round fulvous spot at apex, pronotum fulvous with a central black spot extending both to anterior and posterior margins, body length 4.6–5.7 mm)....................................... E. huangi sp. nov.

- Elytra fulvous with black humeral spot or several black markings............................................... 8

8 Elytra fulvous with several black markings (5.3–6.7 mm)................................... E. peplopteroides Weise

- Each elytron with a black humeral spot, legs mostly fulvous (4.6–6.0 mm)............................ E. tanae sp. nov.