Muisca is a genus of checkered beetles of the subfamily of Clerinae or Enopliinae. The genus was first described by entomologist Maximilian Spinola in 1844.
Spinola contributed extensively to the entomological knowledge in the mid 19th century when specimens were brought to him from South America. The Muisca beetle was found in Colombia and part of the collection of Buquet.
In 1962 Brazilian zoologist described a species Cregya cylindricollis. Peracchi later transferred this species to the genus Paracregya.Description of Paracregya - accessed 21-04-2016 Paracregya cylindricollis was then reclassified as Muisca cylindricollis by Ekis in 1975.List of Cleridae with Muisca bitaeniata and Muisca cylindricollis - accessed 21-04-2016
Etymology The genus Muisca has been named after the Muisca of central Colombia. Maresq, 1860 Encyclopédie d'histoire naturelle ou Traité complet de cette science, d'après les travaux des naturalistes les plus éminents de tous les pays et de toutes les époques: Coléoptères, Volumes 1-3 - p. 258 - accessed 21-04-2016
Description The labium and maxilla of the black-striped red Muisca beetle are less wide than long. This differs from the genus Aulicus.
Species These 33 species belong to the genus Muisca, found in Central and South America:
Muisca adamanta (Opitz, 2018) - Brazil Muisca agma (Opitz, 2018) - Brazil, Venezuela Muisca anachyma (Opitz, 2018) - Colombia Muisca angulicollis (Chevrolat, 1876) - Colombia Muisca apicalis (Spinola, 1844) - Bolivia, Brazil Muisca biordinis (Opitz, 2018) - Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador Muisca bitaeniata Spinola, 1844 - Panamá, Colombia, Venezuela Muisca dilatata ((Chevrolat, 1876)) - Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay Muisca dozieri (Opitz, 2018) - Bolivia, Brazil Muisca fera (Wolcott, 1927) - Costa Rica Muisca heppneri (Opitz, 2018) - Panamá Muisca hexa (Opitz, 2018) - Brazil Muisca hirtula (Klug, 1842) - Brazil Muisca insigna (Chevrolat, 1874) - Brazil Muisca irrorata (Gorham, 1877) - Bolivia, Brazil Muisca lateripunctata (Schenkling, 1906) - Colombia Muisca maculosa (Gorham, 1877) - Brazil Muisca magdalena (Opitz, 2018) - Colombia Muisca malakela (Opitz, 2018) - Peru Muisca menda (Opitz, 2018) - Colombia Muisca mestolinea (Opitz, 2018) - Ecuador Muisca nigrosignata (Spinola, 1844) - Colombia, Venezuela Muisca octonotata (Gorham, 1883) - Costa Rica, Panamá Muisca omma (Opitz, 2018) - Colombia, Ecuador Muisca peruviana (Pic, 1952) - Peru, Bolivia Muisca sigilla (Opitz, 2018) - Bolivia Muisca signa (Opitz, 2018) - Peru Muisca testacea (Klug, 1842) - Brazil Muisca tetraspilota (Chevrolat, 1876) - Colombia Muisca togata (Chevrolat, 1874) - Brazil Muisca variabilis (Spinola, 1844) - Brazil Muisca xanthura (Chevrolat, 1876) - French Guiana, Bolivia, Brazil Muisca zona (Opitz, 2018) - Bolivia
See also
List of flora and fauna named after the Muisca
References