Three new species of Merma Weise (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Epilachnini) from Madagascar

Karol Szawaryn; Tomasz Czerwinski

doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5306.2.6

Three new species of Merma Weise (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae: Epilachnini) from Madagascar

Zootaxa. 2023 Jun 20;5306(2):266-276. doi: 10.11646/zootaxa.5306.2.6.

Authors

Karol Szawaryn¹, Tomasz Czerwinski²

Affiliations

¹ Museum and Institute of Zoology; Polish Academy of Sciences; Wilcza 64; 00-679; Warsaw; Poland. k.szawaryn@gmail.com.
² Museum and Institute of Zoology; Polish Academy of Sciences; Wilcza 64; 00-679; Warsaw; Poland. tczerwinski@miiz.waw.pl.

PMID: 37518524
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5306.2.6

Abstract

The herbivorous ladybird genus Merma Weise was regarded as an African endemite, however, recent examination of the type material of the two Malagasy species Epilachna hovana Sicard,1908 [now Merma hovana (Sicard,1908)] and Peralda quadriguttata Sicard, 1909 [now Merma quadriguttata (Sicard, 1909)], revealed they also belong to that genus. Here further three new species of Merma from Madagascar, M. ankarana sp. nov., M. antakotako sp. nov. and M. fisheri sp. nov., are described, diagnosed and illustrated. An updated key to species of Merma from Madagascar is also provided.