The familiar ruteline scarab beetle genera Plusiotis, Chrysina, and Pelidnotopsis are sometimes referred to as ‘jewel scarabs’ for their brilliant iridescent and metallic colors including green, pink, purple, blue, and even silver and gold (Cave 2000, Hawks 2002). This group of about 100 species (including several that are undescribed) is found exclusively in the New World, mostly in México and Central America (Hawks 2001).

The genera Plusiotis and Pelidnotopsis were placed into synonymy under the older name, Chrysina (Hawks 2001). This synonymic checklist of Chrysina species is arranged by species groups that represent major monophyletic clades within Chrysina based on well-supported phylogenetic relationships recovered by molecular and morphological analyses (Hawks, Babcock & Heraty, submitted). Group names are from the oldest valid taxon within the assemblage. Because taxonomic and phylogenetic research is in progress, species groupings and synonymies presented in the checklist are not necessarily complete for each taxon, and a few names listed as valid species probably warrant junior synonym status.
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Genus CHRYSINA Kirby, 1828

Type Species: Chrysina peruviana Kirby, by monotypy.

syn. Plusiotis Burmeister, 1844: 417. Type Species: Pelidnota victorina Hope, 1840: 11, by subsequent designation (Ohaus, 1934: 61).

syn. Pelidnotopsis Ohaus, 1915: 257. Type Species: Pelidnota plusiotina Ohaus, 1912: 304, by monotypy.

syn. Plusiotina Casey, 1915: 84. Type Species: Plusiotina aeruginis Casey, 1915: 85, by subsequent designation.

Literature

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Boucard, A. 1878. Notes on some Coleoptera of the genus Plusiotis, with descriptions of three new species from Mexico and Central America. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 293–296, plate 16.

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