| Taumacera facialis | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Chrysomelidae |
| Genus: | Taumacera |
| Species: | T. facialis |
| Binomial name | |
| Taumacera facialis (Baly, 1886) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Taumacera facialis is a species of leaf beetle found in Sri Lanka. [1]
This species belongs to the Taumacera nasuta species-group. Males exhibit a strongly modified head structure (a secondary sexual characteristic) and slender antennae, with antennomere III typically slightly emarginated. The aedeagus (male genitalia) has two small denticles near the apex dorsally. A key diagnostic feature is the bifurcate metasternal process. As with many beetles in the genus Taumacera , males show significant variability in antennae and head shape. [1]
The species was originally described in the genus Aenidea as Aenidea facialis by Joseph Sugar Baly in 1886. It was later treated under the synonym Neochrolea cavifrons Jacoby, 1887, which was synonymized with A. facialis by Bryant in 1923. Historically, it has been classified in the genera Palpoxena or Acroxena . Based on the presence of a metasternal process and the strongly modified male head, it was transferred to the genus Taumacera by Šípek (2013) and assigned to the T. nasuta species-group. [1]
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