Fidia atra

Fidia atra is a species of leaf beetle in the family Chrysomelidae.[2] It is distributed in Japan, China, Korea, and the Russian Far East.[4]

Fidia atra
Fidia atra, Japan
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Infraorder:	Cucujiformia
Family:	Chrysomelidae
Subfamily:	Eumolpinae
Tribe:	Bromiini
Genus:	Fidia
Species:	F. atra
Binomial name
Fidia atra Motschulsky, 1861[1]
Synonyms[2]
Leprotes pulverulentus Jacoby, 1885[3] Leprotes testaceipes Pic, 1928 Lypesthes ater ater f. tibialis Ohno, 1958 Lypesthes ater fulvipes Chûjô, 1954 Talmonus farinosus Fairmaire, 1889

The adult beetle is generally coloured black. In nature, the body is covered with a white powdery excrescence; when rubbed, it has a shining black colour. The distal ends of the tibiae, the tarsi, the basal three segments of the antennae, and the labrum are fulvous in colour.[3]

The species was first described by Victor Motschulsky in 1861 from specimens that had been rubbed, therefore lacking the white powder covering the beetle's black body, giving it the name "atra" (from ater, the Latin word for black). It was described again by Martin Jacoby in 1885, this time with the white powder, under the name Leprotes pulverulentus. Later that same year, Jacoby realised that his species was identical to Motschulsky's and synonymised his own species with it.[5] The species was later described a third time by Léon Fairmaire in 1889 under the name Talmonus farinosus, which was synonymised by Jacoby the following year.[6]