Syneta


Syneta is a genus of leaf beetles in the subfamily Synetinae. There are about 11 described species in Syneta. The genus is entirely holarctic in distribution, with species appearing in North America, Siberia, East Asia and Northern Europe.

Nomenclature

The generic name Syneta, derived from the Greek word συνετός meaning "sagacious", was first used by Eschscholtz in his collection, though he never published it. Syneta was then listed in the last two editions of Dejean's Catalogue of Coleoptera. No characters for the genus were mentioned in the Catalogue, though three species were listed; of these species, only one was considered valid, the other two being nomina nuda, automatically making it the type species of the genus. Because of its inclusion in the Catalogue with a valid species, the name Syneta should be attributed to Dejean, though it has also been attributed to Lacordaire, who was the first to publish it with a description in 1845.

Species

Syneta adamsi Baly, 1877Syneta albida LeConte, 1857 Syneta betulae