The genus Raysymmela Saylor, 1947 (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Melolonthinae, Sericini): taxonomy and phylogenetic analysis

<p><a>Here we revise the taxonomy of the South American genus <i>Raysymmela</i> Saylor, 1947 and perform a phylogenetic analysis based on 126 morphological characters. We propose one new synonym, <i>Raysymmela pallipes</i> (Blanchard, 1850) (= <i>Symmela boliviensis </i>Moser, 1919 <b>syn. n.</b>), and three new combinations, <i>Raysymmela costaricensis </i>(Moser, 1924) <b>comb. n.</b>, <i>Raysymmela seticollis</i> (Moser, 1921) <b>comb. n.</b>, and <i>Raysymmela varians</i> (Erichson, 1847) <b>comb. n.</b> Two new species are described: <i>Raysymmela</i> <i>equatorialis</i> <b>sp. n.</b> (Ecuador) and <i>R. erwini</i> <b>sp. n.</b> (Bolivia). Lectotypes of following taxa were designated: <i>Symmela boliviensis</i> Moser, 1919, <i>S. bruchi</i> Moser, 1924, <i>S. costaricensis</i> Moser, 1924, <i>S. curtula</i> Erichson, 1835, <i>S. pallipes</i> Blanchard, 1850, <i>S. seticollis</i> Moser, 1921, and <i>S. varians</i> Erichson, 1847. Species are redescribed and a key to species is given, external morphological features as well as aedeagus are illustrated for all taxa. Distribution maps as well as a key to currently known South American genera of Sericini are provided. From phylogenetic analysis using parsimony,<i> Raysymmela</i> is not recovered as monophyletic.<b></b></a></p>