Species of the familiar ruteline scarab beetle genus Chrysina are 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 120 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. The original checklist (Hawks 2000) has been updated with more recently described species.  
.
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.

Chrysina "resplendens group"

C. chalcothea (H. W. Bates, 1888)
C. cupreomarginata (F. Bates, 1904)
C. resplendens (Boucard, 1875)
C. tapantina (Morón, 1992)


Chrysina "magnistriata group"

C. beraudi (Warner, Hawks & Bruyea, 1992)
C. magnistriata (Morón, 1990)


Chrysina "adelaida group"

C. adelaida (Hope, 1840)
....ornatissima (Sturm, 1843)
....adelaidae (Nonfried, 1891)
....pavonacea (Casey, 1915)  
C. arellanoi Monzón, 2012
C. centralis (Morón, 1990)
C. citlaltepetlamayatli (Blackaller-Bages & ....Delgado,1994)
C. clavellina Monzón et al., 2020
C. difficilis (Morón, 1990)
C. hawksi Monzón, 2010
....gaellae Ebrard and Soula, 2010
    rutelidundeei Soula, 2012
 C. howdenorum (Morón, 1990)
C. lecontei (Horn, 1882)ß
....aeruginis (Casey, 1915)
....subenodis (Casey, 1915)
....angusta (Casey, 1915)
....sonorica (Casey, 1915)
C. lacordairei (Boucard, 1875)
....cosijoezai Ramirez-Ponce & Curoe, 2017
C. maishei Monzón & Hawks, 2017
C. miguelangeli (Nogueira and Curoe, 2012)
C. occidentalis (Robacker & Hawks, 2022)
C. pehlkei (Ohaus, 1930)
C. plusiotina (Ohaus, 1912)
C. purpurata (Morón, 1990)
C. quetzalcoatli (Morón, 1990)
C. robackeri Hawks, 2020
C. sallaei(Boucard, 1875)
....sallei (Nonfried, 1891)
....sallei (Morón, 1990)
C. zapoteca (Morón, 1990)

Chrysina "victorina group"

C. auropunctata (Ohaus, 1913)
C. aurofoveata (Morón, 1981)
C. moroni (Curoe & Beraud, 1994)
C. purulhensis (Monzón & Warner, 1993)
C. spectabilis (Ratcliffe & Jameson, 1992)
C. terroni (Morón, 1990)
C. victorina (Hope, 1840)

Chrysina "peruviana group"

C. aurilisternum Perez et al. 2016 
C. beckeri H. W. Bates, 1889
C. beyeri (Skinner, 1905)
....ampliata (Casey, 1915)
....ocularis (Casey, 1915)
C. blackalleri Monzón & Garcia, 2011
C. brevis (Rothschild & Jordan, 1894)
C. colima (Morón, 1992)
C. confusa (Ohaus, 1913)
C. crassimargo (Rothschild & Jordan, 1894)
C. dianae (Ratcliffe & Taylor, 1992)
C. donthomasi Monzón & Garcia, 2011
C. erubescens H. W. Bates, 1889
C. expansa (Ohaus, 1913)
C. gorda (Delgado, 2003)
C. giesberti Monzón 2010
C. intermedia (Ohaus, 1913)
C. juxtaprasina Hawks, 2017
C. laniventris (Sturm, 1843)
....latipennis (Sturm, 1843)
....mniszechii (Boucard, 1875)
C. nogueirai (Morón, 1992)
C. peruviana Kirby, 1828
....amoena (Sturm, 1843)
....aeruginosa (Sturm, 1843)
....hoegei (Boucard, 1895)
C. prasina (Boucard, 1878)
C. taylori (Morón, 1990)

Chrysina "macropus group"

C. adolphi Chevrolat, 1859
C. alexae Monzón, 2017
C. baileyana Monzón 2010
C. cavei Hawks & Bruyea, 1999
C. cusuquensis (Curoe, 1994)
C. halffteri (Morón, 1990)
C. karschi (Nonfried, 1891)
C. macropus (Francillon, 1795)
....macropus (Gyllenhal, 1817)
....mexicana Gray, 1832
....henrybatesi Hawks, 2001
C. modesta (Sturm, 1843)
....aenigmatica (Morón, 1990)
C. prototelica (Morón & Howden, 1992)
C. triumphalis Morón, 1990
C. woodruffi Monzón, 2017

Chrysina "marginata group"

C. bruyeai (Hawks, 1999)
C. clypealis (Rothschild & Jordan, 1894)
C. diversa (Ohaus, 1912)
C. falcifera Hawks, 2017
C. marginata (Waterhouse, 1871)
C. ofidiodontophallica Curoe, 2011 
C. ratcliffei (Morón, 1990)
C. sirenicola (Solís & Morón, 1995)


Chrysina "optima group"

C. optima (H. W. Bates, 1888)
....melior (Rothschild & Jordan, 1894)
C. tricolor (Ohaus, 1922)
C. valentini Zubov & Ivshin 2019 


Chrysina "quiche group"

C. benesi Pokorný & Curoe, 2012
C. chimalapensis Mora-Aguilar et al., 2018
C. quiche (Morón, 1990)
C. tecunumani (Cano & Morón, 1995)


Chrysina "rodriguezi group"

C. rodriguezi (Boucard, 1878)
C. schusteri (Monzon, Cano & Bailey, 1999)


Chrysina "auripes group"

C. alphabarrerai (Morón, 1981)
C. auripes Gray, 1832
....auripes (Hope, 1840)
....chalchihuitli (Morón, 1990)
C. costata (Blanchard, 1850)
C. misteca (Morón, 1990)
C. paulseni Hawks, 2017
....neotenochca Morón & Nogueira, 2017


Chrysina "flohri group"

C. flohri (Ohaus, 1905)
C. xalixteca (Morón, 1992)


Chrysina "boucardi group"

C. boucardi (Sallé, 1878)
....magnifica (Arrow, 1919)
C. cunninghami (Curoe, 1999)


Chrysina "batesi group"

C. batesi (Boucard, 1875)
C. curoei (Warner, LeBlanc, Hawks & Bruyea, 1992)
C. guaymi (Curoe, 2001)
C. ohausi (Franz, 1928) 


Chrysina "badeni group"

C. alfredolaui (Hawks, 1995)
C. badeni (Boucard, 1878)
C. turckheimi (Ohaus, 1913)


Chrysina "chrysargyrea group"

C. aurigans (Rothschild & Jordan, 1894)
....keithi (Linell, 1895)
C. chrysargyrea (Sallé, 1874)
C. ericsmithi Monzón & Cano, 1999
C. limbata (Rothschild & Jordan, 1894)
C. pastori (Curoe, 1994)
C. porioni Monzón & Hawks, 2020                
C. strasseni (Ohaus, 1924)

Chrysina "psittacina group"

C. gloriosa (Leconte, 1854)
C. psittacina (Sturm, 1843)
....laeta (Sturm, 1843)
C. woodi (Horn, 1885)

Chrysina "aurora group"

C. argenteola (H. W. Bates, 1888)
....wolfi (Ohaus, 1912)
C. aurora (Boucard, 1875)
C. chrysopedila (H. W. Bates, 1888)
C. chloreis (H. W. Bates, 1888)
C. dzidorhum (Arnaud, 1994)
C. eyai Curoe, 2012
C. gaitalica Curoe & Hawks, 2012
C. luteomarginata (Ohaus, 1913)


Chrysina "orizabae group"

C. antonkozlovi Monzón, 2017
C. orizabae (H. W. Bates, 1889)
....alticola (H. W. Bates, 1889)
C. pricei Hawks, 2020
C. sagacita Hawks, 2017


Chrysina "guatemalensis group"

C. guatemalensis (Monzon, Cano & Bailey, 1999)


Chrysina "veraguana group"

C. galbina Hawks, 2017
C. mercedesae Barria, 2022
C. veraguana (Ohaus, 1922)

Chrysina incertae sedis

C. amalia (Burmeister, 1844) 
C. oreicola (Morón, 1992)
C. transvolcanica (Morón & Nogueira, 2016)

  

Literature

Bates, H. W. 1886-1890. Pectinicornia and Lamellicornia. In: Salvin and Godman (eds.), Biologia Centrali Americana. Insecta, Coleoptera, Vol. 2, Part 2: 1–432.

Boucard, A. 1875. Monographic list of the Coleoptera of the genus Plusiotis of America, north of Panama, with descriptions of several new species. Proc. Zool. Soc. London, pp. 117–125, plate 23.

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.

Boucard, A. 1895. Description of a supposed new species of Plusiotis, from Mexico. The Humming Bird, Vol. 5 (4): 4–5.

Burmeister, H. C. C. 1844. Handbüch der Entomologie. (Coleoptera Lamellicornia Anthobia et Phyllophaga Systellochela.) Vol. 4: 1–588. Berlin.

Casey, T. L. 1915. A review of the American species of Rutelinae, Dynastinae, and Cetoniinae. Memoires on the Coleoptera, Vol. 6: 1–394.

Cave, R. D. 2000. Jewel Scarabs. National Geographic 199(2): 52-61.

Cazier, M. A. 1951. The genera Chrysina and Plusiotis of North Central Mexico (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae). Am. Mus. Novit., No. 1516: 1-8.

Chevrolat, A. 1859. Description d’une nouvelle espece de Lamellicorne du genre Chrysine de Kirby. Revue et Magasin de Zoologie, pp. 481-483.

Gray, G. R. 1832. In: Griffith, The Animal Kingdom, Insects, vol. 1, p. 517

Hawks, D. C. 1995. Plusiotis alfredolaui, a new sibling species of P. badeni Boucard (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). Insecta Mundi 9: 273-276.

Hawks, D. C. 1999. A review of the Plusiotis marginata complex including the description of a new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). Occasional Papers of the Consortium Coleopterorum 3: 21-29.

Hawks, D. C. 2001. Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in Chrysina and a synonymic checklist of species (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). Occasional Papers of the Consortium Coleopterorum 4: 1-8.

Hawks, D. C. 2002. Jewel Scarabs. Museum Notes (University of Nebraska State Museum) 112: 1-4 (with color poster).

Hawks, D. C. 2017. Five new species of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). Insecta Mundi. 1055: 1-9.

Hawks, D. C., C. S. Babcock, and J. M. Heraty. (submitted). Phylogenetic relationships of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), and a comparative method for building character state trees.

Hope, F. W. 1840. On a new species of Dynastes and other Coleoptera. Proceedings of the Entomological Society of London 4: 11.

Horn, W., I. Kahle, G. Friese, and R. Gaedike. 1990. Collectiones Entomologicae A Compendium of the Locations of the World's Entomological Collections Up To 1960. Part I A To K and Part II L To Z. 220pp (Part I); 353pp (Part II). Akademie Der Landwirtschaftswissenschaften Der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik: Berlin, Germany.

International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature. 1999. International Code of Zoological Nomenclature. International Trust for Zoological Nomenclature. London, United Kingdom.

Jameson, M. L. 1998 (1997). Phylogenetic analysis of the subtribe rutelina and revision of the Rutela generic groups (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae: Rutelini). Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum. 14: 1-184.

Kirby, W. 1828 (1827). A description of some coleopterous insects in the collection of the Rev. F. W. Hope. Zool. Journ., vol. 3, 1827 (1828), pp. 520-525.

Monzón-Sierra, J. 2017. Four new species of Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from Guatemala and Honduras. Insecta Mundi. 1056: 1–12.

Monzón-Sierra J. and DC Hawks. 2020. A new cryptic species of metallic Chrysina Kirby (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) from western Honduras. Insecta Mundi 0802: 1–5.

Morón, M. A. 1990. The Beetles of the World. Vol. 10: Rutelini 1. Sciences Nat. Venette, France. 145 pp., 32 plates.

Ohaus, F. 1912. Beiträge zur kenntnis der ruteliden. X. Stett. Ent. Zeit. 73: 304-305.

Ohaus, F. 1913. XI. Beitrag zur kenntnis der ruteliden (Col.). Deutsche Ent. Zeit. pp. 487-511.

Ohaus, F. 1915. XVI. Beitrag zur kenntnis der ruteliden (Col. Lamell.). Deutsche Ent. Zeit. pp. 256-260.

Ohaus, F. 1934. Coleoptera Lamellicornia. Fam. Scarabaeidae, Subfam. Rutelinae. Genera Insectorum, Fasc. 199A: 1–172.

Sturm, J. 1843. Catalog der Käfersammlung, pp. 336-342, plate 3.