Zuata Fennah, 1968

Type-species: Tomaspisinella araguana Fennah, 1951 .

Distribution. Colombia south to Bolivia.

Diagnosis. Frons bulbous and shiny (Fig. 12) usually with barely perceptible facial projections characteristic of Hyboscartina.

Description. Pronotum intermediate between those of Neaenus and Monecphora Amyot & Serville, with lateral margins longer than the eye but less than twice as long, fore margin transverse but width across humeral angles not as much as 50% wider than head (the sole exception to this is described below). Antennae as in Neaenus but with peglike sensillum (Fig. 18 B). Tips of male styles slender, transparent; subgenital plates vertical, narrowly divided and tipped with a hooked or pointed process (Figs 36–45 A–B); thecal processes and/or spines usually paired, 4–10 in number and usually retrorse (Carvalho & Webb 2005, figs 9–24).

Included species. More than 25 distinctively coloured species of various sizes and shapes have been reported, but only 8 were previously known from both sexes. Eight species were described from females alone and males without females have been reported for another 9 species: Z. araguana (Fennah), Z. fusca (Lallemand), Z. includens (Walker), Z. luteomaculata (Lallemand), Z. marginata (Lallemand), Z. ochraceorosea (Lallemand), Z. ohausi (Jacobi), Z. pseudoripuaris (Lallemand) and Z. ravidella (Lallemand) . This raises the distinct possibility that color exhibits considerable sexual dimorphism in this genus. Several probable cases are reported below, including the first descriptions of males for 3 species previously known only from females. Another 8 distinctive new species are described. Five others (based on unassociated females) are tentatively synonymized, leaving 31 species. There are now only 2 clearly differentiated species with unknown males, marked with an asterisk (*) in the following key.

Remarks. The species of this genus are probably distasteful to predators. Zuata ephippiata (Breddin) serves as the “model” for an aphrophorine Batesian mimic (Hamilton and Thompson 2007) and the bright patterns of other species are probably also warning coloration.