Revision of an Enigmatic Ladybird Genus Empia Weise, 1901 (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) with Description of a New Species from India

The ladybird genus Empia was established by Weise in 1901 to accommodate a single species, Empia vittata Weise from Sri Lanka. Since its description, the genus has attracted very little attention, and its systematic position in modern classification of the subfamily Coccinellinae has remained unclear. Here we provide a revisionary study based on the type and non-typical material of E. vittata, and description of a new species, Empia indica sp. nov. from Tamil Nadu, South India, which is the first report of Empia from India. Lectotype for E. vittata is designated. Habitus and the female genitalia of Empia are illustrated for the first time along with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) illustrations of the key characters. Position of the genus within the subfamily Coccinellinae is discussed and as a result Empia is hereby transferred from Coccidulini to Sumniini based on several morphological characters.