Rhabdopterus uncotibialis (Blake, 1976a)

(Figs. 3d, 4d, 5h)

New species record: JGZC: (1) female (JGZC-1226), Atlántico Norte, cra. a Siuna, Empalme-Coperna, Puente Baka, June 2009, Fr. LePont leg., Rhabdopterus uncotibialis (Blake) J. Gómez-Zurita det.; (2) female (JGZC-1378), Jinotega, Volcán Yali (norte), 13.266881 -86.1724001, 4 September 2010, J.-M. Maes leg., Rhabdopterus uncotibialis (Blake) J. Gómez-Zurita det.; (3) male (JGZC-1401), Matagalpa, Selva Negra, 12°59′53.13″N 85°53′38.78″W, November 2010, J.-M. Maes leg., Rhabdopterus uncotibialis (Blake) J. Gómez-Zurita det. MEL: (1) 1 ex., #263, Matagalpa, Selva Negra, 12.996111 -85.908330, 1300 m, 5–7 March 2001, J.-M. Maes, J. Peña & B. Téllez leg.; (2) 1 ex., Región Autónoma de la Costa Caribe Norte, 8 km E Bonanza, Centro de Información y Comunicación Regional para el Trópico Húmedo (CICABO), 14.013335 -84.525334, 100 m, 5 April 2000, on Theobroma cacao, J.-M. Maes & B. Hernández leg.; (3) 1 ex., idem, 15 June 2000, on Persea americana, Y. Dixon leg.; (4) 1 ex., idem, 28 June 2000, on Theobroma cacao; (5) 3 exx., idem, 4 July 2000; (6) 2 exx., idem, 14 July 2000; (7) 6 exx., idem, 19–20 July 2000; (8) 1 ex., idem, 21 July 2000, on Canavalia ensiformis; (9) 5 exx., #11 and #259, idem, 2 August 2000, on Theobroma cacao, Rhabdopterus sp. R. Westerduijn det. 2020; (10) 1 ex., idem, 21 August 2000; (11) 1 ex., idem, 23 October 2000; (12) 1 ex., idem, 8 November 2000, sobre canela; (13) 1 ex., idem, 20 November 2000, on Theobroma cacao; (14) 1 ex., idem, 12 December 2000, sobre aguacate; (15) 1 ex., idem, 19 December 2000, sobre guanabana.

Rhabdopterus Lefèvre, 1885 is a diverse genus in both the Nearctic and Neotropical regions, of relatively imprecise boundaries and with up to thirteen species distributed in Central America, six of them possibly in Nicaragua (Maes and Staines 1991; Flowers 1996). Most species were described by Jacoby (1882) as Rhabdophorus, and a few were described by Blake (1976a), who interpreted them as semicostate Colaspis (Flowers 1996) . The species of Rhabdopterus often present species-specific color patterns in their antennae, with different sets of alternating pale and dark antennomeres. The specimens from Nicaragua clearly have the seventh (and to some extent the sixth as well) and three apical antennomeres dark, which is a very unusual combination. As far as we know, this pattern has only been described for R. uncotibialis, a species currently known from Panama thus far, and the Nicaraguan specimens (Fig. 4d) fit the description of this species in every other detail, including the size above 5.5 mm. Interestingly, it is not possible to reach this species using Blake’s (1976a) key because she considered different length proportions of pronotum and elytra as observed in the Nicaraguan specimens, which have elytra three or more times longer than pronotum. This trait would lead to R. panamensis (Blake, 1976a) instead, which is admittedly similar to R. uncotibialis, but clearly smaller (<5 mm) and lacks the characteristic color pattern of the antennae (Blake 1976a). Moreover, the penis of the Nicaraguan male specimen (Fig. 3d) has the characteristic angulate preapical margin of R. uncotibialis, instead of the gradually narrowed apical margin that Blake (1976a) described for R. panamensis . The availability of females allows illustrating the spermatheca of the species (Fig. 5h), and our new records considerably expand the range of the species northward.