Sumitrosis triplehorni Riley

Riley, Edward G., 2015, Three New Hispine Beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae) from the United States and a New United States Record, The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo 14) 69, pp. 183-190 : 186-189

Sumitrosis triplehorni Riley , new species

( Fig. 3 )

Holotype. Sex undetermined, labeled “FL: HIGHLANDS CO. | ARCHBOLD BIO. STA. | 6 MARCH 2006 | MARK DEYRUP ∥ MALAISE TRAP | RD. 181, SAND | PINE SCHRUB | HABITAT, RED HILL ∥ HOLOTYPE | Sumitrosis | triplehorni | Riley”. Specimen ( Fig 3 .) is in excellent condition, all appendages intact. Deposited in FSCA.

Paratypes. 13 specimens. FLORIDA: Highlands Co., Archbold Biological Station, V-20-1995, D. J. Heffern [1 EGRC]; same location, except - site 4, N27.14982, W081.35610, VIII-28-2009, M. Deyrup, H. Otte, flight trap with pan, Florida scrub habitat [1 ABSC]; same location, except – site 2, N27.14512, W081.35766, VIII-28-2009, M. Deyrup, H. Otte, flight trap with pan, Ceratiola habitat [1 ABSC]; same location, except – site 1, N14804 , W081.35738, VIII-27-2009, M. Deyrup, H. Otte, flight trap with pan, scrub habitat [1 ABSC]; same location, except – Trail 2 SSo, VIII-20-1984, M. Deyrup, Malaise trap [1 ABSC]; same data, except - IX-6-1985 [1 BYU]; same locality, except - Trail 1 SSo, IV-30-1986, M. Deyrup [1 FSCA]; same data, except - III-28-1988 [1 TAMU]; same data, except - V-23-1988 [1 ABSC]; Monroe Co. Big Pine Key, VII-23-1984, E. G. Riley [1 EGRC]; Polk Co. , Tiger Creek Preserve, site 4, N27.83184, W081.48301, VII-10-2009, M. Deyrup, H. Otte, & A. May, flight trap with pan, scrub habitat [1 ABSC]; same data, except - VII-13-2009, Townes trap with pan, scrub habitat [1 ABSC]; Sarasota Co. , Oscar Scherer State Recreation Area , V-10-1987, M. Deyrup [1 FSCA] .

Description. Body elongate, length 2.8–3.4 mm (mean = 3.0 mm, n = 10), width across elytral humeri 1.0– 1.3 mm (mean = 1.2 mm, n = 10), depressed, more-or-less flattened above, pronotum and elytra deeply punctate; pronotum markedly narrower than base of elytra; head narrower than anterior margin of pronotum; dorsal coloration pale yellowish brown with dark maculae, major maculae on elytra with faint aeneous reflection; venter variably yellowish to reddish brown, antennae black; femora and tibiae yellowish, trochanters dark, tarsi brownish. Head: Feeble longitudinal elevation between upper extreme of antennal sockets; vertex minutely granulose with short median groove; clypeus wider than long, elevated across base, surface impunctate and finely granulate, yellowbrown in color; eye large, occupying almost entire side of head; genal space very narrow; surface behind eye without large punctures. Antenna: Moderately long, gradually clavate, with 11 freely articulating antennomeres; scape and antennomere II slightly wider than antennomeres IV–VI; scape and antennomeres II–III subequal in length, antennomeres IV–VI subequal in length and each slightly shorter than II or III; antennomeres VII–X subequal in length; antennomeres VII–XI densely setose with silver-colored hairs; antennomere XI slightly longer than X, apex acute. Pronotum: Wider than long (length/width ratio = 0.83–0.95), greatest width at mid-length, anterior margin with short, distinct, conical median projection, posterior margin transverse; lateral margins subparallel for posterior half and gently curved inward anteriorly to anterolateral angle, each with obscure lateral bead; anterolateral angle with short, stout, setabearing nodule; disc uniformly covered with large, deep punctation except for vague impunctate midline, surfaces between punctation smooth and shining. Lateral margin with narrow black vitta and disc with pair of short vittae not reaching anterior and posterior borders. Elytra: Coarsely punctate, parallel-sided, width across humeri subequal to subapical width; lateral margins finely, uniformly serrate. Punctation on each elytron aligned in 8 uniform rows plus a short scutellar row of 2 or 3 punctures, rows geminate between sutural and 3 uniform discal costae. Dark maculae encompassing suture and 1 st row of punctation from scutellum to apical declivity, with strong aeneous reflection, expanded behind scutellum, at midlength, and before declivity; small isolated maculae present medially at base, before declivity, and behind humeral umbo; margin below humerus, small spot at mid-length, and small spot at apical curvature also brownish to black, each encompassing epipleuron and visible from below in heavily marked specimens. Venter: Prosternum shiny, finely impressed medially, and with few scattered punctures posteriorly; hypomeron of prothorax smooth and shiny, with or without few large punctures; metasternum with few large punctures adjacent to posterior inner margin of mesocoxae and at extreme lateral margin, very finely alutaceous; abdominal ventrites impunctate, finely alutaceous. Legs: Outer margin of mesotibia arcuate, outer margins of pro- and metatibiae straight.

Etymology. Named to honor Charles “Chuck” Triplehorn for his lifetime contributions to Coleopterology and especially for his formal and informal mentoring of numerous students.

Geographical Range. Scrub habitats of the southern half of the Florida peninsula and the Florida Keys (Big Pine Key).

Biological Notes. Nothing is known of the food plant(s) for this species, but a member of the Fabaceae is suspected since the new species is most similar to Sumitrosis ancoroides (Schaeffer) , a species known to utilize Strophostyles Elliott (Fabaceae) as larval hosts ( Butte 1969; Ford and Cavey 1985; Cavey 1994; Clark et al. 2004). Most specimens studied are labeled as having been taken in scrub habitats.

Remarks. This new species shares its general characteristics of size, shape, and coloration with S. ancoroides . It is at once distinguished by the median projection of the anterior margin of the pronotum, an unusual character among North American hispines approached only by some species of Stenopodius Horn. In S. ancoroides and other members of Sumitrosis , the anterior margin of the pronotum is straight and unmodified. The broad sutural macula reaches to the elytral declivity except in two specimens where it is interrupted after its median expansion. The later condition is typical of S. ancoroides . In the new species, the subhumeral area is dark or black in heavily marked specimens, whereas in S. ancoroides this area is pale. There is variation among the paratypes in the expression of the dark elytral markings, with a gradation to faint brownish in the smaller detached maculae of the elytra. A specimen with intense dark markings is figured.

Specimens Examined. See type material cited above.

Figures

Figs. 3–4. Dorsal, ventral, and lateral views. 3) Sumitrosis triplehorni holotype and holotype labels; 4) Odontota signaticollis (specimen from Catron County, New Mexico). Scale bar = 1 mm.