Charidotella (Charidotella) flaviae Maia & Buzzi, 2005

Maia, Ozana Maria De Andrade & Buzzi, Zundir Jos Ẽ, 2008, Description of the immatures of Charidotella (Charidotella) flaviae Maia & Buzzi, 2005 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), Zootaxa 1899, pp. 43-49 : 44-48

Charidotella (Charidotella) flaviae Maia & Buzzi, 2005

(Figs. 1–14).

Egg (Fig. 1): Approximately 1.7 times longer than its largest diameter, measured at mid height. Ochre coloration. Isolated or grouped egg laying pattern (up to 20 eggs per cluster). Undulated surface with two concave sections, the anterior always being smaller than the posterior; anterior pole with two peduncles. Eggs measured on the same day gave the following parameters: mean length and width in millimeters, and amplitude (in parentheses) and standard deviation (within brackets), respectively: 1.69 (0.84–1.16) [0.097]; 0.62 (0.52– 0.68) [0.046].

Eggs of C. (Charidotella) flaviae are easily identified by the ochre color and by the two peduncles at the anterior pole, different from those of closely-related species, such as Drepanocassis profana (Boheman) , which has three peduncles at the anterior pole ( Buzzi & Winder 1986).

Larvae (Figs. 2–6).

I instar larval (Fig. 2): Elongate white body, with a slightly distinct pronotal plate, glabrous. Scolus without ramifications. Branches of the anal fork relatively long and reach the metathorax when curved over the body.

II–IV instar larval (Figs. 3–5). Larvae of the II, III and IV instar are similar; they differ from V instar larvae (described bellow) in the following characteristics: yellow color, with the pronotal plate slightly darker than the body, with a slightly emarginated posterior border, presenting a few yellowish gold spots and without setae, as are the ramified scolus and the rest of the body. Anal fork relatively long and if they curve over the body do not reach the metathorax. Ventrally they are similar to V instar larvae.

V instar larval (Fig. 6). Slightly flattened dorso-ventrally, light brown, approximately 2.0 times longer that its greatest width; subparallel sides. Fifteen pairs of scolus: three at the prothorax, the first being bifurcated, two at the mesothorax, two at the metathorax and eight abdominal, one for each segment. Each scolus has orange spots at the base, measuring (the first to the last): 1,40; 1.0; 1,2; 0,8; 1,2; 0,68; 1,12; 1,12; 1,12; 0,96; 0,92; 0,80; 0,88; 1,44; 1,40. The tip of the abdomen with a relatively long brown anal fork, which is curved anteriorly to reach the metathorax.

Head ( Fig. 9 ), frontal view, somewhat rounded, gray color, with two slight depressions right behind the clypeus, at the height of the stemma superior and closer to the middle. Parietals with few setae, densely spotted. Eight stemmata in line and in pairs, with three internal pairs, parallel to the anterior line of the antennae and one more external pair. Antennae ( Fig. 10 ) made up of two antennomeres: a basal section in the form of a short ring with a short setum next to the base of the second antennomere; the distal antennomere being slightly longer than the basal and with sensorial processes at the top, one being longer than the others. Clypeus about four times wider than its median length, with four setae. Labrum, subtrapezoidal form ( Fig. 11 ), approximately 2.5 times wider than its median length; surface with four setae arranged transversely and two small setae near the median line; anterior edge in the form of an arc, with a few short sensorial setae in the middle; posterior edge nearly straight, with a lateral projection; middle dorsal region covered with micro-setae. Symmetricals mandibles (Fig. 12), subretangular; four teeth at the tip, the upper one being pointed with a setum near the dorsal third and the rest with micro-teeth at the edges. Maxillae partially fused with the labium (Fig. 13) with a membranous cardines not distinguished, about 1.8 times longer than its median width; inner half more heavily sclerotized, ventral face with three setae; estipe with two setae near the tip; mala globosa, with eight unequally long setae; maxillary palp with two palpomeres; the basal, ring form, with a setum; the distal, sub-conic, with two setae. Labium formed by membranous mentum and submentum; labium palp with one palpomere, approximately 1.12 times longer than its basal width; mentum and submentum regions with a membranous aspect, slightly widened posteriorly, with eight short setae.

FIGURES 1–4. Charidotella (Charidotella) flaviae : (1) egg; larvae (2) 1st instar; (3) 2nd instar; (4) 3rd instar.

Pronotal plate brown with a shallow median furrow. Mesothorax, latero-posteriorly, with a spiracle on each side and a brown peritreme. Metanotum with no markings; epimero, thighs and claw, the same color as the body. Claw with setae, near the base at the internal and distal edge. Abdominal tergites with a broad brown band along the middle. Spiracles with peritremes of the same color, located dorsally at each side of the first seven abdominal tergites, near scolus 8–14.

Leg (Fig. 14) with the femur slightly shorter than the tibia, with a dorsal setum. Tibia with various setae. Tarsungulus with a dorsal setum.

Pupae (Figs. 7–8). Elongate, about 1.7 times longer than its greatest width, measured at the second abdominal tergite (without including the corresponding scolus). In a lateral view, ventrally flattened and slightly convex dorsally.

FIGURES 5–8. Charidotella (Charidotella) flaviae : larvae (5) 4th instar; (6) 5th instar; (7) pupa: dorsal view, (8) ventral view.

In a dorsal view (Fig. 7), sides of the abdomen (without the scolus) slightly curved, becoming more accentuated posteriorly. Brown, with few short, whitish setae on the tegument, being more abundant near the brown band, in all of the tergites. Pronotum with few gray smudges, protruding slightly above the mesonotum, about 1.7 times wider than long; surface with two yellow strips, one central and the other transversal a little below the middle of the pronotum; anterior edge having small scolus, with the anterior and lateral ones being larger.

In a ventral view (Fig. 8), the cephalic vertex triangular-shaped, slightly blackened, with an interalveolar furrow to the tip. Antennae lighter in color than the head (as well as the rest of the body), passing ventrally the sides of the prothorax and reaching the tip of the mesofemur, with inconspicuous segmentation. Trapezoidal clypeo-labral area, with a concave anterior edge and a rounded tip. Mandibles with widened apices, without teeth. Labial and maxillary palps digitiform.

Material examined. BRAZIL: Paraná: Curitiba , 934,6m, S25º25'04" O 49º14'30": Adults of C. (Charidotella) flaviae were collected from leaves of Ipomoea cairica (Convolvulaceae) , near the Polytechnic Center of the Federal University of Paraná ( UFPR), Curitiba , PR, Brasil; they were reared on leaves of this plant species at under laboratory conditions, in plastic cages (18 x 18 x 25 cm) from January to March 2005 and then killed and conserved in KAHLE. The study material were deposited in the “Padre Jesus Santiago Moure Insect Collection”, of the Departamento de Zoologia da Universidade Federal do Paraná ( DZUP).

FIGURES 12–14. Charidotella (Charidotella) flaviae, Fifth instar larval. (12) Maxillolabial complex, (13) mandible; (14) 2nd pair of legs.

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 11. Charidotella (Charidotella) flaviae, Fifth instar larval. (9) head, (10) antenna, (11) labrum.