Namba testacea Rifkind, 2017

Rifkind, Jacques, 2017, New genera and species of mimetic Cleridae from Mexico and Central America (Coleoptera: Cleroidea), Insecta Mundi 2017 (591), pp. 1-18 : 3

Namba testacea Rifkind , new species

( Fig. 1–3 )

Type material. Holotype, male. Mexico: N. L. [Nuevo León], 9 mi. E Iturbide , VI-13-1962, J. M. Campbell, 4000 ′. Holotype deposited in CASC . Paratypes: 2 ( JNRC), 1 ( CNIN), 1 ( CSCA), same data as holotype ; 1 ( WOPC), Mexico, 23-IV-62 (no further data) .

Diagnosis. This is the only known member of the genus.

Description. (Holotype) Length: 10 mm. Form: pronotum and elytra subflattened above. Color: or- ange-testaceous, except eyes and mandibles black; antennomeres black except inner surface of scape; terminal maxillary palpomeres with a broad infuscate annulus at middle; distal 1/5 of femora, tibiae and tarsi in their entirety, piceous. Elytral surface rather dull, densely set with small/ medium punctations that do not diminish in size or density apically; punctures subconfluent, not arrayed in striae.

Variation. The available specimens are rather uniform. The shape of the female pygidium is characterized under the generic description.

Distribution. This species is known from near Iturbide in Nuevo León, Mexico.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the new species’ nearly concolorous orange-testaceous color.

Remarks. The holotype and four paratypes were collected at 4000′ in the Sierra Madre Oriental. The habitat at the type locality is presumably pine forest and/or piedmont scrub, the characteristic plant landscape types for the Gran Sierra Plegada which encompasses the area around Iturbide (Nevárez-de los Reyes et al. 2016). J. M. “Milt” Campbell collected the type specimens of Namba testacea along with a series of remarkably similar aulacosceline chrysomelid beetles ( Fig. 4 ) (identified as Aulacoscelis hoegei Jacoby by J. A. Wilcox). Some adult Aulacoscelis species in Mexico and Central America are known both to feed upon cycad palm fronds, and to sequester and reflex bleed highly toxic and mutagenic azoxygly- cosides derived from these plant hosts ( Prado et al. 2011; Windsor et al. 1999). Dioon Lindl. , one of the host cycad genera recorded for Aulacoscelis vogti Monrós in northeastern Mexico (Prado et. al. 2011) includes species that range into Nuevo León ( Whitelock 2004), and are known from localities near Iturbide ( González-Astorga et al. 2005). Further collecting is needed to explore the intriguing possibility that Namba testacea mimics chemically protected Aulacoscelis leaf beetles on cycads in Nuevo León.

Figures

Figures 1–4. Namba testacea and Aulacoscelis hoegei anatomy. 1) Namba testacea new species, habitus; 2) N. testacea antenna, detail; 3) N. testacea tegmen, ventral view; 4) Aulacoscelis hoegei, habitus.