Griburius boucardi ( Jacoby, 1880 )

Sassi, Davide, 2023, Revision of the Griburius scutellaris (Fabricius, 1801) species group (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cryptocephalinae), Zootaxa 5315 (6), pp. 501-548 : 516-518

Griburius boucardi ( Jacoby, 1880)

( Figs 4 ; 12c )

Scolochrus boucardi Jacoby, 1880: 63 (original description).

Giburius boucardi: Clavareau, 1913: 89 (catalogue); Blackwelder, 1946: 639 (catalogue).

Types. Jacoby reported that only a single specimen of the species was available for the study. The single female housed in MCZ matches the original description, therefore it is here accepted as the holotype of the species. HOLOTYPE: ♀, pinned, // “ Panama Bouchard.” [white label, handwritten] // “Type Sp. Figured.” [white label, handwritten] // “1st Jacoby Coll.” [white label, printed] // “Type 8642” [red label, partly printed] “ Griburius boucardi ( Jacoby, 1880) ( Scolochrus boucardi ) HOLOTYPUS D. Sassi det.” [red label, printed] // (MCZ).

Type locality. “ Panama ” .

Additional material examined. PANAMA: Panama: Cerro Campana 450m 8°40’N 79°56’W 19.VI.1971 (1, TAMU) ; Cerro Campana 11.V.1980 (1, ERPC) ; Cerro Campana 18.VII.1976 (1, USNMHN) ; Veraguas: 20 km W Santiago 26.V.1980 (6, ERPC) ; La Esmeralda, Canto del Llano 3.V.2021 (1, GBIF) ; Coclé: Penonomé 28.V.2020 & 5.VI.2020 (3, GBIF) .

Distribution. At present, the species is known only from Panama.

Diagnosis. Even though the dorsal colouration is generally highly variable within the G. scutellaris species group, G. boucardi seems to be quite constant in its peculiar black elytral pattern, that resembles a large H-shape.

Description of male. BL = 4.3–5.0 mm, BW = 2.7–3.2 mm, PL = 1.6–2.0 mm, PW = 2.5–3.0 mm. Interocular distance 4.0–4.7 % of BL.

Head ( Fig. 4d ) yellow with vertex, surface between upper lobes of eyes and lower part of clypeus black. Labrum brownish. Vertex sparsely and shallowly punctured with very short, recumbent, whitish setae. Surface of frontoclypeal area with sparse, weakly impressed punctation and scattered setae. Longer setae only along inner eye rims and on mouth parts. Mid-cranial suture well detectable between upper lobes of eyes. Upper lobes of eyes close to each other along midline, but always separated by distinct strip of frons space. Ocular lines narrow, marked by row of weakly impressed punctures, strictly adhering to ocular rim up to ocular canthus. Ocular canthus large not differentiated in punctation and setosity from the remainder of frontoclypeal surface. Antennae ( Fig. 4m ) uniformly brownish rather short with antennomeres 3–5 bright, subcylindrical; antennomeres 6–11, dull, more flattened and more diffusedly setose.

Pronotum black with anterior and lateral margins yellow. Sometimes anterior margin yellow only along sides. Yellow median longitudinal stripe from anterior margin to middle of disc. At times, two further yellow spots on posterior part of disc, close to midline, reaching posterior margin. Posterior margin narrowly light yellow just in front to scutellum. Pronotal shape roughly elliptical, moderately transverse, regularly convex. Lateral margins narrow, not visible from above, regularly curved so that maximum width nearly at middle. Surface moderately shiny with scattered, fine to almost obliterated punctation at middle of disc. Punctures coarser and more deeply impressed along sides and in proximity of posterolateral impressions. Posterolateral impressions well impressed and obliquely arranged, marked by strong punctures at bottom of depression. Pronotal posterior margin thickened along posterolateral impressions.

Scutellum black, sometimes vaguely tinged with brownish at center, subtriangular with apex truncated in almost straight line. Surface minutely and sparsely punctured, with scarce, very short setae.

Elytron yellow with large subquadrate common black patch with concave sides on disc. Such patch not including scutellar area, which is yellow. Often such black pattern spotted with yellow along suture just behind middle. Suture, lateral margin and humeral callus black. Epipleuron yellow. Elytral outline short with sides almost straight and convergent posteriorly. Lateral margins narrow, simultaneously visible from above only along posterior half. Elytral surface slightly flattened on disc, moderately shiny with strong, well-impressed punctation arranged in almost regular rows, distinct up to posterior clivus. Intervals flat. Postscutellar area fairly raised. Humeral callus prominent, impunctate. Epipleuron smooth, impunctate, with convex surface.

Pygidium yellow, at times with brownish margins. Surface matt, covered with close shallow punctures and appressed, pale setae.

Ventral parts of thorax black with prosternal process sometimes brownish. Abdominal ventrites 1–4 black with yellow margins. Fifth abdominal ventrite almost completely yellow. Medial projection of ventrite 1 usually yellow. Hypomera, mesepimera and mesepisterna almost bare, shiny, with scattered punctures. Remainder of ventral surface of thorax matt, covered with thick, short, regularly distributed setae and fine, shallow punctures. Prosternal process large, with sides almost straight between anterior coxae, then weakly converging in large, round apex; surface anteriorly almost flat, then slightly concave toward apex, covered with well-impressed punctures and sparse, long, semi-erect setae. Anterior legs brownish with yellow patches, median and posterior legs yellow with tibiae and tarsi more or less darkened.

Median depression on fifth abdominal ventrite hardly detectable, evenly covered with short setae and small punctures as the remainder of ventrite surface. Ventrite posterior margin straight. Median lobe of aedeagus ( Fig. 4g – k ) with apex terminated by well differentiated median, blunt denticle. In lateral view apex almost straight. Ventral outline marked with arcuate, median carina along apical half. Setose depressions large, shallow, barely delimited, with surface covered by small punctures and long arcuate setae.

Female. Habitus in Fig. 4a–b (HT). BL = 5.0– 5.3 mm, BW = 3.2–3.5 mm, PL = 1.9–2.0 mm, PW = 2.9–3.1 mm. Interocular distance 9.4–10.0 % of BL.

In females, the eyes ( Fig. 4c ) are smaller and more separated along midline, and the head surface is covered with rather coarse punctation. The head surface is black, with more or less extended yellow patch in the middle; sometimes (like in the HT, Fig. 4c ) the yellow pattern prevails on the frons In the holotype the pronotal yellow pattern is more extended to form a roughly anchor-shaped marking. Remainder of colour pattern is similar to that of males.

The fifth abdominal ventrite in females has a quite large, rounded and deep pit. The bottom of the pit is glabrous, matt, impunctate but covered by tiny wrinkles. The vasculum of the spermatheca ( Fig. 4n ) is sickle-shaped, sometimes weakly pigmented along its not-swollen proximal lobe. The distal lobe is long, slender, slightly tapered with a rather blunt apex fairly bent downwards. The ampulla is short, not or slightly pigmented. The duct insertion on the ampulla is very short. The sperm gland insertion is longer and slightly bent upwards. The duct is uniform in size, quite rigid, not coiled but with a variable number (2–5) of turns near the vasculum, then almost straight. The insertion on the bursa copulatrix is simple, neither swollen nor pigmented.

Figures

FIGURE 4. G. boucardi. a–b: habitus, dorsal and lateral view (HT); c: frontal view, female (HT); d: frontal view, male (Varaguas, Panama); e–f: colour variations (e: male, Varaguas, Panama; f: female, Varaguas, Panama); g–k: median lobe of aedeagus in ventral (g), dorsal (h) and lateral (k) view [0.5 mm]; m: antenna [1.3 mm]; n: spermatheca [0.3 mm]. hd: setose depressions. Square brackets: length of scale segment. Photos a, b and c thanks to the courtesy of Charles Farnum (MCZ).

FIGURE 12. Distribution maps for the Griburius scutellaris species-group. a: G. albilabris; b: G. biverrucatus; c: G. boucardi; d: G. decoratus; e: G. errans; f: G. larvatus. Black markings: data from specimens analyzed during the study. Red markings: data from the public database Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF.com).