Charidotis annularis ( Boheman, 1855 )

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2016, Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (1), pp. 275-344 : 289

Charidotis annularis ( Boheman, 1855)

Coptocycla annularis Boheman, 1855: 207 (original description).

Coptocycla Signoreti Boheman, 1855: 210 (original description), syn. nov.

Type localities. Coptocycla annularis : ‘Brasilia’; C. signoreti : ‘Brasilia ad Rio Janeiro’.

Type material examined. Coptocycla annularis : SYNTYPE: pinned, ‘ Rio Jan [w, p, s] || F. Sahlb. [w, p, cb] || Type. [w, p, s] || NHRS-SRAH | 000000524 [w, p, cb]’ ( NHRS).

Coptocycla signoreti : SYNTYPE: pinned, ‘ Rio Jan [w, p, s] || F. Sahlb. [w, p, cb] || Type. [w, p, s] || NHRS-JLKB | 000021832 [w, p, cb]’ ( NHRS).

Remarks. Both taxa were described in the same book by BOHEMAN (1855) just a few pages apart. SPAETH (1914) transferred both to Charidotis Boheman, 1854 . SPAETH (1936) revised the genus and separated the two taxa only by colour: C. annularis with red disc of elytra and C. signoreti with black.

Examination of both types as well as additional historic specimens from various institutions revealed that the colour of elytra is variable in these taxa. Even the syntype of C. signoreti has variegated elytra, basally and centrally more black and laterally reddish-brown. Uniformly black specimens are very rare in collections and as result C. signoreti was listed only in catalogues while C. annularis was repeatedly reported (see BOROWIEC 1999a, BOROWIEC & ŚWIĘTOJAŃSKA 2016). In my opinion both nominal taxa represent colour morphs of a single species as all other morphological characters are identical. Such variability in colouration is not uncommon in similar species of Charidotis and it is known for instance in C. auroguttata Boheman, 1855 and C. porosula Spaeth, 1902 .

Since both taxa were described in the same publication I followed the Principle of the first reviser ( ICZN 1999: Article 24.2) and chose the name C. annularis as valid for this taxon, as it has been used recently and the species is more frequently identified in the collections under this name.

Distribution. Brazil: Bahia ( SPAETH 1936), Minas Gerais ( BOROWIEC 2009c), Paraná (FERNANDES & LINZMEIER 2012), Rio de Janeiro ( BOHEMAN 1855, FLINTE et al. 2009), São Paulo ( SPAETH 1936).