Cephaloleia kuprewiczae Garcia-Robledo & Staines

Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, Staines, Charles L. & Kress, W. John, 2015, A new species of bromeliad-feeding Cephaloleia Chevrolat (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae) from Costa Rica: evidence from DNA barcodes, larval and adult morphology and insect diets, ZooKeys 477, pp. 143-155 : 145-146

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia kuprewiczae Garcia-Robledo & Staines sp. n.

Material.

Holotype (male), ♂, 'COSTA RICA: Heredia, Braulio Carrillo Nat. Park, near Rara Avis Hotel | 700 m | 9°17'N, 84°03'W | 25 November 2011 | Carlos García-Robledo | K1163_EK-25-nov-2011-12 | Pitcairnia arcuata ( André) André’ (USNM). Paratypes (9 males): with same label data as holotype (USNM, INBIO).

Differential diagnosis.

Cephaloleia kuprewiczae sp. n. is most similar to Cephaloleia histrionica and in some degree to Cephaloleia semivittata Baly. It can be easily distinguished from Cephaloleia semivittata by its larger size, the elytral declivity beginning at puncture row 7, by antennomere 2 being ¾ the length of 1, by the depressed vertex of the head, and by the medial longitudinal impunctate area on the pronotum. It can be distinguished from Cephaloleia histrionica by its rectangular shape and black pronotum (Figure 2). The suture between abdominal sterna 1 and 2 being obsolete medially, by elytral puncture row 10 being near lateral margin, by antennomere 2 being cylindrical, by the humerus not being reddish, and by the sinuate lateral margins of the pronotum.

Description.

Elongate; parallel-sided; subdepressed; head, antennae, and scutellum brownish-black; pronotum brownish-black with yellow lateral margins; elytra yellow with brownish-black sutural and subhumeral vittae; venter brownish-black with lateral margins of abdominal sterna paler; legs yellowish with tibio-femoral joint and tarsi brownish (Figure 2A). Head: vertex densely punctate, depressed between eyes; medial sulcus absent; keel present between antennal bases; clypeus punctate, with fringe of setae on anterior margin. Antenna: reaches beyond humerus; filiform; antennomere 1 subincrassate; 2 cylindrical, ¾ length of 1; 3 cylindrical, subequal in length to 1; 4 to 10 cylindrical, decreasing in length; 11 1½× length of 10, pointed at apex; 1 to 4 punctate; 5 to 10 setose. Pronotum: longer than wide; lateral margin sinuate, canaliculate; anterior angle rounded, not produced; anterior margin curved forward; posterior angle acute; posterior margin bisinuate; surface irregularly punctate except impunctate medial longitudinal line from base to apex. Scutellum: pentagonal; alutaceous (Figure 2A). Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth; exterior apical angle rounded, smooth; apical margin rounded, smooth; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced, impunctate; with 10 regular rows of punctures plus scutellar row; with declivity beginning behind humerus at puncture row 7 (Figure 2A). Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna impunctate medially, punctate laterally; abdominal sterna finely punctate, each puncture with pale seta; suture between abdominal sterna 1 and 2 obsolete medially; apical margin of last sternite notched in male (Figure 2B). Leg: long, slender; punctate; tibia with fringe of setae on inner apical margin. Total length: 5.0 to 5.7 mm.

Host plants.

Pitcairnia arcuata ( André) André and Pitcairnia brittoniana Mez ( Bromeliaceae ) (Figure 1).

Etymology.

Named for Erin K. Kuprewicz, who discovered this species and its interaction with Pitcairnia ( Bromeliaceae ) host plants. The name is feminine.