Stolas latevittata ( Boheman, 1862 )

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2016, Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (1), pp. 275-344 : 333

Stolas latevittata ( Boheman, 1862)

Mesomphalia latevittata Boheman, 1862: 152 (original description).

Pseudomesomphalia cassandra Spaeth, 1911: 250 (original description), syn. nov.

Type localities. Mesomphalia latevittata : ‘Peruvia’; Pseudomesomphalia cassandra : ‘Peruvia, Yurimagua’.

Type material examined. LECTOTYPE (present designation):? ♂, pinned: ‘ Peru [w, p, s] || Baly. [w, p, s] || Type. [w, p, s] || NHRS-JLKB | 000022708 [w, p, cb]’ ( NHRS). PARALECTOTYPE [conspecific with Stolas sanguineovittata Borowiec, 1998 ]:? ♂, pinned, ‘Type [w, p, s, c, rf] || Peru [hw] | Baly Coll. | 1905—54. [w, p, cb] || Mesomphalia | latevittata | Boh | Peru [w, hw by Baly, cb] || Stevens | Named by | Boheman | Type | 46 | 84 [hw by Baly on underside of preceding label]’ ( BMNH).

Pseudomesomphalia cassandra : SYNTYPES: ♂, pinned, ‘Yurimaguas [hw] | Peru [w, p, cb] || Coll. Donckier [w, p, cb] || cassandra [hw] | m. ♂ typ.! [hw] | Spaeth det. [w, p, cb] || TYPE [r, p, cb] || ♂ [w, p, cb] || M/CR MUS | SPAETH COLL. [w, p, cb] || Manchester Museum | SYNTYPE [b, p, cb]’ ( MMUE); ♀, pinned: ‘consanguin. | coll. Ancey [w, hw by Spaeth, cb] || cassandra [hw] | m. typ.! ♀ [hw] | Spaeth det. [w, p, cb] || TYPE [r, p, cb] || M/CR MUS | SPAETH COLL. [w, p, cb] || Manchester Museum | SYNTYPE [b, p, cb]’ ( MMUE).

Additional material examined. ♂, pinned:‘ Peru [hw] | Baly Coll. | 1905—54. [w, p, cb] || Mesomphalia | latevittata | var. Boh [w, hw by Gahan, cb] || M: latevittata | var. A | Peru [w, hw by Baly, cb] || 26 [g, hw, cb] || latevittata [hw by Spaeth] | Spaeth det. [w, p, cb]’ ( BMNH).

Remarks. BOHEMAN (1862) described M. latevittata based on material sent to him and communicated with J. S. Baly. I have examined specimens retained by Boheman and well as those in Balyʼs collection and found that they belong to two different species. The original description was based on specimen(s) with wide pronotum and the syntype in NHRS matches it the best therefore I designate it as the lectotype. In the collection of Baly there are two original specimens of M. latevittata . The first belongs to the colour morph mentioned by Boheman as ‘Var. a’ and is conspecific with the lectotype, while the second is part of the type series but is conspecific with S. sanguineovittata as it has narrow pronotum and double vestiture on elytra formed by adherent and erect setae.

Spaethʼs concept of S. latevittata was based on specimens authentically identified by Baly as the latter species, which he obtained from his collection. However, these are the same as the paralectotype, thus conspecific with S. sanguineovittata . He also obtained syntype of S. latissima ( Baly, 1872) , which he considered as aberration of S. latevittata , however, it is a distinct species (see further information in remarks under S. latissima ).

SPAETH (1911) described S. cassandra and compared it to S. placida Spaeth, 1911 , described in the same paper, as both have broad pronotum, not knowing that typical S. latevittata has also similarly shaped pronotum. However, syntypes of S. cassandra are in fact identical to the lectotype of S. latevittata . Therefore I hereby synonymize S. cassandra with the latter species.

Because of the misinterpretation of the discussed taxa, I do not adopt published faunistic records as they probably belong to different species.

Distribution. Peru ( BOHEMAN 1862, SPAETH 1911).