Beltia herreri Flowers, 2018

Flowers, R. Wills, 2018, A review of the genus Beltia Jacoby (Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), with descriptions of fourteen new species from Costa Rica, Panama, and northwestern South America, Insecta Mundi 672, pp. 1-43 : 12-13

Beltia herreri Flowers , new species

Figures 17 , 23 , 47 , 63 , 81

Description of male holotype. Body oval, dorsally convex ( Fig. 23 ); length 4.7 mm (range 4.7–5.5 mm). Head, pronotum, elytra, and underside except center of apical sternum of abdomen bright metallic green. Legs, antennae, and center of abdominal sternum VII orangish brown.

Head. Clypeus densely punctate, punctures separated by distance less than their diameters. Frons strongly punctate, punctures aciculate, separated by distance greater than their diameters; surface between punctures wrinkled, forming shallow concentric furrows; vertex with a weak median impressed line.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.6; widest part of pronotum behind middle; disc of pronotum regularly punctate, punctures aciculate and separated by distance equal to or slightly greater than their diameters; surface between punctures shining, with numerous punctulae. Posterior margin of intercoxal process truncate, width of intercoxal process 0.96× diameter of procoxa. Proepimeron smooth, with scattered fine punctures. Mesosternum flat between coxae, punctate. Metasternum smooth, with sparse short yellow setae; metepisternum finely granulate.

Elytra. Evenly punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters, punctation less dense than on pronotum, surface between punctures smooth, with small punctulae; width across humeri 1.4× width across pronotum; basal calli weakly developed; postbasal depression shallow.

Abdomen. A pair of shallow median depressions on sterna VI and VII, a bare median area on segment III and basal half of segment IV, long setae at edge of bare areas, segment V and VII with a transverse median patch of long setae and a dense patch of short fine setae at rear margin of segment VI ( Fig. 17 ). Spicules on tergites very small.

Genitalia. Median lobe relatively short and thick in lateral view ( Fig. 47a ); en-face view with postorifi- cal margin narrow, rounded, bearing a small median nodule ( Fig. 47c ); apical sclerite ( Fig. 47b ) short, club-shaped, heavily sclerotized.

Female allotype. Body oval; length 5.5 mm; body shining metallic greenish copper, femora reddish brown, tibiae and tarsi darker brown.

Head. Labrum, frons, clypeus, eyes, and antennae similar to male.

Thorax. Prothorax as in male. Mesosternum flat between coxae, more strongly wrinkled than in male. Legs similar to male.

Elytra. Similar to male but with posthumeral depression deep in lateral third.

Abdomen. Sterna evenly covered with short white setae.

Genitalia. Segments VIII–XI forming moderately elongate (L/W = 4.3) ovipositor ( Fig. 63a ). Sternum VIII with long, needle-like basal apodeme. Spermatheca ( Fig. 63b ) with receptacle relatively slender and tapering.

Specimens examined. COSTA RICA: Guanacaste Prov. (7♂, 1♀). Male holotype labeled: Rio San Lorenzo , 1050 m, Tierras Morenas , Z. P. Tenorio, Prov. Guanacaste , Costa Rica , A. Marin, 23 mar a 21 abr 1992, L-N 287800427600//INBIOCRI000427383 ; Female allotype labeled: R. San Lorenzo , 1050m, R.F. Cord. Guanacaste, (Tenorio) Prov. Guan. COSTA RICA C. Alvarado, Jul 1991, LN287800, 427600// INBIOCRI000364996. PARATYPES: COSTA RICA: (2♂), same locality, date, and collector as holotype, //INBIOCRI000414352, INBIOCRI000427382; (2♂) same locality as holotype, M. Seguira 23 mar 21 abr 1992//INBIOCRI000415045, INBIOCRI000452803; (4♂) , same data as holotype. PANAMA: Chiriquí Prov. (2♂) Chiriqui Fortuna (82°15′W; 8°44′N) May17. 1978, O’Brien & Marshall. Holotype, allotype, and four paratypes deposited in MNCR-A, two paratypes in FSCA, and two paratypes in USNM .

Etymology. This species is named for Álvaro Herrera V., formerly director of inventory of INBio, who has been immensely helpful to many taxonomists, including myself, visiting Costa Rica.

Diagnosis. Beltia herreri resembles several smaller South American Beltia with a similar color pattern of metallic green body and yellow to brown legs and antennae. In B. herreri the legs and antennae are a darker brown than found in either B. confusa or B. talaga ; additionally, B. talaga has the last two segments of the antennae black. Beltia herreri can also be distinguished by the shape of the apex of the median lobe, and the presence of setal fields and depressions at the apex of the male abdomen.

Remarks. Beltia herreri has been collected from one locality in northwestern Costa Rica and one locality in northwestern Panama ( Fig. 81 ).

Figures

Figures 9–17. Structures of Beltia. 9) Profemur, B. nicaraguensis. 10) Profemur, B. tisingalita. 11) Pronotum, B. angustomarginata. 12) Pronotum, B. ledesmae. 13) En-face view of median lobe, B. angustomarginata. 14) Apex of abdomen, B. placidula. 15) Concave prosternum (arrow), B. ledesmae. 16) Head and pronotum, B. napoensis. 17) Male abdomen with seta patches (arrow), B. herreri.

Figures 18–26. Beltia, dorsal habitus. 18) Beltia angustomarginata, male. 19) Beltia awapita, male. 20) Beltia chiriquensis, female. 21) Beltia confusa, male. 22) Beltia gorgona, female. 23) Beltia herreri, male. 24–26) Beltia ledesmae, females. 24) Monochrome specimen. 25) Bicolored specimen. 26) Same female as (25) photographed with diffuser.

Figures 42–49. Beltia, male genitalia: a) lateral view of median lobe; b) endophallic apical sclerites; c) en-face view of median lobe. 42) Beltia angustomarginata. 43) Beltia awapita. 44) Beltia chiriquensis. 45) Beltia confusa. 46) Beltia gorgona. 47) Beltia herreri. 48) Beltia ledesmae. 49) Beltia nicaraguensis.

Figures 60–66. Beltia, female genitalia: a) ovipositor, ventral view; b) spermatheca. 60) Beltia angustomarginata. 61) Beltia chiriquensis. 62) Beltia gorgona. 63) Beltia herreri. 64) Beltia ledesmae. 65) Beltia napoensis. 66) Beltia nicaraguensis.

Figures 80–82. Distribution maps for Beltia spp.: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. 80) Beltia angustomarginata (squares), B. osa (triangles), B. vacilona (circles). 81) Beltia chiriquensis (circles), B. herreri (stars), B. nicaraguensis (hexagons). 82) Beltia sanchezae (square), B. tilarana (inverted triangles), B. tisingalita (stars).