Cephaloleia caeruleata Baly, 1875

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2020, Commented catalogue of Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, with remarks on the collection of Jaro Mráz in the National Museum in Prague, Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 60 (2), pp. 667-707 : 685-687

* Cephaloleia caeruleata Baly, 1875

( Figs 8–10 )

Cephaloleia caeruleata Baly, 1875: 75 . Type locality: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Nova Friburgo.

Cephaloleia dilatata Uhmann, 1948a: 220 . Type locality: Brazil, Minas Gerais, Virginia-Fazenda Campos.; syn. nov.

Type material examined. Cephaloleia caeruleata : Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ ( Fig. 8 ): ♀, pinned,‘ Type | H.T.[w, p, cb, circle label with red frame] || N.Frib.[green, hw, cb] || caeruleata [w, hw by Baly cb] || Baly Coll.[w, p, cb] || Cephaloleia | caeruleata | Baly | N: Friburg [green, hw, cb]’ ( BMNH).

Cephaloleia dilatata : Hඈඅඈඍඒඉൾ: J, pinned (missing right antenna), ‘ Virginia - 1500 m | S. Minas-Geraes | Faz. Campos | v. - 1919 [hw] | J.F.Zikán [w, p, cb] || No.[p] 28 [hw] | J.F.Zikán [w, p, s, bf] || Cephaloleia J [hw] | dilatate uh [hw] | UHMANN DET. 4[p]5[hw] [w, p + hw by Uhmann, s] || Holotypus [r, hw by Uhmann, s] || Kopf u. Hlsch. | 1945 [brown, hw by Uhmann, cb] || Oberseite | 1946 [brown, hw by Uhmann, cb] || DEI Müncheberg | Col – 02785 [green, p, s]’ ( SDEI).

Additional material examined. BRAZIL: Sඞඈ Pൺඎඅඈ: without further data, 4 JJ 3 ♀♀, J. Mráz leg. ( NMPC, 2 LSPC).

Distribution. Brazil (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro). New to São Paulo.

Remarks. Bൺඅඒ (1875) based his description explicitly on a single specimen but did not compare the species to any other. UΗආൺඇඇ (1948a) also based his description on a single specimen and compared it to three dark brown coloured species with depressed elytra but stated that C. dilatata is distinct by the shape of pronotum and metallic green colour of the dorsal side. Sඍൺංඇൾඌ +| Gൺඋർටൺ-Rඈൻඅൾ- ൽඈ (2014) considered both taxa valid and separated C. caeruleata by antennomere I shorter than III (vs. longer in C. dilatata ), elytral punctures larger laterally (vs. smaller) and prosternum rugose laterally (vs. alutaceous). The figure (fig. 92) they published for C. caeruleata is not in agreement with the holotype and belongs to a completely different species; the figure of C. dilatata was taken from the holotype specimen.

I have studied holotypes of both taxa and compared them to the series of specimens collected by J. Mráz and they belong to a single species. I could not see the differences in lengths of antennomeres which are in all specimens proportionally the same. Also, the structure of hypomera is very similar in all specimens. On the other hand, the difference in the coarseness of the punctation on elytra is obvious and it is a result of sexual dimorphism. Males ( Fig. 10 ) have strongly shiny (polished) elytra, which are completely shiny and finely punctate; their lateral slopes are slightly irregular and have slightly coarser punctation than in the sutural rows but in general appearance, elytra are smooth, while females ( Figs 8–9 ) have much coarser punctation on the lateral slope, the area is conspicuously irregular and velvet-like, not shiny. The entire series collected by J. Mráz has dorsum obscurely turquoise green; the colouration is constant and male specimens ( Fig. 10 ) perfectly match the holotype of C. dilatata also structurally. Holotype of C. caeruleata is dark blue with distinctly coarser structure of elytra than in female specimens collected by Mráz but the remaining characters are the same. Therefore, I hereby synonymize C. dilatata with C. caeruleata .

Sඍൺංඇൾඌ +| Gൺඋർටൺ-Rඈൻඅൾൽඈ (2014) published three additional specimens for C. caeruleata , however, four collecting dates were listed. One specimen was from Rio de Janeiro; two from Santa Catarina: Nova Teutonia, and the last one from Ecuador: San Gabriel. I am suspicious with regard to the correctness of this identification as the photograph they presented does not match C. caeruleata and it was taken either for the specimen from Rio de Janeiro or Ecuador. Moreover, the record from Ecuador is very improbable simply for the biogeographical reasons and thus is not adopted here. Based on the photograph provided by Ed Riley the two specimens from Santa Catarina belong to Cephaloleia impressa Uhmann, 1930 , not C. caeruleata . The species occurs with certainty in Rio de Janeiro as the holotype originates from there; however, I did not have the opportunity to study the specimen published by Sඍൺංඇൾඌ +| Gൺඋർටൺ-Rඈൻඅൾൽඈ (2014).

Figures

Figs 8–12. Dorsal aspects. 8–10 – Cephaloleia caeruleata Baly, 1875: 8 – holotype, ♀; 9 – ♀ collected by J. Mráz; 10 – J collected by Mráz and compared to the holotype of C. dilatata Uhmann, 1948; 11 – Cephaloleia impressa Uhmann, 1930, holotype; 12 – Cephaloleia nitida Uhmann, 1930, paratype. Scale bars = 1 mm.