Cephaloleia belti Baly

García-Robledo, Carlos, Horvitz, Carol C. & Staines, Charles L., 2010, Larval morphology, development, and notes on the natural history of Cephaloleia “ rolled-leaf ” beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Zootaxa 2610, pp. 50-68 : 53-56

Cephaloleia belti Baly

Diagnosis: This species can be distinguished from the other three treated in this paper by the following combination of characters: dorsum with medial setose ridge, prothorax with central area micropunctate, mesothorax with a v-shaped medial carina, and venter with surface of expansions punctate and rugosepunctate.

Color when alive ( Fig. 2 ) yellowish-brown with outer margins translucent; center portion reddish with some yellowish areas especially near head. Color when dead pale-brown centrally; margins paler becoming almost transparent at edge. Venter paler than dorsum. Dorsum with longitudinal medial setose ridge extending from anterior to posterior margin ( Fig. 21 ). Total length 6.7 mm (n=1); width 4.3 mm.

Dorsum. Prothorax with central area raised, micropunctate, with dark setae on either side of medial longitudinal ridge and on basal slope; lateral areas rugose; two diagonal carinae on central raised area extending to anterior margin. Mesothorax with central raised portion with shallow v-shaped carina, laterally with sharply curved carina which extends to lateral margin. Metathorax with central portion irregularly plicate, with transverse carina extending across entire width. Abdominal tergites 1–6 slightly narrowed medially, wider laterally, with transverse carina in middle of each side; spiracle near basal margin on each side just off central elevation. spiracles appear as spots with dark margin, orifice as in Fig. 22 ; abdominal tergites 7–10 with surface plicate; with three carinae along margin laterally.

Venter. Surface of expansions punctate, rugose-striate. Head ( Fig. 23 ) surface rugose-punctate; labrum with surface alutaceous, without setae; clypeus with fringe of long setae apically, with four setae on apical ½, surface alutaceous; mandibles tridentate; maxillary palps with 2 palpomeres and 12 short, robust apical setae; maxilla robust, clavate, with fringe of long apical setae; labium densely setose. Antenna with antennomere 1 short, robust, 2 wider than 1, transverse, 3 elongate, cylindrical, subequal in length to 1 and 2 combined, with fringe of short apical setae. Pro- and mesothorax wider than long, slightly depressed medially, surface rugosestriate. Metathorax longer than preceding segments, depressed in middle with suture along apical margin. Abdominal sternites 1–7 wider than long; decreasing in width, with three sulci on apical ½, laterally with curved sulcus dividing sternite into thirds; sternite 8 similar to preceding but without any sulci; sterna 9–10 fused, rounded at apex. Leg: femur wider and shorter than tibiotarsus; tibiotarsus subconical, with strong claw and eight apical setae ( Fig. 24 ).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 16. Eggs, larva, pupae and adults of four species of “ rolled-leaf ” beetles. 1 – 4. Cephaloleia belti. 5 – 8. C. dilaticollis. 9 – 12. C. dorsalis. 13 – 16. C. placida. Scale bars in all panels equal 2 mm.

FIGURES 21 – 24. Larva of Cephaloleia belti. 21. Dorsum longitudinal medial setose ridge. 22. Spiracle. 23. Head. 24. Leg.