Peridinetus imperialis Prena

Prena, Jens, 2010, The Middle American species of Peridinetus Schönherr (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Baridinae), Zootaxa 2507, pp. 1-36 : 20-21

12. Peridinetus imperialis Prena , sp. n.

( Fig. 31, 32 )

Peridinetus sp. 1. Marquis (1991: 181).

Diagnosis. Peridinetus imperialis is one of several species with red anterior, black median and olive posterior portions. Among the species with a black semicircular elytral base, it can be recognized by large size, lack of plumose setae in the prosternal channel and reduced profemoral tooth.

Description. Total length 5.0– 7.7 mm, standard length 4.7–7.4 mm. Integument black; basic vestiture predominantly yellowish brown on portions of elytron, flank and femora, setae red on frons and anterior portion of pronotum, some white setae on elytral base and apex, metasternum, tibiae and tarsi ( Fig. 25 ). Rostrum 0.76–0.90 × (male), 0.91–1.00 × (female) length of pronotum, anteantennal portion 0.32–0.39 × (male), 0.39–0.43 × (female) length of rostrum. Pronotum 0.80–0.91 × longer than wide, gibbous, greatest width at middle; disk finely punctate, base and median line glabrous, frontal section raised. Elytra 1.41–1.61 × longer than wide, humeri 1.16–1.31 × wider than pronotum, sides more or less gradually narrowed; striae subtle, interstria 7 ridged throughout, 3, 5 and 9 ridged distally; preapical callus moderate; profemur usually sexually dimorphic, sublinear and ventrally concave in male, subclavate in female; tarsal claws subconnate, male with long, light yellow hairs on ventral edge of metatibia and on ventrites, female without hairs.

Distribution. This species is currently known from Costa Rica, Panama and the Pacific side of Colombia and Ecuador.

Plant association. Piper imperiale (Marquis 17 ×, Prena 43 ×, Stockwell 1 ×), P. biseriatum (Marquis 2 ×).

Type material. Holotype male, dissected, labeled “ COSTA RICA: Prov. Heredia:/ 11km SE La Virgen, 450–/ 550m, 10º20'N 84º04'W / 16.4.2003 / INBio-OET-ALAS transect”, “handcollecting/ leg. Jens Prena”, INB0003230216, “ HOLOTYPUS / Peridinetus / imperialis / Prena, 2010” ( INBC). Paratypes 90 (22 males, 28 females, 40 not sexed): Costa Rica. Cartago: Turrialba, 900 m, A. Heyne ( MNHUB). Heredia: Puerto Viejo, Est. La Selva, 100 m, R. Marquis, 16.x.1980, no. 115; 5.iii.1981, no. 214; 9.iii.1981, no. 236; 3.v.1981, no. 369; 25.v.1981, no. 411; 5.vi.1981, no. 468 (2x); 19.ix.1981, no. 503; 25.x.1981, no. 608; 22.xi.1981, no. 685 (2x); 28.xi.1981, no. 702; 19.xii.1981, no. 731; 24.xii.1981, no. 736; 26.i.1982, no. 776; 3.iii.1982, no. 871; 29.v.1982, no. 982; 30.v.1982, no. 985 ( USNM 18), J. Prena, 16.iii.2001 ( JPPC 17), 18.iii.2001 ( JPPC 2), 7.iv.2001 ( JPPC 7), 18.iv.2001 ( JPPC 5), 13.ii.2005 ( JPPC 1); 10 km SE La Virgen, 450 m, J. Prena, 8.– 13.iv.2003, INB0003230116 ( INBC 1); 11 km SE La Virgen, 16.iv.2003, INB0003230217 ( INBC 1); 11 km ESE La Virgen, Est. Cantarrana, 300 m, J. Prena, 6.–11.iv.2004 ( JPPC 8). Limón: 30 km N Cariari, Finca Elias Rojas, 100 m, E. Rojas, x.1994, CRI 002 126239 ( INBC 1), iii.1994 ( INBC 1); P.N. Tortuguero, Est. Cuatro Esquinas, 0 m, R. Delgado, x.1991, CRI 000 630378 ( INBC 1), U. Chavarría, vii.1990, CRI 000 244604 ( INBC 1), J. Solano, ix.1989, CRI 000 0 53087 ( INBC 1), x.1989, CRI 000 109116 ( INBC 1), x.1989, CRI 000 109149 ( INBC 1), D. García, 27.iv.–9.v.1992, CRI 000 797689 ( INBC 1), 27.iii.–29.iv.1992, CRI 000 915390 ( INBC 1). Panamá. Colon: Río Guanche, 3 km E Portobello rd., 100 m, H.P. Stockwell, 11.iii.1995 ( HPSC 1). Panamá: Cerro Campana, H.A. Hespenheide, 23.vii.1969, 14.vii.1974 ( CHAH 1), H.P. Stockwell, 26.xii.1969, 3.vi.1975, 1.ix.1996 ( CHAH 1, HPSC 2), C.W. O’Brien, L. O’Brien & B. Marshall, 29.vi.1974 ( CWOB 1), W. Bivin, 29.vi.1974 ( USNM 2). Colombia. Valle: 70 km E Buenaventura, Anchicaya dam, 400 m, H. & A. Howden, 23.vii.1970 ( CMNC 2). Ecuador. Pichincha: 47 km S Santo Domingo, Est. Río Palenque, S. & J. Peck, 25.v.1975 ( CMNC 1), H. & A. Howden, 27.ii.1976 ( CMNC 1), L. Masner & L. Huggert, 5.ii.1983 ( CMNC 1); Maquipucuna Res., Cerro de Nanegal, R.W. Flowers, 27.vii.2001 ( CWOB 3).

Specific epithet. The name is a Latin adjective and adopted from that of the putative host plant.

Note. The available material includes three morphologically deviating subpopulations, one from Costa Rica and Panama, one from Colombia and one from Ecuador. Differences occur in (1) the ventral tooth on the profemur, (2) the shape of the mesotibial spine, (3) the setal fringe on the middle and hind legs and (4) the hairiness of the ventrites (characters 2–4 present only in males). These differences may justify the distinction of subspecies, but more material from a wider range would be needed for better delineation.

Figures

FIGURES 25 – 32. Dorsal and lateral habitus of Peridinetus species. 25 – 26, P. costatus, Los Tuxtlas (Mexico); 27 – 28, P. odone, Monteverde (Costa Rica); 29 – 30, P. irroratus, Refugio Bartola (Nicaragua); 31 – 32, P. imperialis, Cerro Campana (Panamá).