Alurnus octopunctatus Fairmaire 1851

Staines, C. L., 2013, A review of the genus Alurnus Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Insecta Mundi 2013 (291), pp. 1-34 : 18-19

Alurnus octopunctatus Fairmaire 1851

Alurnus octopunctatus Fairmaire 1851: 349 [type: Venezuela (MNHN?)]. Baly 1858: 164 (redescription); Gemminger and Harold 1876: 3605 (catalog); Donckier 1899: 558 (catalog); Jacobson 1899: 248 (revision), 1899(1900: xi (noted); Weise 1910: 103 (key), 1911a: 13 (catalog), 1911b: 19 (catalog); Fischer 1935: 269 (revision); Bryant 1942: 205 (faunal list); Blackwelder 1946: 721 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 33 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 39 (catalog).

Alurnus dryas Thomson 1857: 127 [type: 4 (blue label)/ A. dryas Thoms. , ined. Col. (dark blue disc, folded)/ E. Coll. Thomson/ Type (handwritten, gray disc)/ 67-56/ Alurnus dryas Thompson, B. W. Mo (unreadable), Columbia (BMNH)]. Baly 1858: 30 (synonymy).

Alurnus octopunctatus fairmairei Jacobson 1899: 248 [type: locality not specified (MNHN?)]. Weise 1911a: 13 (catalog), 1911b: 19 (catalog); Fischer 1935: 269 (revision); Blackwelder 1946: 721 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 33 (catalog).

Alurnus octopunctatus marginicollis Jacobson 1899: 249 [type: locality not specified (MNHN?)]. Weise 1911a: 13 (catalog), 1911b: 19 (catalog); Fischer 1935: 269 (revision); Blackwelder 1946: 721 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 33 (catalog).

Description. Head, antennae, mouthparts, pronotum (some specimens red laterally), venter, and legs shining black; elytra yellowish with sutural vitta, lateral, and apical margins black, with 8 black spots- 2 large on humerus, 2 small near suture, 2 on anterior third, and 2 forming large transverse bands behind middle. Head: vertex finely punctate, medial sulcus present, row of punctures present behind each eye; front and clypeus punctate. Antenna: antennomere 1 subglobose; 2 transverse, nearly as long as 1; 3 length 2.5x length of 1 and 2 combined; 4-10 cylindrical; 4-5 subequal in length; 6-10 decreasing in length; 11 subequal in length to 10, obliquely pointed at apex; 1-7 finely punctate, each puncture with yellow seta; 8-11 more densely punctate, each puncture with yellow seta. Pronotum: subcylindrical; lateral margin curved and divergent for basal two-thirds then rounding and converging to anterior angle; anterior and posterior angles acute; disc finely sparsely punctate; basal impression absent; with setae laterally; pronotal length 4.0 mm; pronotal width 5.0 mm. Scutellum: cordate; sparsely punctate; rounded and slightly depressed at apex. Elytron: lateral and apical margins smooth, slightly explanate; sutural angle with small tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; surface sparsely punctate; without costae; elytral length 18.0 mm; elytral width 10 mm. Leg: finely punctate, each puncture with pale setae; tibia with fringe of setae on inner apical margin. Venter: finely punctate, each puncture with pale seta. Total length: 20 mm.

Larval host plant. Unknown.

Distribution. Colombia, Venezuela.

Specimens examined. Colombia. No further data (BMNH, 1). Total: 1.