Cephaloleia opaca Baly, 1858

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 201-202

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia opaca Baly, 1858 Fig. 200

Cephalolia opaca Baly 1858: 62. Gemminger and Harold 1876: 3602 (catalog); Donckier 1899: 550 (catalog); Weise 1906: 222 (museum list), 1910: 88 (noted), 1911a: 8 (catalog), 1911b: 11 (catalog); Uhmann 1935b: 47 (faunal list), 1942b: 96 (noted); Guérin 1953: 97 (faunal list); Lima 1955: 207 (faunal list).

Cephaloleia opaca Baly. Baly 1858: 167 (noted); Lima 1955: 207 (faunal list); Uhmann 1957b: 22 (catalog), 1968c: 125 (faunal list); Staines and Staines 1999: 524 (Baly species list); Staines 2004 a: 312 (host plants).

Himatidium fernandoi Bondar 1940b: 38 (type: Brazil, Bahia, Jequié; Nazareth; BMNH). Bondar 1940c: 850 (description); Monrós 1945: 413 (synonymy); Monrós and Viana 1947: 413 (synonymy); Bachmann and Cabrera 2010: 64 (types).

Description.

Subelongate; subdepressed; pale yellow, eyes, antennae and pleurae darker; elytra with suture behind middle with indistinct dark macula; venter pale yellowish. Head: vertex finely not densely punctate, with longitudinal medial carina; frons not projecting; depressed between eyes. Antenna: as long as head and pronotum combined; robust, compact; antennomeres short; 1 obovate, not incrassate, 2 × longer than 2; 2 subglobose, shortest; 3 cylindrical, slightly longer than 2; 4-10 transverse, subequal in length, each shorter than 3; 11 2 × length of 10, pointed at apex; 1-2 punctate with scattered setae; 3-11 setose. Pronotum: transverse, twice as wide as long at base; lateral margin nearly straight basally then rounding and narrowing to anterior angle, margined; anterior angle obtuse, produced; posterior angle acute; anterior margin emarginate behind head; disc subconvex; surface coarsely, deeply punctate, more dense laterally; basal impression absent; pronotal length 1.4-1.6 mm; pronotal width 2.0-2.2 mm. Scutellum: triangular; impunctate. Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth, margined; apex rounded; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; slightly flattened along suture; subconvex laterally; moderately punctate-striate, rows converge and unite apically; interspaces sulcate laterally; elytral length 4.8-5.2 mm; elytral width 2.7-2.9 mm. Venter: pro-, meso-, metasterna, and abdominal sterna impunctate; suture between sterna 1 and 2 entirely obsolete; last sternite with apical margin bisinuate in female, emarginate medially in male. Leg: slender; punctate; tibia with fringe of setae on inner margin of apex. Total length: 6.5-6.8 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia castanea and Cephaloleia nigricornis . It can be distinguished by the vertex of the head having a medial carina.

Host plant.

Calathea ovata Lindl., Cephaloleia virginalis Linden ( Marantaceae ) ( Bondar 1940b, 1940c).

Distribution.

Brazil (Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catharina), Peru, Venezuela.

Type material examined.

Holotype male: Brazil [handwritten label]/ Baly coll. [printed label]/ Cephalolia opaca Baly, Brazil [blue handwritten label] (BMNH).

Specimens examined.

Brazil: no further data (USNM). Bahia- no further data (USNM); Jequié (BMNH); Nazareth (BMNH). Rio de Janeiro- 1883, 1945 (USNM). Santa Catharina- Corupa, October 1944 (AMNH), January 1947 (USNM). Peru: Loreto- nr. Laguna Reserva Pacaya-Samiria, 31 March- 5 April 1998 (BYUC). Venezuela: Aragua- Portachelo Pass, 12 July 1987 (BYUC). Total: 14.