Cephaloleia variabilis Staines, 1996

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 276

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia variabilis Staines, 1996 Fig. 265

Cephaloleia variabilis Staines 1996: 69.

Description.

Elongate; subparallel; subdepressed; head (except yellow frons) and scutellum black; antennae black or antennomeres 9-11 yellow; pronotum yellowish with black maculae on anterior and basal margins connected by narrow black vitta; elytra brown or black with yellow longitudinal vitta from base to apical ¼ from puncture rows 4 to 8, lateral margin black or yellow; venter with prosternum yellow, meso- and metasterna yellow medially, black laterally, abdominal sterna 1-4 black with yellow laterally, 5 totally black; leg with tibia and tarsi dark; femur yellow, dark at apex; coxae dark. Head: vertex punctate near eyes, center impunctate, medial sulcus absent; frons not projecting; not depressed between eyes. Antenna: reaches beyond humerus; slender; antennomere 1 elongate, as long as 2-4 combined, clavate, compressed laterally; 2 transverse, ½ length of 1; 3 transverse, longer than 2, projection on inner apical angle; 4-10 transverse; 4 shorter than 3; 5 subequal in length to 3; 6-10 subequal in length, each shorter than 5; 11 as long as 3 or 5, rounded at apex; 1-2 punctate with scattered setae; 3-11 setose. Pronotum: quadrate; lateral margin straight, slightly divergent then rounding to anterior angle, margined; anterior angle rounded, not produced; posterior angle acute; anterior margin straight; disc subconvex; surface sparsely punctate; basal impression absent; pronotal length 1.1-1.3 mm; pronotal width 1.4-1.6 mm. Scutellum: triangular; impunctate. Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth, margined; apex rounded; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; moderately punctate-striate, rows converge and unite apically; elytral length 4.9-5.6 mm; elytral width 2.0-2.3 mm. Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna impunctate medially, punctate laterally; abdominal sterna punctate, each puncture with pale seta; suture between sterna 1 and 2 complete; last sternite with apical margin sinuate in male, truncate in female. Leg: slender; impunctate; tibia with fringe of setae on inner margin of apex. Total length: 6.3-7.1 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia belti , Cephaloleia consanguinea , Cephaloleia erugatus , Cephaloleia semivittata , Cephaloleia triangularis , Cephaloleia trivittata , and Cephaloleia vicina . It can be distinguished by elytral puncture rows being distinct apically, by antennomere 1 being as long as 2 to 4 combined, by the elytral puncture rows converging and uniting apically, and by the sutural angle of the elytra without a small tooth.

Distribution.

Colombia, Panama.

Type material examined.

Holotype: Colombia, Puerto Berrio Antio, Ag. 8, '38, H. Dybas/ Holotype Cephaloleia variabilis Staines, Des. C. L. Staines 1994 [red label] (USNM).

Specimens examined.

COLOMBIA: Meta- 3 mi. W. Villavicencio, 920 m, 11 March 1955 (CASC). Sartander- Puerto Berrío, Antio, 15 August 1938 (FMNH), 8 August 1938, 9 August 1938, 11 August 1938 (USNM). PANAMA: Panamá- Isthmus Matachin, O. Thieme S (ZMHB); Old Gamboa Road, 25 June 1994 (CDFA); El Llano-Carti rd. nr. Jct. main hwy, 18 May 1993 (EGRC). San Blas- Nusagandi area, I. K. U. S. A. Igar, 20 May 1993 (EGRC). Total: 47.