Embates cretifer (Pascoe)

Prena, Jens, 2005, The Middle American species of Embates Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Baridinae), Zootaxa 1100 (1), pp. 1-151 : 1-151

54. Embates cretifer (Pascoe)

(Fig. 177–181, 262)

Ambates cretifer Pascoe 1880: 177 . Holotype male, Nicaragua, labeled “Type”, “ Chontales ”, “Pascoe Coll/ 93–60.”, “ Ambates cretifer Pasc. ”, “Genus (type)/ Cholinambates / Casey 1922 ” (BMNH). Champion 1907: 156 /57; Hustache 1938 (cat., Cholinambates to subgenus); Black­ welder 1947 (cat.); O’Brien & Wibmer 1982 (cat.); Marquis 1991: 181 (illustration), 200 (plant association)

Cholinambates cretifer . Casey 1922: 4 (in table) and 6

Embates [ cretifer ]. Alonso­Zarazaga & Lyal 1999 (global combination of all species of Ambates Schönherr 1836 with Embates Chevrolat 1833 )

Redescription. Habitus: Fig. 177, total length 7.6–11.0 mm (m=9.2, n=31). Color: integument black; basic vestiture microscopic, often abraded; scales yellow (in lowlands) to creamy white (above 800 m elevation) in pronotal and elytral fasciae (Fig. 177), on prosternum, metasternum, metepisternum and sides of ventrite 2, other ventral portions nude. Head: frontal fovea deep, rostrum moderate, subcylindrical (Fig. 178), sides attenuated between apex and antennal insertion, curved, not costate dorsomedially, basolateral margin indistinctly edged, length of rostrum ♂♂ 0.98–1.11 x (m=1.04, n=16), ♀♀ 1.12–1.24 x (m=1.17, n=15) pronotal length, length of ante­antennal portion ♂♂ 0.40–0.43 x (m=0.41, n=16), ♀♀ 0.42–0.45 x (m=0.44, n=15) total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base before eye; funicular segment 2 longer than 1, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.85–0.94 x (m=0.89, n=31) maximum width, sides rounded, widest in basal half, anterior portion tubulate; disk finely punctate, intervals smooth. Elytra: length 1.64–1.82 x (m=1.75, n=31) width at humeri, width 1.16–1.34 x (m=1.24, n=31) maximum pronotal width, sides very slightly converging in basal half, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus developed moderately, striae fine or obsolete, punctures distinct, interstriae flat, 9 convex distally. Legs: slender, tibia slightly curved, ventral margin of metatibia with fringe of long, waved yellowish hairs in ♂ (Fig. 179) and of short straight hairs in ♀, tarsal claws flat and approximate at base. Male: apex of aedeagus membranous, anterolateral portion sclerotized (Fig. 180), body of aedeagus of moderate length, basal third slightly angular in lateral view, apodemes 2.0 x longer than body of aedeagus, flagellum thin, nearly as long as apodemes, transition to curved base abrupt, basal appendage thick, fused subdistally with base of flagellum, projecting beyond base (Fig. 181).

Plant association. Piper cenocladum (Marquis 5, Prena 12), P. biseriatum (Marquis 7, Prena 4), P. otophorum (Marquis 2), Piper imperiale (Prena 1), P. sancti­felicis (Marquis 1, association probably accidental).

Distribution. Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Atlantic side (Fig. 262); old records from San José Province unconfirmed.

Material examined. NICARAGUA. Chontales: Santo Domingo , 400 m ( BMNH 4 , NMNH) . COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Cariblanco, La Virgen , 400 m ( NMNH 2 ) ; Carriblanca [= Cariblanco?], Sarapiquí , 835 m ( BMNH) ; Upala, Las Camelias (laguna), 25 m ( MUCR) ; R.F. San Ramón, 5 km N Colonia Palmareña, Río San Lorencito , 900 m ( INBC 2 ) ; San Carlos, 800 m ( BMNH, SNSD) ; San Cristobal ( INBC 2 ) . Cartago: Turrialba, CATIE, 600 m ( CWOB, HAHC) ; Tuís, 720 m ( BMNH) . Guanacaste: P.N. Rincón de la Vieja ( MUCR) ; Upala, 10 km SW Dos Ríos ( INBC) ; Tierras Morenas, Río San Lorenzo , 1050 m ( INBC 2 ) ; 9 km S Sta. Cecilia, Est. Pitilla , 700 m ( INBC) ; Río Naranjo , 500 m ( CWOB) . Heredia: Puerto Viejo, La Selva, 100 m ( CMNC, CHAH, INBC, JPPC 2 , NMNH 13 ) ; 16 km SSE La Virgen , 1070 m ( INBC) ; 11 km ESE La Virgen , 300 m ( INBC 2 , JPPC 3 ) ; 10 km SE La Virgen , 500 m ( INBC 4 , JPPC 10 ) . Limón: Cerro Cocorí , 150 m ( INBC 2 ) ; Guápiles, 350 m ( INBC) ; Reventazon, Hamburg Farm, 50 m ( NMNH) . Puntarenas: Monteverde, 1400 m ( CWOB) . San José: ( SNSD) ; Savanillas de Pirrís , 100 m ( BMNH) . Without location: ( BMNH 2 ) . Total of 71 specimens.

Discussion. Embates cretifer is an Atlantic species related to E. melanops . The “varietal form” of Champion (1907) named Cholinambates championi by Casey (1922) is related to E. albovittatus . It should be noted, that the color of the scales is yellow in specimens from the lowlands but white in specimens from elevations above 800 m.