Embates oculifer Prena, 2005

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

41. Embates oculifer Prena sp. n.

(Fig. 151, 258)

Holotype male (dissected), Costa Rica, labeled: “ Costa Rica, SAN JOSÉ: 12/ km NE San Isidro, Cerro / Chucuyo , 9° 26' 15'' N 83°/ 36' 55'' W, 1350 m,/ 28/ 29.3.2000, leg. Prena ” ( INBC).

Paratypes 10 (8 males, 2 females), Costa Rica, same label ( CWOB, INBC 2 , JPPC 7 ) .

Description. Habitus: total length 3.7–4.7 mm (m=4.1, n=11). Color: integument rufous­castaneous, venter piceous; basic vestiture moderately dense, cupreous, dorsolateral pronotal vitta of cupreous scales broad, ill­defined, scales velvety black in pentagonal elytral macula (Fig. 151); venter with white scales on prosternum and along flank. Head: frontal fovea absent, rostrum rather slender, curved, subcylindrical (as Fig. 144), apex slightly expanded laterally, subcostate dorsomedially, basolateral margin slightly edged, length of rostrum ♂♂ 1.11–1.27 x (m=1.18, n=9), ♀♀ 1.18–1.24 x (n=2) pronotal length, length of ante­antennal portion ♂♂ 0.42–0.45 x (m=0.43, n=9), ♀♀ 0.47–0.49 x (n=2) total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base before eye; length of funicular segments 1 and 2 subequal, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.95–1.01 x (m=0.98, n=11) maximum width, sides subparallel to slightly rounded in basal half, anterior portion tubulate; disk densely punctate, intervals granulose, subcostate dorsomedially. Elytra: length 1.83–1.92 x (m=1.88, n=11) width at humeri, width 1.32–1.39 x (m=1.35, n=11) maximum pronotal width, sides subparallel in basal half, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus developed, striae fine, punctures indistinct, interstriae flat, 9 costate, 7 subcostate near subapical callus. Legs: slender, tibia nearly straight and parallel­sided, ventral margin with distal cluster of cupreous hairs, tarsal claws flat and approximate at base. Male: aedeagus as E. euchasma , with apex round (as Fig. 147).

Plant association. Species of Piper with the shoot­apex emerging from within the leafbase at flowering nodes: P. maxonii (Prena 6), P. imperiale (Prena 4), P. fimbriculatum (Prena 1).

Distribution. Costa Rica, Pacific side, one location near San Isidro (Fig. 258).

Specific epithet. The name is a Latin compound adjective derived from oculus (spot, stigma) and fero (to bear).

Discussion. The meristic data indicate that E. oculifer is related more closely to the larger­sized E. subulirostris rather than to the similarly small E. cordiger from the Atlantic side. Both small­sized species differ significantly (p<0.001) in the length of the rostrum, antennal insertion, elytral proportion and total length. However, E. oculifer and E. subulirostris differ in total length only (p<0.001). I infer that E. subulirostris and E. oculifer are Pacific relict populations that became isolated geographically by climatic changes in the past. It should be noted, that male E. oculifer have medially depressed ventrites, while this character state is unreliable for sexing E. cordiger .