Cryptocephalus kirki, Clark & Lillrose & Belo Neto, 2013

Clark, Shawn M., Lillrose, Tiffany & Belo Neto, Luiz A., 2013, Leaf Beetles of the Cayman Islands (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Insecta Mundi 2013 (279), pp. 1-41 : 32-34

Cryptocephalus kirki , new species

( Figures 27, 41, 49)

Diagnosis. This species exhibits characters of the genus Cryptocephalus (hind femora not greatly enlarged in comparison to those of front and middle legs, base of pronotum not margined by distinct bead, apical abdominal tergite largely exposed beyond elytral apex, tarsal claws simple). Additionally, the dorsal color is almost uniformly dark brown (except in specimens from Little Cayman, in which the elytral base is narrowly pale); the punctures of the head and pronotum are rather deep, dense, and coarse; there is no oblique impression in the basolateral quadrant of the pronotum; the elytral punctures are mostly arranged in regular striae; and the body is 2.5-3.9 mm long. This combination of characters distinguishes this species from others of the genus known to occur in the Cayman Islands, as well as elsewhere in the West Indies.

Description of male. Body elongate oval, cylindrical, glabrous; color lustrous dark reddish brown, with pale yellow-brown head; striate punctation deeply impressed to elytral apex. Length 2.5-3.0 mm; width across humeri 1.3-1.4 mm.

Head pale yellow-brown with darker brown areas on occiput and in median longitudinal groove between eyes. Eyes deeply emarginate, dorsally separated by about 0.26 times maximum width of head; punctures of occipital area coarse, separated by a distance subequal to their diameters, easily visible although smaller than those of pronotum; area adjacent to eyes impunctate. Antennae pale yellow-brown; antennomere 2 about as long as broad, about one third as long as antennomere 1; antennomeres 3-11 slender. Labrum and palpi pale yellow-brown; mandibles piceous.

Pronotum 1.5 times as wide as long, 1.7 times as wide as head across eyes, 0.9 times as wide as elytra across humeri; lateral and anterior margins each having well defined bead; posterior margin without bead; punctures coarse, deep, larger than those on frontal area of head but smaller than those on elytra, many of them separated by a distance less than diameter of puncture; interspaces polished; pronotal color reddish brown. Scutellum subtriangular, brown with darker margins.

Elytra together 1.2 times as long as wide, 1.9 times as long as pronotum. Punctation striate, with punctures coarse and deeply impressed, with those within each row normally separated by a distance less than their diameters, with those in neighboring rows separated by a distance subequal to their diameters; subscutellar stria short, extending about one third length of elytron; stria 1 (first complete row) approaching suture beyond subscutellar row, uniting with stria 2 near base of apical declivity; stria 3 paralleling stria 2 and uniting with stria 4 on apical declivity; stria 5 extending to base of apical declivity; striae 6 and 7 (posthumeral striae) somewhat confused; stria 8 regular, ending on apical declivity; stria 9 regular, uniting with combined striae 1 and 2 near elytral apex; stria 10 adjacent to epipleuron, with punctures at extreme elytral apex somewhat confused; humeral area impunctate. Interpunctural areas polished. Color reddish brown, slightly paler than that of pronotum, with punctures dark brown.

Ventral areas of thorax and abdomen brown, similar in color to dorsal areas, with prosternum slightly paler and metathorax slightly darker than other ventral areas; prosternum distinctly punctate, with punctures similar in size to those of head; anterior margin of prosternum evenly arcuate, without mesal angulation or spine; prosternum between coxae about as wide as each coxa; anterolateral area of prothorax distinctly punctate; posterolateral area of prothorax impunctate, polished; metepisternum pubescent, rugosely punctulate; metasternum with lateral areas distinctly punctulate, with mesal areas largely impunctate and alutaceous; ventral areas of abdomen finely punctate and alutaceous; pygidium coarsely, closely punctate, with punctures similar in size to those at apex of elytra. Legs testaceous, with femora somewhat darkened; front and middle basitarsi slightly broader than those of female; tarsal claws simple. Aedeagus as in Figure 41.

Description of female. Form and appearance similar to male, but with differences as follow. Eyes dorsally separated by 0.3-0.4 times maximum width of head. Pronotum 1.5-1.6 times as wide as long, 1.7- 1.8 times as wide as head across eyes, 0.9 times as wide as elytra across humeri. Elytra together 1.2-1.3 times as long as wide, 2.0-2.2 times as long as pronotum. Color of head varying from largely pale yellow brown to largely dark brown with clypeal area paler. Front and middle basitarsi slightly narrower than those of male. Last visible sternite having deep fovea. Spermatheca as in Figure 49. Length 3.3-3.9 mm; width across humeri 1.8-2.2 mm.

Material examined. Holotype: “CAYMAN IS: Cayman Brac, Major Donald Dr.,. 6 km. E jct. Ashton Reid Dr., 6-VI-2008, M. C. Thomas, R. H. Turnbow, B. K. Dozier, blacklight trap ” (male, FSCA) . Paratypes: Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Bight Rd., Brac Parrot Pres. , 24-V-2009, Thomas, Turnbow & Ball, blacklight trap (2 males, 1 female, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Bight Rd., Brac Parrot Pres. , 25-V-2009, Thomas, Turnbow & Ball, blacklight trap (1 male, 1 female, BYUC; 4 males, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Brac Parrot Reserve , 24-V-2009, R. Turnbow (1 female, RHTC) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Great Cave , 22-V-2009, R. Turnbow (1 female, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, jct. Hemmington Rd. at Songbird Dr. , 7-VI-2008, R. Turnbow (1 male, 1 female, RHTC) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Major Donald Dr., 0.4 km E jct. Ashton Reid Dr. , 22-V-2009, Thomas, Turnbow & Ball, bl trap (1 female, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Major Donald Dr., 0.6 km E jct. Ashton Reid Dr. , 6-VI-2008, M. C. Thomas, R. H. Turnbow, B. K. Dozier, blacklight trap (1 female, BYUC; 1 male, 1 female, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Major Donald Dr., 0.6 km E jct. Ashton Reid Dr. , 7-VI- 2008, R. Turnbow (1 female, RHTC) ; Cayman Islands, Cayman Brac, Major Donald Dr., 0.6 km E jct. Ashton Reid Dr. , 8-VI-2008, M. C. Thomas, R. H. Turnbow, B. K. Dozier, blacklight trap (1 male, BYUC; 2 males, FSCA) ; Cayman Islands, Little Cayman , 0.3km SE Spot Bay, 26-V-2009, R. Turnbow (1 male, 1 female, RHTC) .

Plant associations. Unknown.

Etymology. The species epithet of this taxon honors the father of the second author.

Comments. The specimens from Little Cayman are narrowly pale along the elytral base, but we believe them to be the same species as those from Cayman Brac.