Cephaloleia metallescens Baly, 1885

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 187

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia metallescens Baly, 1885 Fig. 188

Cephaloleia metallescens Baly 1885: 25. Weise 1911a: 8 (catalog), 1911b: 13 (catalog); Blackwelder 1946: 719 (catalog); Papp 1953: 19 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 22 (catalog); Wilcox 1983: 137 (catalog); Staines 1996: 45 (Central America species), 1999: 242 (mimicry), 2011: 50 (faunal list); Staines and Staines 1999: 524 (Baly species list); McKenna and Farrell 2005: 119 (phylogeny), 2006: 10949 (phylogeny).

Cephalolia metallescens Baly. Donckier 1899: 550 (catalog); Uhmann 1942: 94 (noted).

Cephaloleia metalescens Baly. Meskins et al. 2008: 163 (misspelling, host plants).

Description.

Broadly oblong-ovate; small; subdepressed; metallic blue; pronotum with lateral margin paler; venter and legs yellowish-red; antenna with antennomeres 1 and apical ½ of 11 reddish. Head: vertex punctate, medial carina present; frons not projecting; depressed between eyes. Antenna: ½ body length; slender; antennomeres 1-3 elongate; 1 and 3 subequal in length; 2 slightly shorter; 4-10 transverse, subequal in length; 11 2 × length of 10, pointed at apex; 1-3 punctate with scattered setae; 4-11 setose. Pronotum: nearly twice as wide as long; lateral margin straight then rounding to anterior angle, canaliculate; anterior angle rounded, not produced; posterior angle acute; anterior margin emarginate behind head; disc transversely subconvex, depressed on each side; surface densely punctate; basal impression absent; pronotal length 0.6-0.7 mm; pronotal width 0.7-1.1 mm. Scutellum: pentagonal, impunctate. Elytron: lateral margin slightly curved, smooth, margined; apex rounded; sutural angle without tooth; humerus slightly produced, callus extends on base to scutellum; slightly constricted behind humerus; disc subconvex; moderately punctate-striate, interspaces sulcate; puncture rows obsolete at apex; elytral length 2.1-2.3 mm; elytral width 1.4-1.6 mm. Venter: pro- and mesosterna punctate; metasternum impunctate medially, punctate laterally; abdominal sterna punctate, each puncture with pale seta; suture between sterna 1 and 2 complete; last sternite with apical margin emarginate medially in male, rounded, entire in female. Leg: slender; punctate, each puncture with pale seta; tibia with fringe of setae on inner margin of apex. Total length: 3.1-3.3 mm.

Diagnosis.

This is a very distinctive species with the flattened elongate body, the smooth rounded elytral apical margin, the smooth lateral margin of the pronotum, the lack of additional puncture rows on the elytra, the smooth lateral margins of the elytra, the lack of a declivity beginning at puncture row 7 on the elytra, and the unicolorous metallic blue dorsum.

Host plant.

Bactris major Jacq., Chamaedorea wendlandiana Hemsl. ( Arecaceae ) ( Meskins et al. 2008).

Distribution.

Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama.

Type material examined.

Holotype: Type H. T. [white disk with red border]/ Guatemala, Vera Paz, San Juan, Champion/ B. C. A., Col. VI, 2. Cephaloleia metallescens, Baly/ Cephaloleia/ Cephalolia metallescens Baly, Guatemala [blue handwritten label] (BMNH).

Specimens examined.

COSTA RICA: Alajuela- Brasilia, 3 April 1988 (MUCR). Cartago- Turrialba (DEI, USNM); Turrialba, Tayutic, Grano de Oro, 1100-1200 m (INBIO). Guanacaste- Estación Pitila, 9 km S Santa Cecilia, 600-700 m (INBIO); La Cruz, 9 km S Santa Cecilia, 600-700 m (INBIO). Limón- Est. Cuatro Equinas, 0 m, P.N. Tortuguero November 1991 (INBIO); Pococí, 30 km N Cariari, 100-200 m (INBIO); Pque Nal Corcovado, Est Sirena, 0-100 m (INBIO). NICARAGUA: Río San Juan- Refugio Bartola, 16 km ESE El Castillo, 26 April 1993 (USNM). PANAMA: Chiriquí- Reserva Fortuna, Continental Divide Trail, 25 May 1993 (CDFA). Colón- 5 mi NW Gamboa, 29 September 1969 (CMNC); Paraiso, 26 March 1911, 18 April 1911, 6 April 1911, 4 May 1911, 20 May 1911, 17 April 1911, 28 March 1911, 21 April 1911, 14 April 1911 (USNM). Colón- Parq. Nac. Soberania, Pipeline road, 23 May 1993 (EGRC). Panamá- Barro Colorado Is., 7 January 1929 (USNM); Cerro Campana, 800 m, 3 November 1969 (EGRC); Cerro Jefe, 700 m, 19 June, 76 (EGRC); Coco Solito Hosp., 11 December 1971 (EGRC); Llano Carti Rd. at km 9, 18 May 1993 (EGRC); Madden Forest, 14 May 1978 (USNM); Nusagandi area, I. K. U. S. A. Igar, 20 May 1993 (EGRC). Total: 69.