Cephaloleia elegantula Baly, 1885

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 128-129

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia elegantula Baly, 1885 Fig. 129

Cephaloleia elegantula Baly 1885: 17. Blackwelder 1946: 719 (catalog); Papp 1953: 16 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 18 (catalog); Wilcox 1983: 137 (catalog); Staines 1996: 30 (Central America species), 2011: 49 (faunal list); Staines and Staines 1999: 524 (Baly species list).

Cephalolia elegantula Baly. Donckier 1899: 549 (catalog); Weise 1911a: 8 (catalog), 1911b: 12 (catalog).

Description.

Small; elongate; subparallel; subconvex; antennae, except antennomere 1, black; head and legs yellow; pronotum reddish-yellow with black central macula; elytra yellow with black medial vitta expanding broadly to apex, recurving slightly in graceful arch almost following contour of elytral margin at apical 1/5; venter yellow except meso- and metasterna dark laterally. Head: finely punctate near eyes, medial sulcus present; frons not projecting; not depressed between eyes. Antenna: ⅔ body length; slender; antennomeres 1-7 cylindrical, elongate; 1 shorter than 2; 2 robust; 3 longest; 4-7 decreasing in length; 8-10 transverse, subequal in length, each shorter than 7; 11 2 × length of 10, pointed at apex; 1-5 punctate with scattered setae; 6-11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin straight from base to beyond middle then obliquely rounding to anterior angle, margined; anterior angle moderately obtuse, produced; posterior angle acute; anterior margin emarginate behind head; disc subconvex; surface punctate, more so laterally; basal impression absent; pronotal length 0.7-0.8 mm; pronotal width 1.0-1.2 mm. Scutellum: pentagonal; impunctate. Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth, margined; apex rounded; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; puncture rows moderately impressed; row 10 removed from margin for entire length; elytral length 2.7-3.2 mm; elytral width 1.5-1.7 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 emarginate medially in male, rounded in female. Leg: slender; punctate, each puncture with pale seta; femur robust; tibia with fringe of setae on inner margin of apex. Total length: 3.7-4.2 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia chevrolatii and Cephaloleia partita . It can be distinguished by antennomere 1 being elongate and by the elytral humerus being impunctate.

Host plant.

According to label data, adults have been collected in palm frond ( Areaceae ).

Distribution.

Brazil(?), Costa Rica, Panama.

Type material examined.

Lectotype male: SYNTYPE [white disk with blue border]/ V. de Chiriqui, 25-400 ft., Champion [printed label]/ B.C.A. Col. VI, 2. Cephaloleia elegantula Baly [printed label]/ Cephaloleia elegantula Baly, Panama [handwritten label]/ Lectotype Cephaloleia elegantula Baly, des. C. L. Staines 1994 [red label] (BMNH).

Specimens examined.

(?)BRAZIL:?- Chapada (USNM). Costa Rica: San José- km 117 Pan American Hwy, 19 km N San Isidro, 20-25 June 1997 (SEMC). Puntarenas- 27 km S. Puerto Jimenez, Rio Piro, 75 m, November 1990 (BYUC). PANAMA: no further data (USNM). Bocas del Toro- Reserva La Fortuna, 28 May 1993 (EGRC). Chiriquí- Bugaba (BMNH). Herrera- Cerro Alto Higo, el. 900 m, 23 May 1992 (EGRC). Total: 11.