Mesomphalia sexmaculosa Boheman, 1856

Simões, Marianna V. P. & Monné, Marcela L., 2014, Taxonomic Revision of the genus Mesomphalia Hope, 1839 (Insecta, Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), Zootaxa 3835 (2), pp. 151-197 : 172-173

Mesomphalia sexmaculosa Boheman, 1856

( Figs. 117–120 , 158, 163 )

Mesomphalia sexmaculosa Boheman, 1856: 38, 1862: 103 ; Gemminger & Harold, 1876: 3635; Wagener, 1881: 63; Spaeth, 1914: 33; Blackwelder, 1946: 738; Borowiec, 1999: 118.

Measurements (3 males / 2 females). Total length: 13.5–14/14.5–15; greatest elytral width: 11.9–13.5/13–13.5; pronotum length: 3.2–3.5/3.4–3.5; greatest width of pronotum: 7.6–8/7.7–8.3; elytral length/ width ratio: 1.13–1.03/1.15–1.11; pronotal length/width ratio: 0.42–0.43/0.42–0.44.

Diagnosis. Mesomphalia sexmaculosa differs from other species in the genus by elytra with macroreticulation, and uniform and coarse punctuation on the disc, and with long, dense and decumbent setae limited to spots; one subrounded, under the humeral angle, and the other ellipsoidal, at apical third of disc.

Redescription. Body elongated with yellowish-brown setae. Vertex with long, erect and dense setae and two regions delimited with coarse and dense punctures. Coronal suture deep and glabrous.

Antennae black except apex of escape, pedicel and antennomere III reddish-brown; antennomere III slightly smaller in length than V; IV around 1.3x longer than III; V–VI subequal in length; VII around 1.1x smaller than VI; VIII–X increasing in length; XI about one time longer than IX with rounded apex.

Prothorax with a pair of subtriangular spots of long and dense setae. Pronotum with sinuous anterior margin; posterior angle truncate. Prosternum with long, sparse and decumbent setae except anterior margin of procoxal cavity with short, dense and decumbent setae. Prosternal collar with lateral apices moderately projected and acuminate, followed by short, deep and transverse groove. Prosternal process robust, with long and deep longitudinal sulcus, starting at basal region and reaching apex; lateral margin subparallel and apical region subacuminate.

Mesoventrite and mesepimera glabrous; mesoventrite process and mesepimera with long, sparse and semidecumbent setae; mesoventrite process short, with wide lateral margins, about 2x less wide than prosternal process, U-shaped, with truncate apex. Elytra about 3.1x to 3.6x longer than prothorax, with macroreticulation and uniform and coarse punctuation in the disc. Long, dense and decumbent setae limited to subtriangular spot under humeral angle and ellipsoidal spot at apical third of disc. Lateral margin more expanded at median region; apical angle rounded and convergent. Gibbosity about half length of elytra and slightly tilted anteriorly.

Metaventrite with long, sparse and decumbent setae at lateral margin and posterior margin with row of short, erect and dense setae; metepimera with long and decumbent setae, becoming denser at apex.

Abdominal ventrites III–V with reddish-brown ellipsoidal spots; I-IV with short row of long, decumbent setae, becoming denser along lateral margins.

Remarks. Boheman (1862), noted the similarity of this species with M. turrita ( Figs. 110–113 ), but differentiated it by macroreticulation on the elytra. There is also great similarity in the projection of the lateral angles of the prosternal collar and in the distribution of setae on the elytra. However, in M. sexmaculosa the elytral spots are not well-delimited and may have sparse setae on the disc, while in M. turrita the setae are restricted to the spots positioned under the humeral angles and next to the apical margin.

Geographical distribution. Described generally from “ Brasília ( Boheman 1856) . A new state record to Rio de Janeiro ( Brazil) is added ( Figs. 158, 163 ).

Material examined (5). Type material. Holotype ( Figs. 119–120 ) deposited at ZMHB, photographs examined. BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro, 1905, A. Fry (2 males, 1 female, BMHN); (Ex coll. J. S. Baly) (1 female, BMHN); Itaguaí, (Serra da Caveira), 25.II. 1948, 600 m,W. Zikán (1 female, MNRJ).

Figures

FIGURES 114 – 122. Mesomphalia species: 114 – 116, Mesomphalia subnitens Spaeth, 1917: 114, dorsal view; 115, lateral view; 116, holotype, dorsal view; 117 – 120, Mesomphalia sexmaculosa Boheman, 1856: 117, dorsal view; 118, lateral view; 119, holotype; 120, labels; 121 – 122, Mesomphalia tumidula Boheman, 1850: 121, male, dorsal view; 122, female, dorsal view.

FIGURES 158 – 163. Map of geographic distribution of 158, Mesomphalia gibbosa (Fabricius, 1781); 159, M. sublaevis Boheman, 1850; 160, Mesomphalia spaethi Simões & Monné, sp. nov.; 161, M. turrita (Illiger, 1801); 162, M. subnitens Spaeth, 1917; 163, M. sexmaculosa Boheman, 1856.

FIGURES 105 – 113. Mesomphalia species: 105 – 106, Mesomphalia sublaevis Boheman, 1850: 105, dorsal view; 106, lateral view; 107 – 109, Mesomphalia spaethi Simões & Monné, sp. nov. holotype: 107, dorsal view; 108, ventral view; 109, lateral view; 110 – 113, Mesomphalia turrita (Illiger, 1801): 110, dorsal view; 111, lateral view; 112 – 113, lectotype: 112, dorsal view; 113, labels.