Cephaloleia calathae Garcia-Robledo & Staines

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 86

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia calathae Garcia-Robledo & Staines sp. n. Fig. 93

Description.

Elongate; subparallel; subdepressed; reddish-brown, venter and legs paler; antennae (except basal 2 antennomeres) and eyes black. Head: vertex finely punctate; faint medial sulcus present; small projection present between antennal bases; not depressed between eyes; frons punctate, each puncture with pale seta, not projecting. Antenna: reaches to humerus; antennomere 1 incrassate, 3 × length of 2; 2-5 cylindrical, subequal in length; 6-10 transverse, subequal in length; 11 slightly longer than 10, pointed at apex; 1-2 punctate with scattered setae; 3-11 setose; male with antennomeres 1-3 with triangular projection in inner apical margin. Pronotum: subquadrate; lateral margin sinuate basally, then rounding to anterior angle, canaliculate; anterior angle bluntly pointed; posterior angle acute; anterior margin emarginate behind head; disc depressed; surface irregularly, sparsely punctate; basal impression absent; pronotal length 1.4-1.7 mm; pronotal width 1.9-2.2 mm. Scutellum: pentagonal; impunctate. Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth, margined; apical margin rounded, narrowly margined; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, slightly produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; shallowly punctate-striate, punctures larger on disc, rows confused apically; elytral length 4.9-5.3 mm; elytral width 2.3-2.5 mm. Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna impunctate medially, sparsely punctate laterally; abdominal sterna punctate, each puncture with pale seta; suture between sterna 1 and 2 obsolete medially; apical margin of last sternite weakly emarginate medially in male, sinuate in female. Leg: robust; femur punctate; tibia with fringe of setae on inner apical margin. Total length: 7.0-8.4 mm.

Etymology.

Named for the genus of the host plant. The name is feminine.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia conforma and Cephaloleia erichsonii . It can be distinguished by the elytra lacking a sulcus on the humeral callus, by antennomere 1 being incrassate and 3 times the length of 3, and by the elytral punctures on the disc being larger than those laterally.

Host plant.

Adults have been collected off Calathea crotalifera S. Watson, Cephaloleia guzmanioides LB Sm and Idrobo ( Marantaceae ).

Distribution.

Costa Rica.

Type material.

Holotype male: Costa Rica, Puntarenas, Coto Brus, Las Cruces Biol. Station, 1200 m, CG-MAY-11-63B, 10 March 2012, C. García-Robledo, ex. Calathea crotalifera / Holotype Cephaloleia calathae García-Robledo & Staines, des. 2012 [red label] (USNM). Paratypes (6 males, 6 females) (each with Paratype Cephaloleia calathae García-Robledo & Staines, des. 2012 [red label]): same data as holotype except GC-MAY-11-53, GC-MAY-11-63, GC-MAY-11-63A, GC-MAY-11-63C, GC-MAY-11-63D, GC-MAY-11-63E, GC-MAY-11-63F, GC-MAY-11-672E; same data as holotype except 6 March 2012, GC-MAY-11-83, GC-MAY-11-83A, GC-MAY-11-83B, GC-MAY-11-83C (USNM, IEXA).