Epicauta grammica ( Fischer, 1827 )

Campos-Soldini, María Paula & Roig-Juñent, Sergio Alberto, 2011, Redefinition of the vittata species group of Epicauta Dejean (1834) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) and taxonomic revision of the species from southern South America, Zootaxa 2824, pp. 21-43 : 27

Epicauta grammica ( Fischer, 1827)

Cantharis grammica Fischer, 1827: 19 ; Gemminger and Harold, 1870: 2151 (cat.). Epicauta grammica: Borchmann, 1917: 75 (cat.); Denier, 1935: 155 (cat.), 1940: 420 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1945: 483 (cat.); Martínez, 1992: 6 (dist.).

Epicauta fidelis Brethes, 1925: 14 .

Type material. Unknown.

Diagnosis. Cuticle brown. Head capsule pale, contrasting with brown pronotum and elytra; head with two dark patches extending from clypeus along each side of front bordering eyes. Elytra with two pale vittae: marginal vitta extended from the base to near apex, and one vitta on disk. Legs brown, trocanters and base of femora light-brown. Claws with dorsal blade abruptly curved; ventral blade straight and much narrower and divergent.

Redescription. Body length 8–13 mm.

Cuticle and pubescente. Cuticle of head capsule light, contrasting with brown pronotum and elytra; head with two dark patches extending from clypeus along each side of front bordering eyes ( Fig. 17 ); maxillary palpi and antennae dark. Elytra with two pale vittae: marginal vitta extended from the base to near apex, and one vitta on disk (Fig. 20); legs brown, trocanters and base of femora light-brown. Pubescence: sparse (13–19 setae by lineal mm); head and pronotum pale; elytra pubescence coincident with cuticle color of vittae. Abdominal setae uniformly colored.

Habitus. Head 0.90 times as long as wide (L/A: 19–21); mandible externally strongly curved apically (as shown by arrow in Fig. 10 ); antennal segments of female with following proportions: 3.5 (I); 2 (II); 5 (III); 3.5 (IV); 3.5 (IV); 6 (VI); 6 (VII); 6 (VIII); 2.5 (IX); 2.5 (X); 6 (XI); antennal segments of male: 3.5 (I); 1.5 (II); 5 (III); 3.5 (IV); 3.5 (V); 3 (VI); 2.5 (VII); 2.5 (VIII); 2.5 (IX); 2.5 (X); 3.5 (XI). Pronotum 1.23 times as long as wide (L/ A: 21–27); slightly convex in lateral view. Elytron subequal in width throughout. Legs with adhesive setae of tarsal pads of fore and medial legs uniformly distributed; hind tarsal pads with two longitudinal rows of adhesive setae. Claws with dorsal blade abruptly curved; ventral blade straight and much narrower and divergent.

Male genitalia. Falobase with superior border with deep concavity. Spiculum gastrale with three small rounded prominences; lateral area pointed (as in Fig. 32). Median lobe rather long, d orsal-hook, uncus moderately robust ( Fig. 40 ).

Intra-specific variation. This species presents a wide size range, some almost double the size of others. The vitta on the disk can be of different lengths, varying from the central vitta interrupted in apical third to being complete from shoulder to apex.

Remarks. This species has been reported from an extensive geographical range (Central America to Argentina). For that reason, Adams and Selander (1979) segregated the specimens of E. grammica into three different species according to their distribution: E. aragua Adams and Selander (1979) from El Salvador and Nicaragua to Venezuela and Colombia, and E. apure Adams and Selander (1979) of the Orinoco Basin of southern Venezuela; and, E. gammica , ranging from Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay to Argentina.

Distribution. Map ( Fig. 48 ). Known from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Bolivia. In Argentina recorded from: Buenos Aires; Córdoba; Corrientes; Chaco; Formosa; Misiones; Salta; Santa Fe; Tucumán. New records: Río Negro.

Host plant. There is no available information about host plants for this species.

Material examined. Five specimens from Bolivia, three specimens from Paraguay, and 92 specimens from Argentina from the following collections: MLP, MCNFA, IMLA Chaco: Villa Ángela (27º 34’ 78’’ S, 60º 42’ 91’’ W); Saenz Peña (26º 42’ 14’’ S, 60º 26’ 90’’ W); Resistencia (27º 27’ 63’’ S, 58º 59’ 51’’ W). Corrientes: Goya (29º 08’ 09’’ S, 59º 15’ 57’’ W). Formosa: Río Tohué 15 km sur; Misiones: Puerto Aguirre (actually Puerto Iguazú: 25º 35’ 83’’ S, 54º 34’ 96’’ W). Santa Fe: Santo Tomé (31º 39’ 99’’, 60º 45’ 37’’ W); Rafaela (31º 15’ 19’’ S, 61º 29’ 17’’ W); Rosario (32º 57’ 96’’ S, 60º 40’ 84’’ W). Río Negro: San Javier (40º 45’ 09’’ S, 63º 18’ 44’’ W).

Figures

FIGURE 48. Distribution map of Epicauta monachica and Epicauta rutilifrons.

FIGURES 12 – 17. Head cuticle color: 12. E. excavate; 13. E. semivittata, E. missionum; 14. E. clericalis, E. luteolineata; 15. E. bosqi; 16. E. leopardina, E. monachica, E. rutilifrons; 17. E. grammica.

FIGURES 6 – 11. Epicauta lopardina, 6. Labial palpi with segment III strongly expanded from the basal third to the apex; 7. Maxillary palpi large (three times width) compressed dorso-ventrally, tapering to the base and expanding to apex. E. leopardina: 8. Prementum with central area having ample concavity; E. clericalis: 9. Prementum straight. Mandible dorsal views: E. leopardina: 10 (b, see arrow); E. clericalis 11 (b, see arrow).

FIGURES 37 – 44. Aedeagus, lateral view: 37. E. bosqi: (a) aedeagus, (dt) dorsal tooth, (h) hook; 38. Epicauta clericalis; 39. E. excavata; 40. E. grammica 41. E. leopardina; 42. E. luteolineata; 43. E. monachica; 44. E. semivittata.