Oxychalepus alienus ( Baly 1885 )

Staines, C. L., 2010, A review of the genus Oxychalepus Uhmann, 1937 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Zootaxa 2573 (1), pp. 35-56 : 36-37

Oxychalepus alienus ( Baly 1885)

( Figure 1 )

Chalepus alienus Baly 1885: 78 [Syntypes: Colombia; Panamá- Bugabá, Caldera, David, Volcan de Chiriquí (BMNH,

INSB)]. Donckier 1899: 585 (catalog); Weise 1906: 223 (distribution). Xenochalepus alienus (Baly) . Weise 1911a: 48 (note). Oxychalepus alienus (Baly) . Flowers & Janzen 1997: 353 (host plant); Hespenheide & Dang 1999: 380 (host plant);

Santiago-Blay 2004: 71 (host plants); Nielsen et al. 2005: 127 (host plant). Chalepus (Xenochalepus) ancora mendax Weise 1911a: 48 [Syntypes: Brazil- St. Estephe; Venezuela- Puerto Cabello

(ZMHB)]. Weise 1911b: 26 (catalog), 1911c: 39 (catalog); Bruch 1915: 377 (faunal list); Pic 1931: 344

(comparative note). Chalepus anchora mendax Weise. Blackwelder 1946: 726 (faunal list).

Oxychalepus alienus mendax (Weise) . Uhmann 1950: 332 (museum list), 1957a: 108 (catalog); Papp 1953: 143 (catalog).

Oxychalepus anchora mendax (Weise) . Uhmann 1950: 332 (redescription).

Oxychalepus ancora mendax (Weise) . Papp 1953: 85 (catalog).

Description. Subelongate; yellowish; head, antennae, and legs (except base of femora, yellow) black; pronotum and elytra with black markings; pro-, meso-, and metasterna yellowish medially, black laterally; abdominal sterna yellowish laterally, sterna 1 and 2 yellowish medially, remainder black. Head: front trisulcate; interocular space strongly produced, obtuse, upper surface with short longitudinal carina; frons punctate, not projecting. Antenna: ½ body length; filiform; antennomeres 1 and 2 subequal in length and width, transverse; 3 and 4 subequal in length, elongate, slightly sulcate; 5 to 10 transverse, decreasing in length; 11 very acutely pointed; 1–7 glabrous, 8–11 setose. Pronotum: transverse, subconical; lateral margin obliquely converging from base to apex, bisinuate; transverse depression behind disc at base; torulose at base on each side; coarsely, irregularly punctate, punctures deeper laterally; pronotal length 1.1–1.3 mm (n=20); pronotal width 1.4–1.6 mm. Scutellum: quadrate; alutaceous. Elytron: narrowly oblong; parallel-sided; finely serrulate laterally; apices conjointly rounded, coarsely denticulate, with 2 or 3 large teeth on each side; with 10 regular rows of punctures, scutellar row absent; intervals elevated, intervals 2 and 4 strongly costate, 8 moderately costate, 6 costate at base and apex; elytral length 5.7–6.4 mm; elytral width 1.9–2.4 mm. Venter: pro- and metasterna smooth medially, punctate laterally; mesosternum entirely smooth; abdominal sterna alutaceous. Leg: femur punctate; tibia alutaceous. Total length: 7.6–9.0 mm.

Remarks. This species is distinguished by the elytra without a scutellar row; by the vertex of the head being trisulcate; by antennomeres 1 and 2 being transverse, with antennomeres 3–4 being subequal in length; and by the lateral margin of the pronotum being bisinuate.

Host plant. Reared from Cassia fruticosa Mill. (Caesalpiniaceae) ( Hespenheide & Dang 1999). Adults collected on Centrosema macrocarpum Benth. ( Flowers & Janzen 1997) ; Machaerium biovulatum Micheli (Fabaceae) ( Nielsen et al. 2005).

Distribution. Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, and Venezuela.

Specimens examined.?: La Plata City, 1.vi.1896 ( PSUC) . Colombia. Amazonas: Letticia , vii.1967 ( USNM) ; Rio Frio ( USNM) . Vichada, PNN El Tuparro, 250 m , 5–14.i.2001, 1–12.v.2001, 12–22.v.2001 ( IVAH) . Costa Rica. No further data ( USNM) . Guanacaste: Cañas , 0–100 m ( INBio) ; 14 km S. Cañas , 7– 10.x.1989, 7–10.x.1989, 20–30.x.1989, 14–16.x.1989, 25.ii–8.iii.1989, 10–15.x.1989, 26–31.i.1989 ( USUC) , 24–31.v.1990,14– 16.vi.1991 ( USNM) ; 6 mi. Cañas , F. Taboga , 6.vii.1988 ( CMNH) ; 20 km SW Cañas , 3– 17.xi.1991 ( BPBM) ; Port Parker, Elena Bay , i.13.1938 ( AMNH) ; Rio Corbiel nr. Cañas , 8.iii.1976 ( USNM) ; Estacion Exper. Enrique Jimenez Nuñez, 5–17.xi.1991 ( USNM) ; La Cruz, P. N. Guanacaste, 100–200 m ( INBio) ; Liberia , P. N. Santa Rosa, 200–300 m ( INBio, USNM) ; Nicoya , P. N. Barra Honda, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Nosara , 23.ix.1973 ( FSCA) ; San Carlos ( USNM) . Heredia: La Selva Biological Station ( INBio, USNM) ; La Virgen , 100–200 m ( INBio) . Limón: Bratso, R. I. Talamanca, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Hamburg Farm, 6.i.1925 ( USNM) . Puntarenas: Aguirre , P. N. Manuel Antonio, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Buenos Aires, R. I. Boruca- Térraba, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Garabito, P. N. Carara, 100–200 m ( INBio) ; Golfito , P. N. Piedras Blancas, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Jiménez, P. N. Corcovado, 0–100 m ( INBio) . San José: Turrubares, R. N. V. S. Fernando Castro Fernández, 200–300 m ( INBio) . El Salvador. Morazan: Perguin , 22.vi.1959 ( INSB) . Santa Ana: Metapán, Hda. Montecristo, 2300 m , 12.iii.1972 ( FSCA) . Honduras. Cortés: south of El Porvenir, base of Cordillera Nombre de Dios , 28.v.1993 ( UICM) . Olancho: P. N. Muralla , 29.ix.1995 ( FSCA) . México. Jalisco: Hwy 60, 5 km S. La Huerita , 7.vii.1991 ( UICM) . Nayarit: 3.7 mi W Compostela , 11.ix.1986 ( FSCA) . Nicaragua. Rio San Juan: Refugio Bartola, 16 km ESE El Castillo , iv.22.1993 ( USNM) ; Palo Seco Panama Road leading to La Pita Signal Station , 27.ii.1971 ( EGRC) . Panamá.?: Canal Zone,1912 ( USNM) ; El Cermeno , iv–v.1930 ( USNM) ; Fort Howard , 24.x.1973 ( FSCA) . Bocas del Toro: 6.vii.1908 ( USNM) . Chiriquí: Bugaba ( AMNH, BMNH, INSB, USNM) ; Caldera , 31.v.1994 ( CMNH) ; Caldera de Chorcha , 3.vii.1976 ( EGRC) ; David ( PSUC) ; Paraiso , iv.1911 ( USNM) . Coclé: El Valle , 10–13.vi.1985 ( EGRC) . Colón: Coco Soco Hospital , 10.vi.1979 ( EGRC) ; Gatun , 7.iii.1911 ( USNM) ; Madden Forest , 27.ix.1969 ( CMNC) ; Porto Bello, 11.iii.1911 ( USNM) . Panamá: Barro Colorado Island , 2.ii.1929 ( PSUC) ; Fort Kobbe , 12.v.1985 ( USNM) , v.22.1993 (USNM), 28.v.1972, 1.v.1977, 19.v.1980, 6.vi.1970, 20.vi.1976, 21.vii.1976, 6.vi.1985 ( EGRC) ; Old Panama , 31.i.1911 ( USNM) ; Panama City, Pq. Natural Metropolitano , 23.vii.1995 ( BYUC) ; Road to Fort Kobbe Beach , 25.vi.1973 ( USNM) ; Pipeline Road, 18.vi.1983 ( EGRC) ; Summit , xi.1965, xi.1961 ( USNM) . Taboga Island : various dates ( USNM) . Venezuela. Districto Federal: Caracas , 24.i.1955 ( USNM) . Total : 527 .

Figures

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus of Oxychalepus species. 1. Oxychalepus alienus. 2. Oxychalepus anchora. 3. Oxychalepus angulatus. 4. Oxychalepus balyanus.