Chelobasis perplexa ( Baly 1858 )

Staines, C. L., 2009, A review of the genus Chelobasis Gray, 1832 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Zootaxa 2033 (1), pp. 58-68 : 64-65

Chelobasis perplexa ( Baly 1858)

( Figures 4 , 8 , 10 )

Arescus perplexus Baly 1858: 84 (Holotype: Colombia, type apparently lost). Waterhouse 1881: 265 (note); Baly 1885: 32 (distribution).

Chelobasis perplexus (Baly) . Donckier 1899: 569 (catalog).

Chelobasis perplexa (Baly) . Weise 1911a: 12 (catalog), 1911b: 17 (catalog); Uhmann 1930: 236 ( Costa Rica species), 1957: 33 (catalog); Maulik 1932: 299 (larva), 1937: 133 (host plants); Blackwelder 1946: 721 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 29 (catalog); Wilcox 1975: 138 (catalog); Strong 1977a: 163 (host plants), 1977b: 573 (host plants), 1981: 184 (host plants), 1982: 1045 (host plant); Strong & Wang 1977: 854 (host plants); Auerbach & Strong 1981: 64 (biology); Gage & Strong 1981: 80 (leaf chemistry); Seifert 1982: 7 (biology); Staines (1996) 1997: 30 ( Nicaragua species), 2004: 309 (host plant); Maes 1998: 1019 (faunal list); Wilf et al. 2000: 292 (damage); Jolivet 2003: 313 (note); McKenna & Farrell 2005: 121 (phylogeny); Meskins et al. 2008: 163 (host plants).

Chelobasis perplexa Valy. Mexzón 1997: 28 (host plant).

Oblong-elongate; yellowish or reddish; pronotal and elytral markings extremely variable. Head: medial sulcus faint; frontal horn broad, scarcely narrows to apex, truncate or slightly rounded; vertex concave between eyes, smooth; medial sulcus absent. Antennae: antennomere 1 robust, thickened, with projection on inner apical margin, flattened ventrally, projection reaches to near apex of 2; 2 cylindrical, short, ¼ length of 3; 3 cylindrical, longest, longer than 1 and 2 combined; 4–5 subequal in length, combined subequal in length to 3; 6–7 subequal in length, each shorter than 4; 8–10 decreasing in length, wider and shorter than preceding; 11 rounded at apex; 1–10 with scattered setae, 11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin straight, nearly parallel, converging at apex; anterior angle angulate; posterior angle acute; convex; disc impunctate; shallow depression on each side; sides deeply, sparsely punctate; pronotal length 2.0– 2.4 mm (n=20); pronotal width 3.0– 3.4 mm. Scutellum: smooth. Elytron: convex; lateral margin straight until exterior apical angle, then rounded; apical margin produced posteriorly to form short triangular reflexed process; suture angularly notched; suture without tooth; with 10 puncture rows plus short scutellar row of slightly impressed punctures; elytral length 7.6–11.1 mm; elytral width 4.4–5.3 mm. Venter: black. Total length: 10.0– 13.7 mm.

Larva. (from Maulik 1932). Total length 12–19 mm. Width 6.5–9.0 mm. Very similar to Ch. bicolor . Finely rugose dorsally, surface slightly shining ( Fig. 10 ).

Larval host plants. Heliconia imbricata and Calathea insignis Peterson ( Maulik 1932) . Adults collected from H. lathispatha ( Strong 1977a, 1977b, 1983); H. pogonantha Cuford. ( McKenna & Farrell 2005); H. irrasa , H. mariae Hook. ( Meskins et al. 2008).

Comparative notes. This species can be distinguished by the angulate elytral apices, by antennomere 3 being longer than 1 and 2 combined, and by antennomere 2 being cylindrical.

Distribution. Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama.

Specimens examined. Brazil. Rondonia: 62 km SW Ariquemes, nr. Fzda. Rancho Grande , 20–31.x.1997, 5–17.x.1993, 4–16.xi.1997, 15.iii.1991, 6–15.xii.1990 ( FSCA) . Colombia. Valle del Cauca: Lower Anchicaya , 400 m, 5.iii.1976 ( FSCA) . Costa Rica. Alajuela: Angeles, R. B. Alberto Manuel Brenes, 900–1000 m ( INBio) ; Dos Ríos, P. N. Guanacaste, 600–700 m ( INBio) ; R. B. Ramon ( USNM) ; Rio Frio , 16.vii.1972 ( FSCA) . Cartago: Orosi ( USNM) ; Orosi, P. N. Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte, 1200–1300 m ( INBio) ; Tayutic , 1100–1200 m ( INBio) ; Turrialba ( USNM), 4–13.viii.1970 ( BPBM) . Guanacaste: Mayorga, P. N . Guanacaste, 900–1000 m ( INBio) ; Santa Cecilia, P. N. Guanacaste, 600–700 m ( INBio) ; Tierras Morenas, Z. P. Tenorio, 900–1000 m ( INBio) ; 3 miles west Tilaran ( USNM) . Heredia: Horquetas, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Est. Biol. La Selva , various dates ( INBio, USNM, FSCA, CMNH, BYUC, NCSU, BPBM, PMNH) . Limón: Bratsi, R. I. Talamanca, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Colorado , 100–200 m ( INBio) ; Hamburg Farm ( USNM) ; Limón, vi.1972 ( FSCA) ; Santa Clara , Los Mercedes ( USNM) ; Sixaola, R. V. S. Gandoca-Manzanillo, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Valle La Estrella , R. B. Hitoy Cerere, 100–200 m ( INBio) . Puntarenas: Golfito , P. N. Piedras Blancas, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Guacimal , 1000–1100 m ( INBio) ; Jiménez, P. N. Cocovado, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; La Palma ( USNM) ; Monteverde , 1500–1600 m, various dates ( INBio, USNM) ; Pittier , 1200–1300 m ( INBio) ; Quepos , P. N. Manuel Antonio, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; 2.5 miles southwest Rincon ( USNM) ; Sabalito , 1400–1500 m ( INBio) ; Sierpe , R. F. Golfo Dulce, 200–300 m ( INBio) ; Tárcoles, P. N. Carara, 0–100 m ( INBio) . Ecuador. Esmeraldas: Cachabé, xii.96 ( BPBM) ; Fuyo , 200m, 1–8.x.1970 ( BPBM) . Guatemala. Chimaltenango: Tecpan ( USNM) . Nicaragua. Matagalpa Department: Jinotega ( SEAN) . Panamá. Bocas del Toro: 6 km north Punta Peña ( USNM) . Chiriquí: Reserva La Fortuna , Continental Divide Trail ( USNM) , 2.5 km north Santa Clara ( USNM) . Coclé: Cerro Caital ( USNM) . Colón: Achiote Road , 10 km south Gatun, 12.vi.1976 ( USNM) ; Madden Forest ( USNM, FSCA) ; Pipeline Road NW Gamboa , 18.iv.1976 ( CASC) ; Porto Bello ( USNM) . Total : 589 .

Figures

FIGURE 10. Dorsal view of larva of Ch. perplexa (from Maulik 1932).

FIGURES 1–4. Habitus of Chelobasis species. 1. Ch. aemula. 2. Color variation in Ch. bicolor. 3. Ch. laevicollis. 4. Color variation in Ch. perplexa.

FIGURES 5–8. Elytral apices and antennae of Chelobasis species. 5a. Elytral apex of Ch. aemula. 5b. Antennae of Ch. aemula. 6a. Elytral apex of Ch. bicolor. 6b. Antennae of Ch. bicolor. 7. Elytral apex of Ch. laevicollis. 8a. Elytral apex of Ch. perplexa. 8b. Antennae of Ch. perplexa.