Cephaloleia formosus Staines, 1996

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 144-145

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia formosus Staines, 1996 Fig. 145

Cephaloleia formosus Staines 1996: 34.

Description.

Narrow, elongate, subparallel, flattened; black with yellow elytral vitta; leg with tarsi yellow, rest black. Head: vertex densely, deeply punctate, medial sulcus absent; frons not projecting; not depressed between eyes. Antenna: as long as head and pronotum combined; slender; antennomere 1 elongate, subequal in length to 3; 2 elongate, shorter than 1 or 3; 4-10 transverse, subequal in length; 11 2 × length of 10, rounded at apex; 1-2 punctate with scattered setae; 3-11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin evenly arcuate from base to anterior angle, serrulate, slightly canaliculate; anterior angle rounded, not produced; posterior angle acute; anterior margin sinuate behind head; disc subconvex; surface with large, shallow punctures laterally, very few punctures on disc; basal impression absent; pronotal length 0.9-1.0 mm; pronotal width 1.1-1.3 mm. Scutellum: pentagonal, alutaceous. Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth, margined; apex truncate; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; puncture rows shallow, almost obsolete laterally and apically; elytral length 3.4-3.8 mm; elytral width 1.3-1.6 mm. Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna punctate; abdominal sterna punctate, each puncture with pale seta; suture between sterna 1 and 2 obsolete medially; last sternite with apical margin emarginate medially in male, truncate in female. Leg: slender; femur and tibia punctate; tibia with fringe of setae on inner margin of apex. Total length: 4.4-5.3 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia gracilis and Cephaloleia vagelineata . It can be distinguished by the serrulate lateral margins of the pronotum, by the rounded anterior angles of the pronotum, and by the suture between abdominal sterna 1 and 2 being obsolete medially.

Host plant.

Adults have been collected on Elaeis guineensis Jacq. ( Areaceae ) ( Staines 1996).

Distribution.

Belize, Colombia, Panama.

Type material examined.

Holotype: in folded palm leaf/ Porto Bello, Pan, Mar 11, 11, E A Schwarz/ spec. degreasing.., washed in chloroform and remounted Oct. 1912/ greasing again! washed 2 hrs. in chloroform and remtd. July 10, 1916/ Holotype Cephaloleia formosus Staines, Des. C. L. Staines 1994 [red label] (USNM).

Specimens examined.

BELIZE: Belize- Mile 45 Northern Road, 13 August 1977 (EGRC). COLOMBIA: Antioquia- Turbo, 9 August 1971 (USNM). Total: 7.