Beltia confusa Flowers, 2018

Flowers, R. Wills, 2018, A review of the genus Beltia Jacoby (Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), with descriptions of fourteen new species from Costa Rica, Panama, and northwestern South America, Insecta Mundi 672, pp. 1-43 : 10

Beltia confusa Flowers , new species

Figures 21, 45, 78

Description of male holotype. Body ovate; length 5.0 mm (range 4.8–5.5 mm). Head, pronotum, elytra, and underside bright metallic green; antennae testaceous; legs testaceous with metallic green on procoxae.

Head. Clypeus densely punctate, punctures separated by distance slightly greater than their diameters. Frontoclypeal suture obsolete. Frons strongly aciculate-punctate, surface between punctures forming concentric rugosities, punctures separated by distance subequal to their diameters; vertex lacking median impressed line.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.53; disc regularly, finely punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters; surface between punctures glossy, with numerous punctulae. Prosternum smooth, sparsely punctate, with a few short whitish setae, posterior margin of intercoxal process strongly concave, width of intercoxal process 1.12× diameter of procoxa. Mesosternum convex on anterior surface. Metasternum shallowly wrinkled, metepisternum finely alutaceous.

Elytra. Evenly punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters, surface between punctures with small punctulae; width across humeri 1.16× width across pronotum. Basal calli moderately developed, postbasal depression shallow.

Abdomen. Sterna with numerous short setae and a group of long setae on sternum III on each side of intercoxal process, surface of segments alutaceous. Terga II and III with basal row of short spicules, terga V and VI with surface shagreened.

Genitalia. Median lobe in lateral view curved downward, forming right angle to hood ( Fig. 45a); in enface view apical margin tapering, with a broad triangular median projection ( Fig. 45c). Apical sclerite ( Fig. 45b) cylindrical, bent at base and expanded at apex.

Female. Unknown.

Specimens examined. PERU: Región Loreto. (3♂) Male holotype labeled: PERU: Loreto: 40km NE Iquitos on Amazon River , Explorama Inn 22–24-VIII-1992 J. Castner, P. Skelley misc. at light ( FSCA) . PARATYPES (2♂) PERU: Loreto Prov.; Explorama Inn , 25mi NE Iquitos 19, 21-VII-1989 G.B. Edwards (1 FSCA, 1 USNM). Holotype deposited at FSCA, paratypes in FSCA and USNM .

Etymology. confusa, Latin , confusing.

Diagnosis. This species is very similar to B. talaga (see below), but can be distinguished by the entirely testaceous antennae. Beltia herreri , another small green Beltia , has darker orangish brown legs and antennae. The apical abdominal sternite of B. herreri is orangish brown in the center, contrasting with the rest of the metallic green venter, and bears a small tubercle that is lacking in B. confusa .

Remarks. One paratype has the metallic green body and elytra color replaced by cobalt blue with a slight green reflexion. All specimens of this species were collected in the forest at the mouth of the Río Napo in Peru ( Fig. 78).