Chelobasis aemula ( Waterhouse 1881 )

Staines, C. L., 2009, A review of the genus Chelobasis Gray, 1832 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Zootaxa 2033 (1), pp. 58-68 : 59-60

Chelobasis aemula ( Waterhouse 1881)

( Figures 1 , 5 )

Arescus aemula Waterhouse 1881: 266 (Holotype: Ecuador, BMNH). Donckier 1899: 568 (catalog).

Chelobasis aemula (Waterhouse) . Weise 1911a: 12 (catalog), 1911b: 17 (catalog); Blackwelder 1946: 721 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 29 (catalog); Uhmann 1957: 33 (catalog).

Yellow; antennae, scutellum, and apex of tibiae and tarsi black; elytra with dark blue spots. Head: smooth; slight medial sulcus between eyes; frontal horn quadrate, broad; frons not projecting, with a few punctures. Antenna: extends to humerus; antennomere 1 elongate, apical projection as long as 2; 2 cylindrical, short; 3 cylindrical, elongate, longer than 1; 4–10 decreasing in length; 4 less than ½ length of 3; 11 pointed at apex; 1–4 alutaceous; 5–8 with scattered setae; 9–11 setose. Pronotum: longer than wide; lateral margin straight and divergent for basal ½, then expanding and rounded, then sharply angulate and convergent to apex; anterior angle angulate; posterior angle with large acute tooth; flat with scattered punctures; pronotal length 1.7–1.8 mm (n=8); pronotal width 2.9–3.0 mm. Scutellum: triangular; micropunctate. Elytron: expanding to exterior apical angle, then rounded to apex; lateral and apical margins smooth; sutural angle conjointly rounded; 10 rows of lightly impressed punctures plus short scutellar row; humerus rounded; elytral length 9.1–10.0 mm; elytral width 4.3–4.4 mm. Leg: tibia expanded to apex. Total length: 11.6–13.0 mm.

Larva. Unknown.

Larval host plant. Unknown.

Comparative notes. This species can be easily distinguished by the rounded elytral apices, the angulate lateral margin of the pronotum, and by antennomere 2 being transverse.

Distribution. Ecuador.

Specimens examined. Ecuador. Carchi: Gabriel , 750 m, 12.x.1970 ( BPBM) . Napo: Sarayacu ( BMNH) . Pinchincha: Estacion Orongo Palmitopomba , 23.vii.2001 ( USNM) . Total: 8.

Figures

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.