Fidia guatemalensis Jacoby

Strother, M. S. & Staines, C. L., 2008, A revision of the New World genus Fidia Baly 1863 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Adoxini), Zootaxa 1798 (1), pp. 1-100 : 40-42

Fidia guatemalensis Jacoby

( Figs. 12 , 36 , 49 , 58 , 101 , 107 ; Map 11)

Fidia guatemalensis Jacoby 1879: 778 (original description); Jacoby 1882: 167 (faunal treatment); Lefèvre 1885: 75 (catalog); Clavareau 1914: 76 (catalog); Blackwelder 1946: 662 (checklist); Bechyné 1953: 249 (catalog); Wilcox 1975: 57 (checklist); Flowers 1996: 36 (checklist).

Jacoby (1879) stated that he had numerous specimens collected by Champion. Seven specimens from the BMNH, bearing syntype labels were examined. A male from this series bearing the labels, "Type [white disc with red border] / SYN-TYPE [white disc with blue border] / Duenas Guatemala, C. Champion / Fidia guatemalensis Jac. [blue, handwritten] / B.C.A. 167.7 / LECTOTYPE Fidia guatemalensis Jacoby design. M.S.Strother 1993 [red]", is here designated Lectotype. This specimen is glued on a rectangular card and is in good condition with all appendages tucked beneath the specimen and apparently intact. The six additional syntypes examined, three males and three females, are here designated Paralectotypes: "SYN-TYPE [white disc with blue border] / Capetillo, Guatemala, C. Champion / B.C.A. 167.7 / PARALECTOTYPE Fidia guatemalensis Jacoby design. M. S. Strother 1993 [yellow]". In addition to these labels, one of the females bears the label, "Type. Sp. figured.", as its second label. Recommendation 74B of the Code ( ICZN 1999 ) states that if all other things are equal, syntypes that have been figured should be given preference when a lectotype is designated. However, because the specimen figured in the Biologia was a female, it was not chosen as the lectotype. According to Shute (pers. comm.), four additional syntypes are housed in the BMNH, but these specimens were not examined and are not designated as paralectotypes at this time .

Description. Male: TL = 4.59–5.15 mm, HW = 2.28–2.56 mm. Females: TL = 5.25–5.58 mm, HW = 2.71– 2.73 mm. Color: Dorsum and venter uniformly brassy or glossy black with hints of very dark red-brown, usually with distinct gold, greenish, or purple metallic luster; femora fulvous to dark red-brown, usually lighter at base and apex, often with greenish or coppery luster on darker mid-portion; tibiae fulvous to dark red-brown, usually much darker at apex, often with greenish or coppery luster; tarsi very dark red-brown to blackish with blue-green metallic luster; pubescence white to straw-yellow with apex of each seta dark brown to black. Pronotum: Length subequal to width, widest at or immediately posteriad middle, sides feebly convex in dorsal view, dorsum nearly straight to slightly convex in lateral view; densely, coarsely punctate-reticulate; pubescence moderately sparse, setae erect on disc, suberect to recumbent on lateral aspects. Mesepisternum: Entirely glabrous. Elytra: Intrahumeral callus weakly developed; apex of humeral callus impunctate, glabrous; asetose punctate-striae coarse, irregular, shallowly to deeply impressed; setose punctules closely juxtaposed with asetose punctures at margins of striae; punctures and punctules more closely placed on lateral aspect giving surface broadly punctate-rugose to punctate-undose appearance; interstices slightly to moderately convex with surface impunctate, glabrous, shining; pubescence moderately sparse, long, suberect to erect, each seta distinctly ensate, setae arising from opposite sides of a given stria more or less divergent. Abdomen: Males with medial area of first sternum flattened; medial area of second, third, and fourth sterna gently concave with dense, transverse mat of short, stout, posteriorly directed, golden setae; last sternum with large, subcircular, shallow medial impression bordered on each lateral margin by short, longitudinal callus bearing dense tuft of long, erect setae; pygidium subquadrate, dorsally with shallow impression immediately anteromesad each rounded posterolateral angle, apical margin broadly truncate to feebly emarginate. Females with medial area of first four sterna evenly convex, lacking dense, transverse mats of pubescence; apical margin of last sternum truncate to feebly concave; pygidium subtriangular, apical ½ tapered to subacute apex. Legs: Both sexes with femora robust, distinctly tapered toward base; spinose external apical margin of metatibia acutely subangulate. Males with all tibial spurs small, lacking visible surface sculpture; probasitarsus subequal in width for most of length; disco-setae on pro- and mesobasitarsi only. Penis: In posterior view, sides subparallel, slightly widened at apex; apex convex with small medial notch extending approximately ¼ distance from apex of penis to posterior margin of ostium; angles at opening of notch expanded into small, acute teeth. In lateral view, eudorsal and euventral surfaces of declivitous part appearing nearly straight, (euventral surface actually broadly, deeply excavated with lateral margins reflexed); distal portion of eudorsum and euventer gently convex, tapered to small, rounded apex. Sperm guide absent. Spermatheca: Basal swelling type ( Fig. 107 ): proximal part basally bulbous, narrower distally, with slight constriction at base separating subquadrate basal swelling; distal part subangulately curved, eudorsal surface distinctly convex, tapered distally to small, acute, upturned appendix; spermathecal duct and spermathecal gland emanating from apex of basal swelling.

Diagnosis. Medium to large (4.59–5.58 mm); brassy to glossy black, often with gold, greenish, or purple metallic luster; pubescence moderately sparse, erect to suberect, giving beetle bristly appearance; elytral asetose punctate-striae coarse, irregular, shallowly to deeply impressed with interstices moderately to distinctly convex; spinose apical margin of metatibia acutely subangulate ( Fig. 49 ). Males with dense, transverse mat of short, stout setae on medial area of abdominal sterna II–IV ( Fig. 37 ); last abdominal sternum with large, subcircular, shallow medial impression bordered on each lateral margin by short, longitudinal callus bearing dense tuft of long, erect setae; apex of penis with small medial notch extending approximately ¼ distance from apex of penis to posterior margin of ostium; angles at opening of notch expanded into small, acute teeth ( Fig. 101 ).

Fidia guatemalensis is quite distinctive and is not likely to be confused with any other species, but see diagnosis under F. costaricensis for comparison of males of these two species.

Distribution (Map 11). Fidia guatemalensis is know from Belize, central El Salvador, and southern Guatemala. Collecting elevations ranged from 1400–1800 m.

Specimens Examined (9♂♂, 5♀♀).

BELIZE. No locality, no date ( BMNH:1).

EL SALVADOR. BOQUERON: * nr. Santa Tecla, v:2:1971 ( CMNC:1).

GUATEMALA. GUATEMALA: Guatemala City , Univ. del Valle , vi:10:1991 ( CMNC:1). SACATEPÉQUEZ : Capet., no date ( AMNH:2, ANSP:2). Temporal Data. Only two collecting dates, 2 May and 10 June, were given. Natural History. The only biological data given were "oak/pine/ Mimosa forest" for a single specimen collected at Univ. del Valle , Guatemala City .

Figures

FIGURES 9–12. Dorsal habitus of Fidia species. 9. F. delilahae. 10. F. dicelloposthe. 11. F. dichroma. 12. F. guatemalensis.

FIGURES 35–37. Right prothoracic femur. 35. F. viticida ♀. 36. F. guatemalensis ♂. 37. Xanthonia vagans ♀. Scale bar = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 48–49. Leg characters (scale bar = 1.0 mm). 48. F. viticida left meso- and metathoracic tibiae, lateral view. 49. F. guatemalensis left metathoracic tibia, lateral view.

FIGURES 58–60. Male abdominal sterna, stippling indicates setose patches (scale bar = 1.0 mm). 58. F. guatemalensis. 59. F.dichroma. 60. F. pedestris.

FIGURES 101–102. Distal part of male aedeagus, lateral and dorsal views (scale bar = 0.5 mm). 101. F. guatemalensis. 102. F. costaricensis.

FIGURES 103–108. Female spermatheca, lateral view (scale bar = 0.5 mm). 103. F. convexicollis. 104. F. papillata. 105. F. xanthonioides, Jalisco, Mexico. 106. F. xanthonioides, Oaxaca, Mexico. 107. F. guatemalensis. 108. F. chapini. FIGURES 109–110. Male sperm guide, dorsal and lateral views (scale bar = 0.25 mm). 109. F. viticida. 110. F. cana.