Spaethiella species 1

Flowers, Wills & Chaboo, Caroline S., 2009, Novel host records of some cassidine leaf beetles from Ecuador (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Insecta Mundi 2009 (95), pp. 1-8 : 2

Spaethiella species 1 ( Fig. 1–2 )

Collecting data. Ecuador: Los Ríos Province: Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, Sector La Isla, 15–VII–2007, 18–II–2008, 16–II–2008, 16–VII–2008, 15–VIII–2008, R. W. Flowers, R. Troya ; EETP, Sector Santa Rita, Mocache, Finca La Central , 10–VII–2008, 6–VIII–2008, R. W. Flowers, J. Cedeño. This is a new species that will be described by Lukas Sekerka (L. Sekerka, pers. comm.) .

Host plant. Heliconia latispatha Benth. (Heliconiaceae) ( Fig. 1, 2 ). In Pichilingue, the host is a common roadside plant, and leaves generally have two to eight beetles on their undersides. Damage consisted of narrow trenches following the leaf veins. In a second site, a cacao plantation called Finca La Central that was being rehabilitated, plants were intensely attacked by the adults, with up to 20 individuals per plant (August, 2008, Fig. 1 ). The understory had been cut back in July, and there were numerous re-sprouts of H. latispatha , which were the target of attacks by Spaethiella .

Seasonality. Adults ( Fig. 2 ) were present throughout the dry season. Larvae were also present in the dry season, but in much lower numbers. Both larvae and pupae retained the bird’s nest type exuviofecal shield that is diagnostic for Hemisphaerotini .

Figures

Figure. 1–6. Spaethiella with their hosts. 1) Spaethiella sp. 1 (Body length ca. 4mm), larvae and pupae on Heliconia latispatha. 2) Adult of Spaethiella sp. 1 with trenching feeding pattern. 3) Carludovica sp., host of Spaethiella sp. 2. 4) Spaethiella sp. 2, larva with bird’s nest fecal case. 5) Spaethiella sp. 2, larvae and pupae, and window panes produced from trenching feeding pattern. 6) Spaethiella sp. 2, adult (Body length ca. 5mm).