Cephaloleia nigropicta Baly, 1885

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 196-197

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia nigropicta Baly, 1885 Fig. 195

Cephaloleia nigropicta Baly 1885: 10. Blackwelder 1946: 719 (catalog); Papp 1953: 19 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 22 (catalog); Wilcox 1983: 137 (catalog); Strong 1977b: 580 (host plants); Staines 1996: 47 (Central America species), 2004: 312 (host plants); Staines and Staines 1999: 524 (Baly species list); McKenna and Farrell 2005: 119 (phylogeny).

Cephalolia nigropicta Baly. Donckier 1899: 550 (catalog); Weise 1911a: 8 (catalog), 1911b: 12 (catalog).

Cephalileia nigripicta Baly. Strong 1982b: 1045 (lapsus calami, host plants).

Description.

Elongate; subparallel; subconvex; head yellow, eyes darker; antennae black, except antennomere 1 or 1 and 2 which are yellow; pronotum yellow with black triangular macula from anterior margin to near base; scutellum black; elytra yellow with black humeral maculae and black band just after midline from suture to lateral margin; legs yellow, apex of tibia and tarsi darker. Head: vertex impunctate, medial sulcus present; frons not projecting; slightly depressed between eyes. Antenna: less than ½ body length; slender; antennomere 1 elongate; 2 transverse; 3-4 elongate, shorter than 1; 5-10 transverse, subequal in length; 11 pointed at apex, subequal in length to 1; 1-2 punctate with scattered setae; 3-11 setose. Pronotum: subquadrate; lateral margin straight then rounding to anterior angle, margined; anterior angle rounded, not produced; posterior angle angulate; anterior margin straight; disc subconvex, impunctate; with slight prebasal depression laterally; pronotal length 1.0-1.2 mm; pronotal width 1.3-1.5 mm. Scutellum: pentagonal; micropunctate. Elytron: lateral margin slightly expanding apically, smooth, margined; apex rounded; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; declivity beginning just behind humerus at puncture row 7 not edged with faint carina; slightly flattened along suture; moderately punctate-striate, interspaces finely sulcate; puncture rows converge and unite apically; humerus virtually impunctate; elytral length 4.3-4.7 mm; elytral width 1.8-2.0 mm. Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna impunctate; abdominal sterna punctate, each puncture with pale setae; suture between sterna 1 and 2 obsolete medially; last sternite with apical margin emarginate medially in male, rounded, entire in female. Leg: slender; tibia with fringe of setae on inner margin of apex. Total length: 5.8-6.3 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia reventazonica . It can be distinguished by antennomere 3 being shorter than 1, by the humerus being nearly impunctate, and by the elytral puncture rows being regular to the apex.

Host plant.

Adults have been collected on Heliconia sp. ( Strong 1977b); Heliconia tortuosa Griggs ( Heliconiaceae ), Calathea crotalifera S. Watson, Pleiostachya leiostachya (Donn. Sm.) Hammel ( Marantaceae ).

Distribution.

Costa Rica, Panama.

Type material examined.

Lectotype: Syntype [white disk with blue border]/ V. de Chiriqui, 25-4000 ft. Champion/ B.C.A. Col. VI, 2. Cephaloleia nigropicta Baly/ nigropicta/ Lectotype Cephaloleia nigropicta Baly des. C. L. Staines 1994 [red label] (BMNH).

Specimens examined.

COSTA RICA: Alajuela- Río San Lorencito, 900 m, R. F. San Ramón, 5 km N de Colonia Palmareña, 13-18 June 1993, March 1990 (INBIO); 20 km S Upala, 11-21 June 1991, 10-19 March 1991, 20 January- 12 February 1991, 24 June- 22 July 91 (BYUC). Guanacaste- 3 km SE R. Naranjo, 1-10 October 1992, 25-29 June 1992, 11-21 April 1992, 1-15 May 1992, 1-5 June 199-, 11-18 February 1993, 11-20 November 1992, 16-31 October 1992, 14-21 June 1993 (BYUC); Río San Lorenzo, 1050 m, Tierras Morenas, Z. P. Tenorio, February 1993, April 1992, 23 March- 21 April 1992, 10-20 February 1992 (INBIO). Heredia- Estación Biologica La Selva, 02 July 2001, 04 July 2001, 7 April 2003, 28 July 1989 (USNM). Puntarenas- Coto Brus, Las Cruces Biological Station, 10 March 2012 (USNM). PANAMA: no further data (USNM). Bocas del Toro- 6 km N Punta Peña, 27 May 1993 (CDFA). Chiriquí- Reserva Fortuna, Continental Divide Trail, 26 May 1993 (CDFA). Total: 47.