Cephaloleia bella Baly, 1885

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 72-73

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia bella Baly, 1885 Fig. 84

Cephaloleia bella Baly 1885: 20. Blackwelder 1946: 718 (catalog); Papp 1953: 14 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 16 (catalog), 1959a: 621 (noted), 1964a: 402 (catalog); Gaedike and Döbler 1971: 343 (types); Wilcox 1983: 136 (catalog); Staines 1996: 18 (Central America species), 1999: 241 (mimicry), 2004: 312 (host plants), 2010: 27 (types), 2011: 48 (faunal list); Staines and Staines 1997: 4 (types), 1999: 523 (Baly species list); McKenna and Farrell 2005: 119 (phylogeny), 2006: 10949 (phylogeny); García–Robledo et al. 2013a: 3 (biology).

Cephalolia bella Baly. Donckier 1899: 548 (catalog); Weise 1905a: 132 (noted), 1911a: 7 (catalog), 1911b: 10 (catalog), 1921a: 263 (noted); Uhmann 1930a: 233 (key), 1936b: 483 (key).

Description.

Elongate; flattened; subparallel; head (except yellow frons), antennae, and scutellum black; pronotum yellow with black medial macula on anterior and basal margins; elytra black with yellow vitta which begins at interspace 4 and extends to interspace 7 from humerus and extends to near apical margin, lateral margin black; venter with prosternum yellow with black macula beyond coxae; mesosternum yellow medially, black laterally; metasternum black; abdominal sterna yellowish-orange with black vitta on lateral margin; leg with femur yellow with black ring at apex; tibia and tarsi black. Head: vertex punctate, with V-shaped sulcus between eyes; eyes slightly protruding, finely faceted; frons punctate, not projecting; depressed between eyes. Antenna: reaches to humerus; slender; antennomere 1 elongate, robust, compressed; 2 transverse, ⅓ length of 1; 3-4 elongate, projection on inner angle, 3 1½ x length of 2; 4 shorter than 3; 5-10 transverse, subequal in length, each shorter than 4; 11 2 × length of 10, pointed at apex; 1-3 punctate with scattered setae; 4-11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin straight then rounding to anterior angle, margined; anterior angle rounded, slightly produced; posterior angle acute; anterior margin straight; disc flattened; surface impunctate; basal impression absent; pronotal length 1.4-1.7 mm; pronotal width 1.7-1.9 mm. Scutellum: broadly triangular; alutaceous. Elytron: lateral margin straight, narrowly margined, smooth; apex rounded; sutural angle with minute tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; declivity beginning just behind humerus at puncture row 7 edged with faint carina; moderately punctate-striate; punctures in vitta larger than those on rest of elytron; elytral length 5.6-6.0 mm; elytral width 2.6-2.8 mm. Venter: pro-, meso-, and metasterna impunctate medially, punctate laterally, each puncture with pale seta; abdominal sterna punctate, each puncture with seta; suture between sterna 1 and 2 complete; last sternite with apical margin emarginate medially in male, truncate in female. Leg: sparsely punctate; femur robust; tibia with fringe of setae on inner margin of apex. Total length: 7.6-8.1 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia championi , Cephaloleia luctuosa , and Cephaloleia vicina . It can be distinguished by the head being depressed between the eyes, by the impunctate pronotum, by antennomeres 3 and 4 being triangular, and by the larger punctures in the elytral vitta.

Comments.

Preliminary analysis of the CO1 gene indicates that cryptic species may be present under the current application of this species name. Further work is needed to resolve this question.

Host plant.

Adults have been collected on Heliconia imbricata (Kuntze) Baker ( Heliconiaceae ) ( Staines 1996).

Distribution.

Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama.

Type material examined.

Syntypes: Bugaba, 800-1500 ft., Champion/ Cephaloleia bella Baly (USNM, 4; AMNH, 4; ANSP, 2).

Specimens examined.

COSTA RICA: Cartago- Quebrada Segunda, Ref. Nac. Fauna Silv., Tapantí, 1250 m, April 1992, January 1992 (INBIO); Río Grande de Orosí, Puente Río Dos Amigos, 1550-1600 m (INBIO). Guanacaste- Est. Pitilla, 700 m, 9 km S Sta. Cecilia, P. N. Guanacaste, July 1991 (INBIO). Heredia- Finca La Selva nr. Puerto Viejo, 22 June 1969, 24 July 1969 (USNM), 20-23 June 2001 (USNM); Hamburg Farm, Reventazón, 16 January 1936 (USNM). Limón- Bataan, 16 June 1951 (USNM); Est. Hitoy-Cerere, 100 m, November 1991, 12 April 1992, 30 July 1992, June 1991, 27 June- 22 July (INBIO); Finca Hamburgo, 31 January 1931, 1 February 1932, 31 March 1931 (MUCR); Puerto Vargas, 7 December 1963 (MUCR); Valle La Estrella, R. B. Hitoy Cerere, 100-200 m (INBIO); Pococí Colorado, Sec Cerro Cocorí, 30 km N Cariari, 100-200 m (INBIO); Amubri, Sendero Soki, 0-100 m (INBIO). Puntarenas- Barranca site, 10 km N Puntarenas, 11 September 1969 (USNM); Corcovado, 13 December 1984 (INBIO); Est. Sirena, Corcovado NP, October 1989, November 1989, December 1989, January 1990, February 1990, March 1990, April 1990, October 1990, December 1990, June 1991, August 1991, September 1991, November 1991, January 1992, March 1992, 21 March- 21 April 1992, April 1992, June 1992, May 1992, November 1992, (INBIO), August 1993 (MUCR); Golfo Dulce, Río Salendato, 21 August 1936 (USNM); Puerto Cortes, 19 July 1972 (FSCA); Osa Peninsula, 0.8 mi SW Rincón, 25 July 1968 (CMNC); Osa Peninsula, 3.5 mi. S. Rincón, 1 March 1969 (USNM); Osa Peninsula, 5.0 mi SW Rincón, 31 August 1968 (INBIO, USNM); Peninsula de Osa, 31 July 1968 (MUCR); 2 mi. S. Palmar Sur, 19 August 1969 (USNM); 5.4 mi S Palmar Sur, 11 August 1969 (USNM); Rancho Quemado, Pen. Osa, February 1991, April 1991, July 1991, September 1992, November 1992 (INBIO); Río Piedras, sea level, 15 August 1969 (USNM); from Villa Neilly to Río Claro, 21 July 1972 (FSCA); Sierpe, 2.5 mi SW Rincón (INBIO). San José- Finca La Caja, La Uruea, 1200 m, 14 July 1931 (MUCR). MEXICO: Oaxaca- 16 mi. N of Jachitanm 6 July 1955 (SEMC). Veracruz- 8 km. ne. Sontecomapan, 20 July 1980 (TAMU). PANAMA: Chiriquí- Bugaba, 800-1500 ft. (DEI). Colón- Frijoles (USNM); Paraiso, 25 January 1911, 15 March 1911, 26 March 1911 (USNM); Porto Bello, 7 March 1911, 16 February 1911, 26 February 1911 (USNM). Panamá- Alajuelo, 2 March 1911, 5 April 1911, 15 April 1911, 18 April 1911 (USNM). Total: 536.