Beltia rugosa Flowers, 2018

Flowers, R. Wills, 2018, A review of the genus Beltia Jacoby (Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), with descriptions of fourteen new species from Costa Rica, Panama, and northwestern South America, Insecta Mundi 672, pp. 1-43 : 20

Beltia rugosa Flowers , new species

Figures 33 , 53 , 78

Description of male holotype. Body ovate, length 5.9 mm. Head, pronotum, and elytra glossy bluish green; antennae yellowish tan. Underside reddish brown with bluish green reflexes, legs reddish brown.

Head. Clypeus densely punctate, punctures separated by distance less than their diameters. Frons strongly punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters; surface between punctures microreticulate; vertex without impressed line; antennal calli microreticulate, weakly swollen.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.61; pronotum convex, widest ahead of middle; disc strongly punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters; surface between punctures microreticulate, with numerous punctulae. Prosternum wrinkled, sparsely punctate, with short whitish setae; posterior margin of intercoxal process truncate, width of intercoxal process 0.94× diameter of procoxa. Proepimeron smooth. Mesosternum flat between coxae, punctate and with white setae. Metasternum wrinkled. Profemur moderately swollen.

Elytra. Coarsely punctate, punctures forming transverse rugosities; width across humeri 1.2× width across pronotum; basal calli weakly developed; postbasal depression scarcely evident.

Abdomen. Sterna subequal in length, densely punctate, with numerous short setae and long setae in two longitudinal bands on either side of midline, with surface of segments alutaceous. Sternum VII with lateral margins smooth, a weak depression in center, long setae along posterior margin.

Genitalia. Median lobe in lateral view broadly curved ( Fig. 53a ). In en-face view ( Fig. 53c ) orifical space relatively narrow, postorifical length broad, apex of median lobe tapering to a symmetrical median projection. Apical sclerites ( Fig. 53b ) small, longitudinally folded.

Female. Unknown.

Specimens examined. ( 1♂) Male holotype labeled: COLOMBIA Chocó PNN Ensenada de Utria Río San Pichí 6°1′N 77°23′W 10m. Malaise 30.vi–4vii 2000 B. Brown Leg. M.3313. Holotype deposited in IAVH.

Etymology. rugosa, Latin , wrinkle, crease.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from other Beltia by the transverse rugosities on the elytra.

Remarks. This species is known from the northern Pacific coast of Colombia ( Fig. 78 ).

Figures

Figures 27–35. Beltia, dorsal habitus. 27) Beltia napoensis, male. 28) Beltia napoensis, female. 29) Same female as (28) photographed with diffuser. 30) Beltia nicaraguensis, female. 31) Beltia osa, male. 32) Beltia placidula, female. 33) Beltia rugosa, male. 34) Beltia sanchezae, female. 35) Beltia talaga, male.

Figures 50–56. Beltia, male genitalia: a) lateral view of median lobe; b) endophallic apical sclerites; c) en-face view of median lobe; d) en-face view of endophallic lateral digits. 50) Beltia napoensis, with endophallus partly everted: c) specimen from Peru; e) specimen from Ecuador. 51) Beltia osa. 52) Beltia placidula. 53) Beltia rugosa. 54) Beltia sanchezae. 55) Beltia talaga. 56) Beltia tilarana, with endophallus partly everted.

Figures 78–79. Distribution maps for Beltia spp. 78) Northwestern South America: B. confusa (star), B. gorgona (inverted triangles), B. placidula (blue circles), B. rugosa (red circle), B. weyrauchi (square). 79) Ecuador: B. awapita (hexagon), B. ledesmae (squares), B. napoensis (triangles), B. talaga (circle), B. tsachila (star).