Nympharescus laevicollis ( Waterhouse, 1879 ) Sekerka, 2016

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2016, Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (1), pp. 275-344 : 281-282

Nympharescus laevicollis ( Waterhouse, 1879) comb. nov.

Arescus laevicollis Waterhouse, 1879: 427 (original description).

Arescus waterhousei Duvivier, 1885: 249 (original description). WEISE (1911): 12 (synonymy).

Type locality. ‘ Colombia, Medellin [according to the introduction of the paper]’.

Type material examined. HOLOTYPE: pinned (missing both antennae): ‘Type [w, p, s, circular label with red frame] || Medellin | 78·39 [w, hw, cb] || Arescus | laevicollis, | (Type) C.Waterh. [w, hw by Waterhouse, s]’ ( BMNH).

Remarks. WATERHOUSE (1879) described this species from an unknown number of specimens collected by Mr. Salmon at Medellin. The description was probably based on a singleton, as he provided only a single length measurement and the description of its colouration perfectly matches the specimen (species of Arescini display great colour variation). WEISE (1911) transferred the species to Chelobasis and until a recent revision it was only listed in catalogues (see UHMANN 1957a). This species is so far known only from the type specimen redescribed by STAINES (2009). Examination of the specimen revealed that it actually belongs to the genus Nympharescus as it has a seta present in all four pronotal corners ( Chelobasis has a seta present only in the anterior pronotal corners). Even if the setae have been broken off, the swollen tubercle which serves as their base remains and allows to infer the presence of this character. The type of A. laevicollis has frontal left and hind right setae broken, but the remaining two are clearly visible and the specimen depicted in STAINES (2009) is actually the holotype.

DUVIVIER (1885) described Arescus waterhousei from ‘ Cauca (Amaz.)’. WEISE (1911) considered it as synonym of A. laevicollis . I did not examine its type so I retain A. waterhousei as synonym of A. laevicollis . Its type locality probably refers to the Cauca Department of the former Gran Colombia nowadays split in four departments: Antioquia, Cauca, Chocó and Valle de Cauca. Adding to the confusion, Duvivier used the abbreviation ‘Amaz.’, which almost certainly means Amazon, while all aforementioned departments are situated in the western part of Colombia and do not reach the Amazon Basin.

Distribution. Colombia: Antioquia ( WATERHOUSE 1879).