Beltia placidula Bechynĕ, 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 : 18-19

Beltia placidula Bechynĕ , new combination

Figures 14 , 32 , 52 , 68 , 78

Colaspoides placidula Bechynĕ 1950b: 226 , original description; Bechynĕ 1953: 279. Holotype male at USNM, seen, labeled: TINGO MARIA, ( Río Huallaga ) 700m, X. 1947, leg Weyrauch //WKW 3851// Type // HOLOTYPE Colaspoides placidula m. det. J. Bechynĕ 1950// HOLOTYPE USNM 66979 //USNMENT 00911436 .

Redescription. Male. Body ovate, dorsally convex; length 5.0– 5.8 mm. Head metallic golden green, pronotum and elytra greenish gold with reddish coppery reflexion, scutellum metallic green; antennae testaceous with apical two or three antennomeres darker, legs testaceous. Underside metallic bluish green.

Head. Clypeus densely punctate, punctures separated by distance slightly greater than their diameters. Frontoclypeal suture distinct. Frons strongly punctate, surface between punctures smooth to weakly alutaceous, punctures separated by distance subequal to their diameters; vertex with a distinct median impressed line, punctures aciculate, surface between punctures smooth.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.6; disc regularly, finely punctate, with punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters; surface between punctures glossy, with numerous punctulae. Prosternum wrinkled, sparsely punctate, with short whitish setae, posterior margin of intercoxal process slightly concave, width of intercoxal process equal to diameter of procoxa. Metasternum smooth, metepisternum finely alutaceous.

Elytra. Evenly punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters, surface between punctures with small punctulae; width across humeri 1.02× width across pronotum. Basal calli moderately developed, postbasal depression shallow.

Abdomen. Sterna with numerous short setae and long setae along middle third at rear margin of segments III–VI, surface of segments alutaceous. Tergites II and III with a basal row of spicules, tergite IV with spicules laterally; surface of tergites V and VII shagreened.

Genitalia. Median lobe in lateral view strongly curved and bent downward, a blunt projection at middle of lateral margin ( Fig. 52a ); in en-face view with “arrowhead” consisting of well-sclerotized converging lateral margins broadly curved to a sharp asymmetrical projection ( Fig. 52c ). Apex of endophallus ( Fig. 52b ) with field of small spicules and a small apical sclerite.

Female. Length 5.4–6.2 mm; color of head, pronotum, and elytra golden green with strong coppery reflexion; underside dark blue; antennae testaceous with apical three antennomeres piceous; legs vary- ing from dark testaceous to dark metallic blue.

Head. Punctation as in male.

Thorax. Pronotum with proportions and punctation as in male. Surface of prosternum more rugose than in male, posterior margin less concave. Metasternum and metepisternum as in male.

Elytra. As in male.

Abdomen. With scattered whitish setae, apex of sternum VII weakly crenulate with apical, shallow, V-shaped emargination, a subapical transverse costa with two small median projections present ( Fig. 14 ).

Genitalia. Abdominal segments VIII–X forming elongate ovipositor (L/W = 6.67); sternum VIII elongate, needle-shaped ( Fig. 68a ); spermatheca with elongate, bulbous receptacle ( Fig. 68b ).

Specimens examined. (4♂, 4♀) PERU: Huánuco Region. (1♂, SEMC) Peru S.A., 6.7. 1939, Felix Woytkowski // Vic. Tingo Maria // Jungle, 670m a. s. l.; (1♂, SEMC) Peru S.A., 6.7. 1939, F. Woytkowski No. 398, Loc, Shapahilla 630 m. a. s. l. 11 km. N. E. Tingo Moria [sic]. San Martín Region. (1♂, SEMC) Peru, S.A., Oct. 15 1936, F. Woytkowski, No. 3758; Seritor, 21 Km W. of Rioja; (1♀, SEMC) same locality and collector, Sept. 30, 1936, No. 3757; (1♀, FSCA) Moyabamba, vic., Ecológico “ Rumipata ”, 13–18-X-2012 J.E. Eger; S06°04′32.0″; W076°58′07.5″, 970m elev. Loreto Region. (1♀, FSCA) nr. jct. Río Marañon & Ucayali. 73.5°W 4.8°S, 6–20-VIII-1994, P.E. Skelley; (1♂, 1♀, FSCA) same locality, date, and collector, day catch.

Diagnosis. This species can be distinguished from B. angustomarginata by the small pair of tubercles on sternite VII in the female. This character is shared with B. chiriquensis , but the characteristic lightcolored tarsi of B. chiriquensis will distinguish that species.

Remarks. The male can be distinguished from other species with “arrowhead”-shaped median lobes by the relatively weak patches of spicules at the tip of the endophallus. Beltia placidula is distributed through the Amazonian region of northern Peru ( Fig. 78 ).

Figures

Figures 9–17. Structures of Beltia. 9) Profemur, B. nicaraguensis. 10) Profemur, B. tisingalita. 11) Pronotum, B. angustomarginata. 12) Pronotum, B. ledesmae. 13) En-face view of median lobe, B. angustomarginata. 14) Apex of abdomen, B. placidula. 15) Concave prosternum (arrow), B. ledesmae. 16) Head and pronotum, B. napoensis. 17) Male abdomen with seta patches (arrow), B. herreri.

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 67–74. Beltia, female genitalia: a) ovipositor, ventral view; b) spermatheca. 67) Beltia osa. 68) Beltia placidula. 69) Beltia sanchezae. 70) Beltia tilarana. 71) Beltia tisingalita. 72) Beltia tsachila. 73) Beltia vacilona. 74) Beltia weyrauchi.

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).