Prionodera Chevrolat

Flowers, R. Wills, 2004, A review of the Neotropical genus Prionodera Chevrolat (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae) with description of a new genus, Zootaxa 631, pp. 1-54 : 4-5

Prionodera Chevrolat

( Figs 1 –56, 60–100)

Prionodera Chevrolat 1837:407

Stenolampra Baly 1859:12 , new synonymy Jodasia Bechyné 1951:350 , new synonymy

Type species. Colaspis bicolor Olivier 1808:879 , designated by Monrós and Bechyné (1956)

Body elongate­oval, dorsally convex. Head with clypeus coarsely to rugosely punctate, apex of clypeus emarginate. Frons finely to coarsely punctate; surface between punctures smooth to alutaceous; antennal calli smooth and slightly swollen. Eye oval, broadly emarginate at antennal insertion; ocular sulci present or absent. Antenna with scape elongate oval, pedicel subglobose, shorter than scape, distinctly shorter than flagellomere 1; flagellum filiform, each flagellomere slightly wider at apex, elongate; antennomeres 3–6 with scattered appressed setae, antennomeres 7–11 densely pubescent, with whorl of long erect setae at apex of antennomeres 3–10; antennomere 11 spindle­shaped. Mouthparts with apex of labrum emarginate, with 2–4 dorsal setae, and short row of lateral setae along outer margin. Mandible with outer margin with sharp bend, lateral surface rugose and setose, a prominent seta on dorsal surface at angle, apical teeth broad, pointed. Maxillary palp with apical segment tapered. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, pronotum moderately convex, with posterior margin subequal in length to anterior margin, diagonal submedian depressions weak to well developed; anterior angles acute, directed anteriorly, posterior angles acute; all angles with a seta­bearing puncture; basal marginal bead present; lateral margin narrow undulate, forming three weak teeth, greatest width of pronotum anterior to middle; disc distinctly, regularly punctate, with punctures separated by a distance equal to or slightly greater than their own diameters; surface between punctures smooth, shining. Prosternum with long setae, coarsely punctate, transversely flat between coxae; with anterior margin excavated for reception of gular area of head; posterior margin of intercoxal process truncate to markedly concave, lateral angles of intercoxal process swollen. Lateral arms of prosternum excavated for reception of gular area of head, with anterior margin straight, junction with prosternum discontinuous, surface glabrous. Proepimeron weakly concave, sparsely punctate, with punctures separated by distance greater than diameter of a puncture, with surface smooth, shiny. Mesosternum subequal in width to prosternum, flat between coxae. Metasternum convex, swollen anterior to hind coxae, smooth, with sparse short yellow setae; metepisternum gradually narrowed posteriorly, with surface aluteceous. Legs sparsely covered with short prostrate setae; all surfaces alutaceous. Trochanters with strong seta on apical angle. Femora strongly swollen in middle, profemur armed below with a small obtuse tooth ( Fig. 6 ). Tibiae bicarinate, slightly to moderately sulcate between carinae, with setae increasing in length toward apex of tibiae; protibiae abruptly widened in apical third; middle and hind tibiae widened apically and lacking emargination. Tarsi densely and uniformly pilose beneath; basal tarsomere of fore­ and middle legs weakly expanded in male ( Fig. 9 ), distinctly longer than wide; second tarsomere broadly triangular, with acute apicolateral angles; third tarsomere longer than second, deeply bilobed; terminal tarsomere distinctly surpassing apex of third tarsomere; claws divergent, appendiculate. Elytra punctate, punctures scattered or in regular longitudinal striae, if striate, intervals between striae flat or raised; surface between punctures smooth with scattered small punctulae; humeri prominent, rounded, basal calli obsolete; postbasal depression weak or lacking; sides subparallel or broadly rounded, convergent, apices conjointly rounded. Basal margin costate at humeri. Epipleuron narrow, slanted downward, visible in lateral view, tapering evenly from base to apex. Scutellum Ushaped, with base subequal to length; surface smooth, with few punctulae. Abdomen with all segments subequal in length, with sparse prostrate setae, also with pairs of long submedian setae on sternites III or IV–VI. Surface of segments smooth. Male sternite VII with lateral margins smooth, a weak depression in center. Pygidium lacking longitudinal groove, with apical setae; pygidial surface smooth, lateral margins smooth ( Fig. 7 ). Male Genitalia: Median lobe of male with basal hood lightly sclerotized, with apodemes indistinct at lateral margins of hood; subbasal fenestra present; basal spurs prominent; tegmen triangular. Female Genitalia: Sternite VII with apical margin weakly emarginate, and with numerous long lateral and apical setae. Segments VIII–XI in female forming ovipositor of variable length. Gonocoxae usually short, robust, curved inwardly toward midline (as in Fig. 70). Spermatheca with receptacle long, not strongly differentiated from pump, spermathecal gland located near mid­length.

Remarks. This genus can be distinguished from all other Neotropical Eumolpinae by the following combination of characters: 1) pygidium lacking groove; 2) prosternum broadly excavated at anterior margin; 3) lateral arms of prosternum not distinctly convex; 4) anterior femur with ventral tooth or angulation. Prionodera most closely resembles Thysanomeros Flowers (Flowers 2003a) and Prionoderita Flowers (see below) but can be distinguished by its larger size, ventral tooth on the fore femur, and more elongate and tapering body shape.

Prionodera belongs to the informal group Endocephalites, as defined by Flowers (2003a). It can be distinguished from other genera of the Endocephalites by the ventral tooth on the fore femur and, except for P. cyanea , by the more elongate body shape.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 5. Prionodera, dorsal view. 1. P. arimanes Flowers, female; 2. P. e s m e r a l d a Flowers male; 3. P. b i c o l o r (Olivier), male; 4. P. nila Flowers, male; P. lutea Erichson, female.

FIGURES 6 – 14. 6. P. merana Bechyné, fore femur; 7. P. es mera ld a Flowers, pygidium; 8. P. cy a ­ nea (Lefèvre), dorsal outline; 9. P. furcada Flowers, basitarsi: left, foretarsus; right, mesotarsus; 10. P. m e r a n a Bechyné, prosternum, three­quarter view; Figs. 11 – 12, elytral apices, 11. P. c o s t a t a (Baly); 12. P. e s m e r a l d a Flowers; Figs. 13 – 14, pronota, 13. P. adiastola Flowers; 14. P. costata (Baly).