Thysanomeros ulateae Flowers

Flowers, R. Wills, 2003, A new genus and a new Costa Rican species of Endocephalites (Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), Zootaxa 221, pp. 1-11 : 7-10

Thysanomeros ulateae Flowers , new species

( Figs. 1, 3, 5 , 10 – 12 , 15 – 18 )

Holotype Male. Body dorsally convex; length 6.6 mm. Head and pronotum yellowish brown, elytra shining violet; antenna with scape yellowish brown, washed with black, segments 3­11 black. Underside yellowish brown with femora yellowish brown, tibia brown to black, darkened apically, tarsi black. Head with apical margin of clypeus emarginate, antennal calli moderately swollen. Labrum emarginate, with 6 dorsal setae. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.6, pronotum with lateral margin ( Fig. 5 ) broad, undulate, greatest width of pronotum just behind middle; disc with scattered deep punctures, separated by distances greater than their diameters. Prosternum longitudinally weakly inclined behind coxae, posterior margin of intercoxal process truncate, width of intercoxal process 0.75 x diameter of procoxa. Mesosternum narrower than prosternum, flat between coxae, surface finely punctate, with numerous erect yellow setae. Metasternum with a median area of closely spaced sort recurved setae. Femora with a few setae on ventral margin in basal fourth, metafemur ( Fig. 3 ) with long ventral setae in basal third. Scutellum V­shaped. Abdomen with erect yellow setae on apical half of each segment. Male sternum VII broadly emarginate, pygidial surface with long, erect setae on apical half. Median lobe of aedeagus in lateral view strongly curved ( Fig. 10 ); basal hood long, lightly sclerotized, with apodemes indistinct at lateral margins of hood. Apex of median lobe mucronate in apical view ( Fig. 12 ). Endophallus with apical sclerite straight, with apical and basal curved flaps present ( Fig. 11 ).

Allotype Female. Body oval; length 7.8 mm; head, and pronotum as in male, elytra dark blue or blue­green, underside and antennae as in male; legs with femora and tarsi as in male, tibiae ranging from entirely yellowish brown to entirely black. Head with labrum, frons, clypeus, eyes and antennae similar to male; mouthparts similar to male. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.67; pronotum with one to three teeth on lateral margin; punctation on disc as in male. Prosternum similar to male, but with width of intercoxal process 0.68.x diameter of procoxa. Mesosternum similar to male. Metasternum similar to male but with fewer setae in median area. Legs similar to male but fewer setae on ventral margins of femora. Scutellum U­shaped. abdominal sterna covered with long setae, 2­3 longer setae on each side of midline. Sternum VII with apical margin weakly emarginate, and with a transverse row of long setae. Abdominal segments VIII­XI forming short ovipositor ( Fig. 16, 17 ). Baculum distinct, apical, shorter than gonocoxae. Gonocoxae short, robust, with long setae in apical half, strongly incurved medially. Spermatheca as in Fig. 15 , receptacle tapered; spermathecal duct thin, sclerotized, loosely coiled.

Etymology: This species is named for Elena Ulate Arce, in recognition of her talented and dedicated service as technician in the Coleoptera collections of INBio.

Specimens: (3 ɗ and 8 Ψ, all deposited in INBio) Male HOLOTYPE labeled Sector San Ramón, Prov. Alaju, COSTA RICA. 620m, 13­28 Mar 1994, D. Garcia, L N 318100_381900 # 2766” (INBIOCRI001738811). Female ALLOTYPE labeled “Valle la Estrella, R.B. Hitoy Cerere, Prov. Limón, COSTA RICA. 100 m. Jul 1994, J. F. Quesada, L S 398100_572800 # 3174” (INBIOCRI002004360). PARATYPES (2 ɗ, 7 Ψ): COSTA RICA: Alajuela Province: 1 ɗ (INBIOCRI002250566), 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI002250565), Sect. San Ramón de Dos Rios, 620m. 3­24 ABR 1995. M. Chinchilla, L_N_318100_381900 #5328; 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI002146264), same locality, 27 ABR­11 MAY 1995. C. Cano #5276; 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI001874584), Est. San Ramón, P. N. Guanacaste, 620 m. 03­19 Abr 1994, Fam. Hurtado Garcia, L N 318100_381900 # 3004; 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI001776894), Est. San Ramón Oeste, 620 m. 03­19 Abr 1994, F. Quesada, L N 318100_381900 # 2817. Guanacaste Province: 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI000698667), Est. Pitilla, 700m, 9 km S Sta. Cecilia, P. N. Guanacaste, C. Moraga, 31 mar. ­ 15 abr. 1992, L­ N 330200_380200; 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI002336380), same locality abr. 1995. P. Rios, L_N_329950_380450 #4814: 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI000422572), Río San Lorenzo, 1050 m., Tierras Morenas, Z. P. Tenorio, M. Segura, 23 mar. a 21 abr. 1992, L_N_287800_427600. Heredia Province: 1 ɗ (INBIOCRI002729432), Est. Biol La Selva. 50­ 100m. MAY 2000. INBio­OET. Manual. L_N_268800_535300 #71434. Limón Province: 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI001954677), Río Sardinas, R.N.F.S. Barra del Colorado, 10 m. 18­27 Jun 1993, F. V. Araya, L N 291500_564700 # 2182; 1 Ψ (INBIOCRI000709586), Est. Hitoy Cerere, 100m, R. Cerere, Res. Biol. Hitoy Cerere, Jul 1992, G. Carballo, L­ N 184200_643300.

Discussion. The series Endocephalites was defined by Chapuis (1874) as Eumolpinae having convex anterior edges on the lateral arms of the prosternum (the proepisternum in older literature). In Bechyné’s (1953) catalog this group was treated as a subtribe, but is here retained as an informal group pending broader study of the Eumolpini. Endocephalites contains the Neotropical genera Colaspoides Laporte , Endocephalus Chapuis , Erotenia Lefèvre , Melinodea Jacoby , Phanaeta Lefévre , Susteraia Bechyné and Thyra Lefèvre. Phanaeta was later removed to the subtribe Colaspina ( Bechyné 1958) . Although Thysanomeros does not have convex anterior margins on the prosternal arms, it shares with Colaspoides and Endocephalus (the two largest New World genera of the Endocephalites) several other significant characters which together serve to define this subtribe: all three genera have the anterior margin of the prosternum broadly concave for reception of the head, completely lack an elytral locking groove on the pygidium and have a constriction at the junction of the attachment of the basal hood to the median lobe of the aedeagus. Flowers (1996) noted that some species currently placed in Colaspoides have grooved pygidia, as do some Endocephalus , but the type species of both genera fit the definition of Endocephalites given above.

The ranges of the two species in Costa Rica ( Fig 18 ) show a largely disjunct distribution with most specimens of T. jacobyi coming from the Osa Peninsula on the southwest Pacific side and with T. ulateae largely confined to the Atlantic slope of Costa Rica. There is an area of overlap around the volcanos of the Guanacaste Conservation Area in northwestern Costa Rica. A single specimen of T. jacobyi is known from the San Ramón site in western Costa Rica, but on the Atlantic slope, and one T. ulateae has been collected on the western side of Volcán Tenorio. Both species of Thysanomeros are currently known only from Costa Rica, but given that the ranges of both span the length of the country, it would not be surprising if these species were eventually found in both Nicaragua and Panamá.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Distribution of Thysanomeros. T. jacobyi, closed circles. T. ulateae, closed squares.

FIGURES 2 ­ 7. External characters of Thysanomeros. 2 – 3. Hind femur of male. 2. T. jacobyi. 3. T. ulateae. 4 – 5. Lateral margin of pronotum. 4. T. jacobyi, 5. T. ulateae. 6. Fore tarsi of T. jacobyi: left, male; right, female. 7. Pygidium of T. jacobyi.

FIGURES 8 ­ 12. Male genitalia of Thysanomeros. 8, 10. Median lobe. 8 T. jacobyi, showing endophalus and apical sclerite. 10. T. ulateae. 9, 12. Apex of median lobe. 9. T. jacobyi. 12. T. ulateae. 11. Apical sclerite, T. ulateae.

FIGURES 13 ­ 17. Female characters of Thysanomeros. 13, 16 ­ 17. ovipositors. 13. T. jacobyi, ventral. 16. T. ulateae, ventral. 17. T. ulateae, dorsal. 14 ­ 15. spermatheca. 14. T. jacobyi. 15. T. ulateae.