Embates politus Prena, 2005

Prena, Jens, 2005, The Middle American species of Embates Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Baridinae), Zootaxa 1100 (1), pp. 1-151 : 1-151

65. Embates politus Prena sp. n.

(Fig. 221–224, 246)

Holotype male (dissected), Panama, labeled: “ PANAMA: CHIRIQUÍ / Pk. Int. La Amistad , Las / Nubes, 5.3km W Cerro / Punta, 2150m, 15.VI./ 1995 ­26D, R.S.Anderson/ cloud forest litter” ( CMNC).

Description. Habitus: Fig. 221, total length 5.4 mm. Color: integument dark rufous; scales yellow and dark brown, pronotum with thin dorsomedian and broad dorsolateral vittae of yellow scales, elytron with yellow scales condensed in compound dorsolateral vitta and along striae in basal portion of disk, brown scales at humeri, preapical callus, apex and various portions of disk and pronotum (Fig. 221); venter with yellow scales except medially. Head: frontal fovea absent, transition between head and rostrum nearly continuous, rostrum slender, subcylindrical, basal portion nearly straight (Fig. 222), costate dorsomedially, basolateral margin moderately edged, length of rostrum ♂ 1.23 x pronotal length, length of ante­antennal portion ♂ 0.39 x total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base before eye; length of funicular segments 1 and 2 subequal, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.87 x maximum width, sides rounded, greatest width near base, anterior portion tubulate; disk granulose. Elytra: length 1.59 x width at humeri, width 1.40 x maximum pronotal width, sides subparallel in basal half, then increasingly narrowed toward apex, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus developed, striae fine, punctures indistinct, interstriae flat, none costate. Legs: tibiae slender, slightly curved, ventral margin with distal cluster of yellow hairs, tarsal claws arcuate and separate at base. Male: apex of aedeagus rounded narrowly, middle and anterolateral portions sclerotized (Fig. 223), body of aedeagus of moderate length, basal third angular in lateral view, apodemes 2.1 x longer than body of aedeagus, flagellum thin, one­third shorter than apodemes, transition to curved base gradual, basal appendage of moderate size, curved, fused subdistally with base of flagellum, projecting beyond base (Fig. 224).

Plant association. Not known.

Distribution. Panama, Pacific side of Cordillera de Talamanca (Fig. 246).

Discussion. Embates politus is one of the rarely collected species from higher elevations of the Cordilleras. Details of the male genitalia and the habitus suggest a close relationship to E. belti , E. flavolimbatus and the species near E. circumcinctus (Casey) .