Epicauta luteolineata Pic, 1933

Campos-Soldini, María Paula & Roig-Juñent, Sergio Alberto, 2011, Redefinition of the vittata species group of Epicauta Dejean (1834) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) and taxonomic revision of the species from southern South America, Zootaxa 2824, pp. 21-43 : 38

Epicauta luteolineata Pic, 1933

Epicauta luteolineata Pic, 1933: 25 .

Epicauta missionum var luteolineata: Denier, 1935: 157 (cat.); 1940: 421 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1945: 483 (cat.); Di Iorio, 2004: 169 (cat.).

Taxonomic remarks. Epicauta luteolineata var. discolineata Pic, 1933 and E. luteolineata var. brevebasalis Pic, 1933 , were assigned to E. clericalis (Berg) by Denier (1935).

Type material. Adams and Selander (1979) indicated that syntypes are deposited in the Museum National d`Histoire Naturelle (París), from “Río Salado” Argentina. These specimens were not examined.

Diagnosis. Cuticle brown, elytra with three pale vittae; marginal vitta extended from the base to near apex and two central vittae, one extended from the base to near the apex and the other very short from almost middle of elytra and interrupted near apex. Head and pronotal pubescence light brown; elytral pubescence is coincident with cuticle color.

Comparative remarks. Epicauta luteolineata is similar to E. clericalis in the cuticle color of head and pronotum, but differs in the color pattern of the elytra: E. luteolineata with three light vittae whereas E. clericalis has the elytra with two pale vittae.

Redescription. Body length: 11–20 mm.

Cuticle and pubescente. Cuticle brown; head with pale patch on frons ( Fig. 14 ); elytra with three pale vittae; marginal vitta from the base to near apex and two central vitta, one extended from the base to near the apex and the other very short from almost middle of elytra, interrupted near apex (as in Fig. 21). Pubescence of head, pronotum and elytron sparse (13–19 setae by lineal mm), light-brown colored. Head with pale pubescence on lateral parts and on the midline of occiput; pronotum with light setae on midline and margin.

Habitus. Head 0.75 times as long as wide (L/A: 22–29); mandible strongly curved apically ( Fig. 10 ); antennal segments of male with following proportions: 2.6 (I); 1.5 (II); 3.6 (III); 3.3 (IV); 2.6 (V); 2.6 (VI); 2.6 (VII); 4 (VIII); 3 (IX); 2.5 (X); 3 (XI); antenna of female: 4.5 (I); 2 (II); 4.5 (III); 5 (IV); 2.6 (V); 2.6 (VI); 4 (VII); 3 (VIII); 3 (IX); 2.5 (X); 3 (XI). Pronotum 1.26 times as long as wide (L/A: 29–23); slightly impressed at apical third in lateral view. Elytron wider from apical third to apex; apex one third wider than base. Legs with adhesive setae of fore tarsal segments uniformly distributed; medial and hind tarsal segments with two longitudinal rows of adhesive setae. Claws with dorsal blade curved at apex, ventral blade slightly curved, wider than dorsal blade near apical third.

Male genitalia. Falobase with superior border with deep concavity. Spiculum gastrale with two small acuminate protuberances and inner area strongly bulged, extending the prominences outward (Fig. 34). Median lobe robust, dorsal-hook; uncus short and moderately robust ( Fig. 42 ).

Intra-specific variation. Variation in body length and tonality color of pubescence occurs. This species has a wide range of size. The pubescence varies between brown and light brown.

Distribution. Map ( Fig. 49 ). Known from Argentina ( Adams and Selander, 1979), is recorded from: Santa Fe; Santiago del Estero. New records: Mendoza, Misiones, Salta, and Tucumán.

Host plants. Amaranthus sp.; Apium graveolens Beta vulgaris ; Chenopodium sp.; Chenopodium endivia ; Lycopersicum esculentum ; Medicago sativa ; Nicotina sp.; Portulaca sp.; Solanum dulcamara ; Solanum elaegnifolium ( Adams and Selander, 1979; Di Iorio, 2004)

Material examined. Fifty-five specimens are recorded from Argentina belong to the following collections MLP, MCNFA, IMLA: Mendoza: Lavalle (32º 51’ 63’’ S, 68º 59’ S, 68º 59’ 28’’ W); Misiones: San José (27º 46’ 39’’ S, 55º 46’ 76’’ W). Salta: Coronel Moldes (25º 16’ 50’’ S, 65º 28’ 33’’ W). Santiago del Estero. Tucumán: Lamailla (27º 03’ 88’’ S, 65º 24’ 43’’ W); Abra del Infiernillo (26º 43’ 73’’ S, 65º 46’ 15’’ W), San Miguel de Tucumán (26º 48’ 50’’ S, 65º 13’ 36’’ W).

Figures

FIGURE 49. Distribution map of Epicauta luteolineata and Epicauta semivittata.

FIGURES 12 – 17. Head cuticle color: 12. E. excavate; 13. E. semivittata, E. missionum; 14. E. clericalis, E. luteolineata; 15. E. bosqi; 16. E. leopardina, E. monachica, E. rutilifrons; 17. E. grammica.

FIGURES 6 – 11. Epicauta lopardina, 6. Labial palpi with segment III strongly expanded from the basal third to the apex; 7. Maxillary palpi large (three times width) compressed dorso-ventrally, tapering to the base and expanding to apex. E. leopardina: 8. Prementum with central area having ample concavity; E. clericalis: 9. Prementum straight. Mandible dorsal views: E. leopardina: 10 (b, see arrow); E. clericalis 11 (b, see arrow).

FIGURES 37 – 44. Aedeagus, lateral view: 37. E. bosqi: (a) aedeagus, (dt) dorsal tooth, (h) hook; 38. Epicauta clericalis; 39. E. excavata; 40. E. grammica 41. E. leopardina; 42. E. luteolineata; 43. E. monachica; 44. E. semivittata.