Epicauta rutilifrons Borchamnn, 1930

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 : 40

Epicauta rutilifrons Borchamnn, 1930

Epicauta rutilifrons Borchamnn, 1930: 91 ; Blackwelder, 1945: 484 (cat.): Martínez, 1992: 8 (dist).

Type material examined. [Rep. ARGENTINA / Prov. Jujuy/ C. Bruch] [C.Bruch/ dedit 1931] Epicauta / rutilifrons / Borchm. / PARATIPO] [ MLP 583/ 3].

Diagnosis. Cuticle brown. Head with light patch on frons, two light supra-ocular patches; elytra with two pale vittae, one marginal vitta and one on disk, both extended from base to near apex.

Redescription. Body length 17–19 mm.

Cuticle and pubescence: Cuticle brown. Head with pale patch on forehead, and two pale supra-ocular patches; elytra with two pale vittae, one marginal vitta and one on disk, both from the base to near apex (Fig. 26). Pubescence of head, pronotum and abdomen light brown; elytral pubescence coincident with cuticle color.

Habitus. Head 0.8 times as long as wide (L/A: 16–20); mandible strongly curved apically ( Fig. 10 ). Pronotum 1.2 times as long as wide (L/A: 21–18); slightly convex in lateral view. Elytron wider from apical third to apex. Legs with adhesive setae of fore and medial tarsal segments uniformly distributed, hind tarsal segment with two longitudinal adhesive segments. Claws with dorsal blade curved at apex, ventral blade slightly curved, broader than dorsal blade near apical third.

Distribution. Map ( Fig. 48 ). Known from Bolivia and Argentina, in Argentina is recorded from Jujuy.

Host plants. There is no available information about host plant associations for this species.

Material examined. Only one specimen from Argentina belongs to the following collection MLP: Jujuy (province label only).

Figures

FIGURE 48. Distribution map of Epicauta monachica and Epicauta rutilifrons.

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).