Acentroptera pulchella Guérin-Méneville

Staines, C. L., 2014, A revision of the genus Acentroptera Guérin-Méneville, 1844 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Insecta Mundi 2014 (332), pp. 1-19 : 10-11

Acentroptera pulchella Guérin-Méneville

Fig. 10

Hispa pulchella Guérin-Méneville 1830: 141 (type: Brazil, Santa Catherina , depository unknown). Guérin- Méneville 1838: 233 (noted); Uhmann 1966: 272 (noted)

Acentroptera pulchella (Guérin-Méneville) . Baly 1858: 121 (redescription); Gemminger and Harold 1876: 3608 (catalog); Donckier 1899: 568 (catalog); Weise 1911a: 19 (catalog), 1911b: 27 (catalog); Guérin 1953: 100 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 51 (catalog); Uhmann 1957: 66 (catalog), 1964b: 6 (faunal list); Mantovani et al. 2005: 153 (host plant); Frank and Lounibos 2009: 143 (noted); Staines 2010: 1 (nomenclature); Campos and Fernández 2011: 11 (noted); Magalhães et al. 2012: 944 (biology).

Description. Elongate; subparallel; convex; yellowish-brown; antennomeres 8-11 brown; eyes brown; pronotum with medial longitudinal metallic green vitta not reaching anterior or basal margins, lateral margin with sinuous metallic green vitta; scutellum reddish-brown; elytra pale yellow with lateral margin, suture, humerus, and apex darker plus 2 large dark maculae along sutural margin; venter and legs reddish. Head: vertex punctate, medial sulcus present; depressed between eyes; tooth present between antennal bases; frons and clypeus punctate; frons carinate. Antenna: as long as head and pronotum combined; antennomere 1 subglobose; 2 elliptical, subequal in length to 1; 3-4 cylindrical, 3 1½x length of 2, 4 ¾ length of 3; 5-7 elliptical, subequal in length, each ½ length of 4; 8-10 transverse, subequal in length, slightly shorter than 7; 11 longer than 10, broadly rounded at apex; 1-7 sparsely punctate; 8-11 setose. Pronotum: quadrate, slightly narrowed anteriorly; convex; lateral margin bisinuate, angulate in middle, narrowly margined; anterior angle with rounded tooth; posterior angle acute; surface densely punctate, punctures less dense on disc; transverse basal impression present medially; pronotal length 1.8-2.7 mm; pronotal with 2.1-3.1 mm. Scutellum: small; rounded; micropunctate. Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth, narrowly margined; exterior apical angle rounded, smooth; apical margin slightly laminate; sutural angle with minute tooth; humerus rounded; quadricostate, costae 2 and 4 more produced than 1 or 3, all complete; elytral length 7.6-11.6 mm; elytral width 3.6-5.1 mm. Venter: pro- and mesosterna sparsely punctate medially, impunctate laterally; metasternum impunctate; abdominal sterna sparsely punctate, each puncture with pale seta; last sternite with fringe of setae along apical margin. Leg: punctate, each puncture with pale seta; tibia with fringe of setae on inner apical margin. Total length: 9.7-14.6 mm.

Discussion. Baly (1858) merely repeated Guérin-Méneville’s (1844) original description and adds a few notes on the variation in the pronotal and elytral markings. The original description is detailed enough to confidently assign specimens to the species name. Since the original description was based on specimens from the Chevrolat and Dejean collections, which were widely dispersed, the type specimen may exist in a smaller museum in Europe. Therefore a neotype designation is not justified at this time.

Host plants. Aechmea blanchetiana (Baker) L. B. Sm. , Neoregelia cruenta (Grah.) L. B. Sm. (Bromeliaceae) ( Mantovani et al. 2005).

Distribution. Brazil (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Santa Catharina, São Paulo).

Biology. Mantovani et al. (2005), Magalhães (2006), and Magalhães et al. (2012) discussed the feeding of adults of this species. Adults feed on the distal parts of leaves, scraping the epidermis in long narrow strips (2-5 mm wide and up to 100 mm long). Wounded tissue dried and became cork-like in appearance and red in color. Adult beetles were more active at lower temperature and on cloudy days, they were seldom observed in the warmest part of sunny days.

Specimens examined: Brazil: no further data ( BMNH). Minas Gerais- Aguas Vermelhas, December 1983, 800 m ( CMNH). Santa Catharina- no further data ( BPBM) ; February 1945 ( AMNH). Total: 13 .

Literature records. Brazil: Rio de Janeiro, January-February 2003 ( Mantovani et al. 2005).

Figures

Figures 10-13. Habitus of Acentroptera species. 10) Acentroptera pulchella (Guérin-Méneville). 11) Acentroptera strandi Uhmann. 12) Acentroptera tessellata Baly. 13) Acentroptera zikani Uhmann holotype.