Acentroptera basilica Thomson, 1858

Staines, C. L., 2014, A revision of the genus Acentroptera Guérin-Méneville, 1844 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Insecta Mundi 2014 (332), pp. 1-19 : 3-4

Acentroptera basilica Thomson

Fig. 1

Acenthroptera basilica Thomson 1856: 479 (type: Brazil, depository unknown).

Acentroptera basilica Thomson. Baly 1858: 124 (noted); Gemminger and Harold 1876: 3608 (catalog); Donckier 1899: 568 (catalog); Weise 1911a: 19 (catalog), 1911b: 27 (catalog); Monrós and Viana 1947: 191 ( Argentina species); Guérin 1953: 100 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 50 (catalog); Uhmann 1957: 66 (catalog), 1959: 622 (noted), 1964a: 412 (catalog), 1964b: 6 (faunal list); Roig-Juñent 2004: 119 (faunal list); Santiago-Blay 2004: 53 (host plant); Staines 2010: 1 (noted).

Acentroptera basilica reducta Pic 1932: 14 (type: America Meridionale, MNHN). Papp 1953: 50 (catalog); Uhmann 1957: 66 (catalog), 1964a: 412 (catalog); Descarpentries and Villiers 1959: 144 (types).

Description. Elongate; subparallel; convex; head (except black mandibles and labrum), antennae (except antennomeres 8-11 black), and legs chestnut-brown; eyes and scutellum black; pronotum shiny reddish-brown with medial 3 black (with bluish reflections) longitudinal vittae- 1 medial and 2 lateral; elytra shiny reddish-brown with 3 shining black oblique vittae from lateral to sutural margins; venter and legs reddish. Head: vertex strongly, densely punctate, medial carina present; not depressed between eyes; tooth present between antennal bases; frons impunctate, not tuberculate. Antenna: barely reaching beyond humeral angle; antennomere 1 small, subglobose; 2 obconic, longer than 1; 3-4 cylindrical, subequal in length, each nearly as long as 1 and 2 combined; 5-7 obconic, subequal in length, each ¼ length of 4; 8-10 transverse, each shorter than 7; 11 longer than 10, pointed at apex; 1-7 punctate; 8-11 setose. Pronotum: longer than wide; transversely convex; lateral margin straight for basal 1/3, slightly angulate in middle then sinuate and converging to anterior angle; anterior angle with large blunt tooth; posterior angle acute; surface strongly punctate; medial longitudinal carina present from base to apex; transverse medial impression present just behind middle; pronotal length 2.6-2.9 mm; pronotal width 3.1-3.5 mm. Scutellum: quadrate; micropunctate. Elytron: lateral margin sinuate, smooth; exterior apical angle rounded; apical margin slightly laminate, smooth; sutural angle with small tooth; humerus rounded; strongly punctate-striate; with four costae, costae carinate; elytral length 9.6-9.8 mm; elytral width 4.8-5.2 mm. Venter: prosternum depressed between procoxae; pro- and mesosterna punctate; metasternum impunctate; abdominal sterna impunctate; suture between sterna 1 and 2 totally obsolete. Leg: punctate; tibia with fringe of setae on inner apical margin. Total length: 11.0-12.0 mm.

Discussion. Baly (1858) thought A. basilica may be a synonym of A. pulchella , but he had not seen any specimens of the later species. However, Thomson’s (1856) description is very detailed and is definitely refers to a separate species. Monrós and Viana (1947) obtained specimens from Argentina and Paraguay that agree with the original description, which have been examined. Requests from major museums in Europe (BMNH, DEI, MNHN, and ZMHB) failed to locate additional specimens. While a case could be made for the designation of a neotype, the nomenclatural status of the species is firmly established in the literature and therefore does not meet the requirements of Article 75 (ICZN 1999).

Figures

Figures 1-9. Habitus of Acentroptera species. 1) Acentroptera basilica Thomson. 2) Acentroptera bita Staines n. sp. holotype. 3) Acentroptera dejeanii Guérin-Méneville. 4) Acentroptera emdeni Uhmann. 5) Acentroptera lacordairei Lucas. 6) Acentroptera lineata Staines n. sp. holotype. 7) Acentroptera nevermanni Uhmann. 8) Acentroptera norrisii Guérin-Méneville. 9) Acentroptera ohausi Weise.