Triarius lividus (LeConte, 1844)

Clark, Shawn M. & Anderson, E. Russell, 2019, A Review Of Triarius Jacoby, 1887 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae: Luperini), With Descriptions Of A New Genus And Four New Species, The Coleopterists Bulletin 73 (2), pp. 343-357 : 350-352

Triarius lividus (LeConte, 1844) Figs. 2g , 3d

Phyllobrotica livida LeConte 1884: 28

Phyllobrotica lurida: Henshaw 1885: 110 [misspelling of P. livida ]

Triarius mexicanus Jacoby 1887: 571 [synonymized with P. livida by Jacoby 1892: 335]

Triarius lividus: Jacoby 1892: 335

Triarius suturalis Martin 1928: 34 [synonymized with P. livida by Wilcox 1965: 166]

Luperodes nebrodes Blake 1942: 64 [synonymized with P. livida by Wilcox 1965: 166]

Diagnosis. The tarsal claws of this species are bifid. Also, the dorsum of the elytra is either entirely yellow or yellow with a dark sutural stripe; lateral stripes are absent or confined to the epipleura and adjacent areas; no posthumeral stripes are present. This suite of characters distinguishes this species from all other New World species of Scelidites. Specimens measure 3.5–7.6 in length.

Type Material Examined. We located eight syntypes of T. mexicanus (five MCZ, three NHMUK). One of the specimens ( NHMUK), a male, bears a “type” label. This label is not necessarily an indication of the holotype, considering that Jacoby often put such labels on multiple specimens in the type series of a single species. In any case, this specimen is here designated as the lectotype. We also examined the female holotype of P. livida ( MCZ) , the male holotype and nine paratypes of L. nebrodes ( USNM) , and the female holotype and six paratypes of T. suturalis ( CASC) .

Type Localities. Phyllobrotica livida : “Arizona.” Triarius mexicanus : “ Mexico, Northern Sonora ” (according to Selander and Vaurie 1962, the type locality is actually in Arizona, in the Graham Mountains,

near Fort Grant, and above Fort Huachuca]. Triarius suturalis : “Warren, Arizona.” Luperodes nebrodes : “Downings Ranch, Terrell County, Tex.”

Geographic Distribution. We examined specimens from Apache, Cochise, Gila, Graham, Pima, Pinal, and Santa Cruz Counties in Arizona, from Grant, Hidalgo, Lincoln, and Otero Counties in New Mexico, and from Brewster, Crockett, Culberson, Jeff Davis, Pecos, Terrell, and Val Verde Counties in Texas.

As noted above, the true type locality of T. mexicanus (“ Mexico, Northern Sonora ”) is probably in Arizona. However, this species is otherwise reported from Mexico ( Wilcox 1965; Riley et al. 2003; Ordó~ nez-Reséndiz 2008), even though we have not personally examined specimens from there.

Temporal Distribution. We saw adults collected from April to July.

Plant Associations. This species is reported from Dasylirion Zucc. and Nolina Michx. (Asparagaceae) ; Asteraceae (genus not specified); and Xerophyllum Michx. (Melanthiaceae) ( Wilcox 1965; Clark et al. 2004). Included in the material we examined are specimens labeled “ Dasylirion flowers”, “flowering Nolina sp., prob. arenicola ”, “ Baccharis ” ( Asteraceae ), “on blossoming Acacia greggii A. Gray ”, and “beargrass” ( Xerophyllum ).

Comments. As here conceived, this species is quite variable in appearance. Future study may well prove that multiple true species are involved. Beyond the type material mentioned above, we examined 553 other specimens.

Figures

Fig. 2. Triarius species, dorsal habitus. A) T. pini, male, B) T. pini, female, C) T. trivittatus, D) T. nigroflavus, male, E) T. nigroflavus, female, F) T. melanolomatus, G) T. lividus, H) T. texanus, I) T. novoleonis.

Fig. 3. Triarius species, aedeagi, dorsal and lateral views. A) T. pini, B) T. nigroflavus, C) T. melanolomatus, D) T. lividus, E) T. trivittatus, F) T. texanus, G) T. novoleonis.