Embates pseudobumbraticus Prena, 2005

Prena, Jens, 2005, The Middle American species of Embates Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Baridinae), Zootaxa 1100 (1), pp. 1-151 : 1-151

21. Embates pseudobumbraticus Prena sp. n.

(Fig. 89–92, 261)

Ambates sp. 4 . Marquis 1991: 200.

Holotype male, Costa Rica , labeled: “ COSTA RICA: Prov. Heredia:/ 10km SE La Virgen, 450–/ 550m, 10°20'N 84°05'W / 17.– 23.2.2003 / INBio­OET­ALAS transect”, “handcollecting/ leg. Jens Prena ”, INB0003229812 ( INBC).

Paratypes 64 (46 males, 18 females). Same label as holotype except INB0003229813– 14 ( JPPC 2 ) , 11.– 16.3.2003, INB0003229885–88 ( JPPC 4 ) , 17.– 20.3.2003, INB0003229962–66 ( INBC 5 ) , 8.– 13.4.2003, INB0003230039–42 ( INBC 4 ) , 14.– 20.4.2003, INB0003230179–82 ( JPPC 4 ) ; “ COSTA RICA: Prov. Heredia:/ 11km SE La Virgen, 450–/ 550m, 10°20'N 84°04'W / 16.4.2003 / INBio­OET­ALAS transect”, “handcollecting/ leg. Jens Prena ”, INB0003230223–24 ( JPPC 2 ) ; “ COSTA RICA: Prov. Heredia:/ 12km SE La Virgen, 550–/ 650m, 10°19'N 84°05'W / Prena, 15.III.2001 / INBio­ OET­ALAS transect” ( JPPC 3 ) ; same label except 2.3.2000 ( JPPC 4 , TAMU) ; “ COSTA RICA: Prov. Heredia:/ 11km ESE La Virgen, 250­/ 350m, 10°21'N 84°03'W / leg. J. Prena, 6.– 11.4.2004 / INBio­OET­ALAS transect” ( INBC 8 , JPPC 5 , SNSD), same label except 12.­ 18.4.2004 ( CWOB 2 , JPPC 3 ); COSTA RICA, Pr. Heredia / Pto . Viejo­La Selva B.S./ No. [#] [date]/ R.J. Marquis coll.”, with the following identifiers and dates: 86, 1­IX 1980; 368, 30­IV 1981; 688, 26­XI 1981; 778, 26­I 1982 ( NMNH 4 ) ; “ COSTA RICA / Pr. Heredia / Puerto Viejo / Finca La Selva ”, “R.J. Marquis , coll./ No. [#] [date]”, with following identifiers and dates: 119, 19­X 1980; 916, 25­IV 1982; 1052, 28­VI 1982; 1058, 30­ VI 1982; 1182, 14­IX 1982 ( NMNH 5 ) ; “ COSTA RICA: Prov. / Herdia, F. La Selva/ 3 km S Pto. Viejo / 10° 26' N 84° 01' W ”, “ 28.vii.1976 / J. Solomon ” ( CHAH) ; “ COSTA RICA, Heredia:/ La Selva Biol. Sta./ 3 km S Pto. Viejo, 100m / 20°26'N 84°01'W ”, “19­ 22.2.2000 ” ( JPPC) ; same label except 20.IV.2001 ( JPPC) ; “ Est. Magsasay, 200 m, P. N./ Braulio Carrillo, Prov. Here. ,/ COSTA RICA. Jul 1991. A./ Fernández. L­N­264600, 531000”, CRI001 378322 ( INBC) ; “ COSTA RICA, Prov. Alajuela, Rio / San Lorencito ,

800 m. 31 MAY/ 1997. I.A. Chacón. / L_N_245000_472000 #46891”, CRI002 567115 ( INBC) ; “ Rio San Lorencito , 900 m / Res. For. Sn Ramon. 5 km N/ Col. Palmarena, Alajuela / COSTA RICA. Mar 1990 / Curso Carabidae / 244500–470700”, CRI000 158228 ( INBC) ; “ COSTA RICA, Alajuela: R. B./ A. Brenes, Rio San Lorencito ,/ 900m, 10°13'N 84°39'W,/ 4–6.iv.2003, leg. J. Prena ” ( JPPC) .

Description. Habitus: Fig. 89, total length 4.8–6.3 mm (m=5.6, n=22). Color: integument piceous, basic vestiture of small, light brown scales; scales ochreous in broad, oblique subapical fascia (Fig. 89); pronotum with indistinct dorsolateral vitta of ochreous scales. Head: frontal fovea minute, rostrum moderately robust, subcylindrical, curved (Fig. 90), costate dorsomedially, basolateral margin edged, length of rostrum ♂♂ 1.00–1.08 x (m=1.03, n=15), ♀♀ 1.07–1.19 x (m=1.13, n=7) pronotal length, length of ante­antennal portion ♂♂ 0.27–0.30 x (m=0.29, n=15), ♀♀ 0.31–0.34 x (m=0.32, n=7) total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base well before eye; length of funicular segments 1 and 2 subequal, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.83–0.92 x (m=0.88, n=22) maximum width, sides rounded, greatest width close behind middle, anterior portion tubulate; disk densely punctate, intervals partially confluent. Elytra: length 1.65–1.79 x (m=1.74, n=22) width at humeri, width 1.23–1.33 x (m=1.28, n=22) maximum pronotal width, sides subparallel or very slightly converging in basal half, then increasingly narrowed toward apex, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus moderate, striae fine, punctures indistinct, interstriae flat, 9 costate. Legs: tibiae slightly curved, ventral margin of metatibia slightly bisinuate, metatibia ventrodistally with fringe (♂♂) or short cluster (♀♀) of cupreous hairs, tarsal claws arcuate and separate at base. Male: apex of aedeagus round, middle sclerotized, anterolateral portion membranous (Fig. 91), body of aedeagus of moderate length, basal third angular in lateral view, apodemes 2.0 x longer than body of aedeagus, flagellum thin, as long as apodemes, transition to curved base gradual, basal appendage moderate, angular, fused laterally with base of flagellum, projecting beyond base (Fig. 92).

Plant association. Piper pseudobumbratum (Marquis 9, Prena 51).

Distribution. Costa Rica, Atlantic side (Fig. 261).

Specific epithet. The name is a compound adjective adopted from that of the host plant.

Discussion. Embates pseudobumbraticus has been collected in two Atlantic provinces of Costa Rica, primarily in lowland habitats from young specimens of Piper pseudobumbratum . The South American E. obliquatus , of the E. elongatus group, has a very similar color­pattern, but this group differs generally by the more elongate rostrum and subconnate claws. Embates pseudobumbraticus may be related to the species near E. biguttatus , and is quite distinctive among the Middle American species through the well developed post­macular fascia. The male ventrite 5 is sulcate and densely ciliate (as in E. gracilis ), and the distal margin of the pygidium is emarginate.