Embates burgeri Prena, 2005

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

22. Embates burgeri Prena sp. n.

(Fig. 93–96)

Ambates sp. 1 . Marquis 1991: 200.

Holotype male (dissected), Costa Rica , labeled: “ COSTA RICA, Pr. Heredia / Pto.Viejo­La Selva B.S./ No.827 10–I 1982 / R.J. Marquis coll.”, “ Piper / carrilloanum”, “ Ambates / #1/ det. DRWhitehead” ( NMNH).

Paratypes 3 (females), labeled: “ COSTA RICA, Pr. Heredia / Pto.Viejo­La Selva B.S./ No.701 26–XI 1981 / R.J. Marquis coll.”, “ Piper / urophyllum” ( INBC) ; “ COSTA RICA / Pr. Heredia / Puerto Viejo / Finca La Selva ”, “ R.J. Marquis coll./ No.1277 18 XII 1982 ”, “ Piper / carrilloanum”, “Voucher” ( NMNH) ; “ COSTA RICA: Prov. Heredia:/ 10km SE La Virgen , 450–/ 550m, 10°20'N 84°05'W / 1.3.2000 / INBio­OET­ALAS transect”, “handcollecting/ leg. Jens Prena ” ( JPPC) .

Description. Habitus: Fig. 93, total length 5.3–5.9 mm (m=5.6, n=4). Color: integument black, vestiture of light yellow and black scales, the latter condensed in subapical elytral fascia and at elytral apices (Fig. 93); sides of pronotum, humeri and some ventral portions with microscopic scales and appearing black. Head: frontal fovea minute, rostrum moderately slender, subcylindrical, curved (Fig. 94), costate dorsomedially, basolateral margin edged, length of rostrum ♂ 1.05 x, ♀♀ 1.13–1.21 x (m=1.16, n=3) pronotal length, length of ante­antennal portion ♂ 0.40 x, ♀♀ 0.41–0.43 x (m=0.42, n=3) total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base well before eye; funicular segment 2 longer than 1, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.91–0.95 x (m=0.93, n=4) maximum width, sides rounded, greatest width close behind middle, anterior portion tubulate; disk densely punctate, intervals granulose. Elytra: length 1.89–1.92 x (m=1.90, n=4) width at humeri, width 1.18–1.27 x (m=1.23, n=4) maximum pronotal width, sides subparallel in basal half, then increasingly narrowed toward apex, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus weak, striae fine, punctures indistinct, interstriae flat, 9 subcostate below preapical callus. Legs: slender, ventral side ciliated in male, tibiae variously curved, ventral margin bisinuate, distally with fringe of dark hairs, tarsal claws arcuate and separate at base. Male: apex of aedeagus triangular, middle sclerotized, anterolateral portion membranous (Fig. 95), body of aedeagus of moderate length, basal third angular in lateral view, apodemes 1.8 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. 96).

Plant association. Piper carrilloanum (Marquis 2, Prena 1), P. urophyllum (Marquis 1).

Distribution. Costa Rica, Atlantic side (lower part of ALAS­transect in Fig. 239).

Specific epithet. I dedicate this (my favorite) species to Dr. William Burger, botanist and curator at the Field Museum, in grateful recognition of his outstanding contributions to the knowledge of the Costa Rican flora in general, and the Piperaceae in particular.

Discussion. Embates burgeri is known only from the northern foot of Volcan Barva. The characteristic color­pattern of this species derives from two previously isolated elytral maculae (as still present in E. biguttatus ), which were merged across the suture to an almost perfectly transverse band.