Embates belti (Champion) Prena, 2005

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

64. Embates belti (Champion) , comb. n.

(Fig. 218–220, 246)

Ambates belti Champion 1907: 160 . Lectotype female, Nicaragua, here designated, labeled: “sp. figured”, “type”, “ ♀ ”, “ Chontales / Nicaragua / T. Belt ” ( BMHN) . Paralectotype 1, Nicaragua, here designated: Chontales ( BMNH)

Drepanambates belti ; Champion 1907: 155 (footnote). O’Brien & Wibmer 1982 (cat.); Hustache 1938 (cat.)

Ambates triangularis Champion 1907: 160 . Lectotype male, Panama, here designated, labeled: “type”; “ ♂ ”, “V. de Chiriqui / 4000–6000 ft / Champion” (BMHN). Paralectotypes 2, Panama, here designated: Bugaba (BMNH 2). O’Brien & Wibmer 1982 (cat.); Hustache 1938 (cat.)

Ambates sp. 11. Marquis 1991: 200

Redescription. Habitus: Fig. 218, total length 4.2–6.0 mm (m=5.1, n=73). Color: integument rufous to piceous; scales yellow to ochreous and dark brown to black, pronotum with broad ventrolateral, dorsolateral and (or without) thin dorsomedian vittae of yellow to ochreous scales, elytral vestiture variable, yellow to ochreous scales condensed in postmacular fascia and humeral streak, ante­macular portion and suture with yellow to ochreous scales of various densities, elytral macula and portion below preapical callus dark brown to black (Fig. 218); venter with yellow scales except medially. Head: frontal fovea absent, rostrum slender, subcylindrical (Fig. 219), sides attenuated between apex and antennal insertion, costate dorsomedially, basolateral margin moderately edged, length of rostrum ♂♂ 1.18–1.39 x (m=1.31, n=36), ♀♀ 1.26–1.41 x (m=1.35, n=40) pronotal length, length of ante­antennal portion ♂♂ 0.43–0.52 x (m=0.48, n=34), ♀♀ 0.44–0.53 x (m=0.49, n=38) total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base before eye; funicular segment 2 subequal or longer (predominantly ♂♂) than 1, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.83–0.94 x (m=0.88, n=72) maximum width, sides rounded, widest in basal half, anterior portion tubulate; disk densely punctate, intervals granulose, occasionally confluent dorsomedially. Elytra: length 1.59–1.85 x (m=1.73, n=70) width at humeri, width 1.19–1.39 x (m=1.28, n=70) maximum pronotal width, sides subparallel in basal half, then increasingly narrowed toward apex, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus developed moderately, striae fine, punctures indistinct, interstriae flat, 9 costate. Legs: tibiae nearly straight, ventral margin with indistinct fringe of cupreous hairs, tarsal claws arcuate and separate at base. Male: apex of aedeagus rounded narrowly, middle sclerotized, anterolateral portion membranous (as E. leucopleura , Fig. 212), body of aedeagus of moderate length, basal third angular in lateral view, apodemes 1.8 x longer than body of aedeagus (as Fig. 224), flagellum very thin, one­third shorter than apodemes, transition to curved base gradual, basal appendage slender, fused with base of flagellum in inner arc and distally, not projecting beyond base (Fig. 220).

Plant association. Piper glabrescens (Marquis 2, Prena 21), P. tonduzii (Marquis 3), P. biolleyi (Greig 1, Marquis 1), P. arieanum (Marquis 1, Prena 1), P. terrabanum (Marquis 1), P. curtispicum (Prena 1).

Distribution. Southern Nicaragua to central Panama (Fig. 246).

Material examined. NICARAGUA. Chontales: Santo Domingo, 400 m ( BMNH 2 ) . COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Río San Lorencito, Res. San Ramon, 900 m ( INBC) ; Guatuso, La Garroba, 100 m ( MUCR 2 ) . Cartago: Turrialba, 900 m ( ZMHB 2 ) . Guanacaste: Tierras Morenas, 700 m ( INBC 6 ) . Heredia: Puerto Viejo, La Selva, 100 m ( CHAH 2 , CWOB 2 , JPPC 2 , NMNH 8 ) ; 11 km ESE La Virgen , 300 m ( INBC 2 , JPPC 2 , SNSD) ; 11 km SE La Virgen , 450 m ( INBC 4 , JPPC 8 ) ; 12 km SE La Virgen , 600 m ( INBC 2 , JPPC) ; 16 km SSE La Virgen , 1050 m ( JPPC 3 ) . Limón: 30 km N Cariari, Cerro Cocorí , 150 m ( INBC 5 , JPPC) ; Guápiles , 400 m ( INBC) ; Amubri , 70 m ( INBC) . Puntarenas: 4 km S San Vito , 1100 m ( CHAH 2 , CWOB, JPPC 2 , TAMU) ; Fila Cruces, Fca. Ilama , 1200 m ( INBC) ; Alturas , 1700 m ( CMNC, CWOB) ; Fundación Dúrika, 1700 m ( JPPC 2 ) ; Monteverde , 1000–1500 m ( HAHC, INBC 3 ) ; Península de Osa , 100–750 m ( CHAH 2 , INBC 3 , JPPC 2 , MUCR, NMNH) . San José: 12 km NE San Isidro, Cerro Chucuyo , 1350 m ( JPPC) . PANAMA. Chiriquí: Volcán , 1200–1800 m ( BMNH) ; Bugaba ( BMNH 2 ) ; La Fortuna, 1100 m ( CMNC 3 , CWOB 3 , FAUP) . Coclé: 5 km N El Copé ( HPSC) . Colón: Portobelo , 50 m ( NMNH) . Darién: Cana, 450 m ( HPSC 2 ) . Panamá: Cerro Campana , 800 m ( CNCI, CWOB, HPSC) . Veraguas: Cerro Tute, 4 km W Santa Fe , 680 m ( CWOB 5 ) . Total 105 specimens.

Discussion. Meristic data, details of the male genitalia and transient color­patterns indicate a close relationship of E. belti to E. politus and several (mostly undescribed) South American species, among them E. bicircinatus (Chevrolat) and E. circumcinctus (Casey) . Champion applied the name triangularis to a population occurring at 1100– 1800 m elevation on the Pacific side of the Cordillera de Talamanca. I was not able to distinguish this taxon from typical E. belti without using the color­pattern. However, even this difference fades when the material from all local populations is considered. The variability of the color­pattern is related to its compound nature. The elytral color­pattern of specimens collected above 1000 m elevation deviates as follows: 1) the post­macular fascia is wider, 2) the dark elytral macula is narrowed by the wide post­macular fascia, 3) the post­macular fascia and the humeral streak are discontinued, 4) the yellow scales of the ante­macular portion compound to even vestiture. This can be demonstrated not only on the Pacific side, but also for typical E. belti from the Atlantic side, e.g. on the ALAStransect in Braulio Carrillo National Park. Even though specimens from the Atlantic side show a trend to less elongate elytra, the clinal nature of this character state does not support maintenance of more than one taxon. It seems of no practical value to distinguish the numerous local color­varieties, and I lump them together under the name E. belti . Specimens of all local subpopulations collected by myself, including typical belti and triangularis , were associated most often with Piper glabrescens .