Embates melanops (Champion)

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

53. Embates melanops (Champion)

(Fig. 175–176, 262)

Ambates melanops Champion 1907: 162 . Lectotype male, here designated, Panama, labeled “sp. figured”, “Type”, “V. de Chiriqui / 25–4000 ft / Champion” (BMNH). Paralectotpyes 36, Panama, here designated: Volcán (BMNH 23, NHRS 2, SNSD 4, NMNH 5, ZMHU 2). Hustache 1938 (cat., Macrambates to subgenus); Blackwelder 1947 (cat.); O’Brien & Wibmer 1982 (cat.)

Macrambates melanops . Casey 1922: 4 (table) and 5

Embates [ melanops ]. Alonso­Zarazaga & Lyal 1999 (global combination of all species of Ambates Schönherr 1836 with Embates Chevrolat 1833 )

Redescription. Habitus: as Fig. 177, total length 6.7–8.8 mm (m=8.0, n=22). Color: integument black (specimen from Cerro Chucuyo castaneous); basic vestiture of minute cupreous and small white scales, pronotal vitta evanescent, scales velvety black in ovate elytral macula (Fig. 175); venter with medium­sized white to cupreous scales on prosternum and along flank. Head: frontal fovea usually deep (absent in specimen from Cerro Chucuyo), rostrum moderate, subcylindrical (as Fig. 178), sides attenuated between apex and antennal insertion, costate (♂♂) or subcostate (♀♀) dorsomedially, basolateral margin indistinctly edged, length of rostrum ♂♂ 1.00–1.13 x (m=1.05, n=17), ♀♀ 1.11–1.19 x (m=1.15, n=5) pronotal length, length of ante­antennal portion ♂♂ 0.36–0.41 x (m=0.39, n=17), ♀♀ 0.40–0.43 x (m=0.42, n=5) total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base before eye; funicular segment 2 little longer than 1, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.85–0.91 x (m=0.88, n=18) maximum width, sides rounded, widest in basal half, anterior portion tubulate; disk punctate, intervals confluent and rugose. Elytra: length 1.69–1.85 x (m=1.79, n=18) width at humeri, width 1.18–1.31 x (m=1.24, n=18) maximum pronotal width, sides very slightly converging in basal half, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus developed moderately, striae fine or obsolete, punctures distinct, interstriae flat, 9 subcostate distally. Legs: slender, tibia slightly curved, ventral margin of metatibia with fringe of long, waved yellowish hairs in ♂ (Fig. 179) and of short straight hairs in ♀, tarsal claws flat and approximate at base. Male: apex of aedeagus notched, middle, anterolateral portion and tectum sclerotized (Fig. 176), body of aedeagus of moderate length, basal third slightly angular in lateral view, apodemes 2.0 x longer than body of aedeagus, flagellum thin, nearly as long as apodemes, transition to curved base abrupt, basal appendage thick, fused subdistally with base of flagellum, projecting beyond base (as Fig. 181).

Plant association. Piper imperiale (Prena 4), P. fimbriculatum (Prena 2).

Distribution. Costa Rica and Panama, Pacific side of Cordillera de Talamanca (Fig. 262).

Material examined. COSTA RICA. Puntarenas: 5 km S San Vito, 1200 m ( CHAH 2 , CMNC, CWOB, INBC 3 , JPPC, TAMU) ; Cañas Gordas , 1200 m ( CWOB 7 ) ; Fundación Dúrika , 1700 m ( JPPC) ; Península de Osa, Rancho Quemado , 200 m ( INBC 2 ) ; Osa , 2.5 mi SW Rincón ( CHAH 2 ) ; Osa, Fila Madre, Cerro Rincón , 600–700 m ( INBC, JPPC) ; Osa, Fila Matahambre, Est. Agujas , 300 m ( JPPC 2 ) . San José: 12 km NE San Isidro, Cerro Chucuyo , 1350 m ( JPPC) . PANAMA. Chiriquí: Bugaba ( SNSD 4 , NMNH 4 ) ; Volcán , 800–1300 m ( BMNH 24 , NHRS 2 , NMNH, ZMHU 2 ) . Total 63 specimens.

Discussion. Embates melanops is related closely to E. cretifer . I consider the elytral color­pattern of E. melanops as the primitive condition, and that of E. cretifer as derived from a previous circumambient line of the elytral macula. The post­macular element of the latter is present in the specimen from Cerro Chucuyo.