Embates championi (Casey)

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

48. Embates championi (Casey)

(Fig. 162–163, 256)

Ambates cretifer Pascoe 1880 . Champion 1907: 156 (as var., misidentified).

Cholinambates championi Casey 1922: 6 . Holotype female, Costa Rica, labeled “ ♀ ”, “sp. figured”, “ Holotype ”, “16339”, “ Collection / Schild­Burgdorf / Costa Rica / Turrialba ”, “ Cholinambates / championi/ type 1922 Casey ” (BMNH)

Ambates (Cholinambates) championi (Casey) . Hustache 1938 (cat.)

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

Redescription. Habitus: Fig. 162, total length 7.8–9.8 mm (m=8.8, n=17). Color: integument almost black; basic vestiture of microscopic scales; scales yellow (lowlands) to creamy white (around 1000 m elevation) on prosternum, in lateral pronotal marking and two oblique elytral fasciae (Fig. 162), anterior fascia reaching metasternum. Head: frontal fovea deep, rostrum moderate, subcylindrical (Fig. 163), sides attenuated between apex and antennal insertion, costate dorsomedially, basolateral margin slightly edged, length of rostrum ♂♂ 1.12–1.25 x (m=1.18, n=7), ♀♀ 1.18–1.34 x (m=1.27, n=10) pronotal length, length of ante­antennal portion ♂♂ 0.33–0.40 x (m=0.36, n=7), ♀♀ 0.37–0.43 x (m=0.40, n=10) total rostral length, dorsal margin of antennal scrobe reaching rostral base well before eye; funicular segment 2 distinctly longer than 1, club oblong ovate. Pronotum: length 0.83–0.89 x (m=0.86, n=17) maximum width, widest in basal third, then roundly narrowed, anterior portion tubulate; disk finely punctate, intervals smooth. Elytra: length 1.82–1.96 x (m=1.88, n=17) width at humeri, width 1.13–1.26 x (m=1.20, n=17) maximum pronotal width, sides subparallel in basal half, apices rounded conjointly, preapical callus weakly developed, striae fine, punctures distinct, interstriae flat, 9 convex. Legs: rather stout, tibia nearly straight, ventral margin with distal cluster of cupreous hairs, tarsal claws arcuate and separate at base. Male: aedeagus as E. obliquus .

Plant association. Not known.

Distribution. Costa Rica, Atlantic side (Fig. 256).

Material examined. COSTA RICA. Alajuela: Guápiles , 250 m ( NMNH) . Cartago: Tucurrique , 770 m ( SNSD) ; Turrialba , 500–600 m ( BMNH, JPPC, SNSD) ; Cachí , 1050 m ( CWOB) . Guanacaste: A.C. Guanacaste, Est. Cacao, 1100 m ( INBC 2 ) , Est. Maritza, 600 m ( INBC 2 ) ; Rincón de la Vieja, Est. Pailas, 800 m ( INBC 4 ) . Limón: Res. Biol. Hitoy Cerere , 100 m ( INBC) ; Waldeck , 300 m ( NMNH) . Puntarenas: Monteverde , 1000–1520 m ( CHAH, INBC 3 ) . Total 21 specimens.

Discussion. Champion (1907) assigned the single specimen as a variety to E. cretifer . This was one of the very few errors in this otherwise remarkably thorough study of the genus. Casey (1922) gave the specimen a name by referring to Champion’s illustration. Embates championi is a sibling species of E. albocinctus and distinct from E. cretifer , E. paludicola and E. salamandra , all species with similar color­pattern.