Elytrogona bulla Boheman, 1930

Chaboo, Caroline S., 2000, Revision And Phylogeny Of The Caribbean Genus Elytrogona Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae: Stolaini), The Coleopterists Bulletin 54 (3), pp. 379-394 : 387-388

Elytrogona bulla Boheman

Figs. 4 , 9, 16, 22

Elytrogona bulla Boheman, 1862: 193 [original description]; Gemminger and Harold, 1876: 3638 [catalog]; Spaeth, 1914: 51 [catalog]; Leng and Mutchler, 1914: 458 [list]; Leng and Mutchler, 1917: 212 [list]; Blackwelder, 1946: 743 [checklist].

Stoiba decemmaculata Blake, 1930: 221 [original description]; Blackwelder, 1946: 743 [checklist]. New Synonym.

Diagnosis. This species is easily distinguished from other Elytrogona by the micropunctate elytra and a discontinuous body outline due to the curved projection of the pronotal explanate margin. It shares the latter feature with E. gemmata . The prosternal collar is flat, not demarcated from the adjacent area as in other species; and the metasternum is not as narrow. In the latter two features, E. bulla resembles Stoiba species. The red to yellow color of the body is distinctive.

Description. Body length 9.4–14.6 mm; width 7.1–12.3 mm. Antenna brown to black. Dorsal color reddish brown to yellow; ventral color reddish to yellow, with coxa, trochanters, ‘‘knees’’ (femur apex, tibial base), and tarsi black. Pronotum, explanate margin curved slightly upwards, with curved lateral outline; anterior margin shallowly emarginate over head; posterior margin almost straight with slight black color on acuminate corners; not projected at scutellum; median groove absent; prosternal collar flat, not protuberant; prosternal process not inflated posteriorly, surface smooth. Scutellum apparent externally, smooth and shiny. Elytra with 10 black maculae, three entirely on disc and two extending from disc unto margins; elytral disc and explanate margins with similar pattern of fine punctation ( Fig. 4 ); anterior edge brown; base wider than pronotum; suture flat; explanate margins widest anteriorly, tapered distally, absent at apex. Metasternum 2 times wider than long; surface flat, not distorted. Spermathecal duct ( Fig. 22 ) long with many tight coils in proximal section and looser coils in distal section.

Type. Deposit: uncertain (see remarks). Published locality: not given.

Specimens Examined. Type not examined. Ten specimens (males and females) with the following label data:

CUBA: Pico Turquino , 5,000 –5,500 ft, 22 July 1922, coll. S. C. Bruner & C. H. Ballou (1, USNM) ; Pico Turquino , June 1936, coll. Darlington (1, USNM) ; Pico Turquino , 9 August 1989 (1, MNHC) ; Sierra Maestra , 4,500 ft, 10–20 July 1922, coll. S. C. Bruner & C. H. Ballou (1, USNM) , August 1914, coll. Beck (2, AMNH) ; Sierra Maestra , June 1963, colls. Xayas and Alayo­ Garcia (1, MNHC) ; Sierra Maestra , Pico Turquino, March 1972, coll. P. Alayo (1, MNHC) ; Sierra Maestra Alto Cardero , Turquino, October 1986, coll. R. Alayo (2, MNHC) .

Variation. In addition to the background color variation, maculation show slight size variations.

Remarks. This is the only species of Elytrogona that occurs on Cuba. Blake commented on different antennal color and spot placement between E. bulla and Stoiba 10­maculata, and Pallister left a label (date 1950) on one AMNH specimen with the following comment: ‘‘Except for the red color, I can see no difference between this [ E. bulla ] and Stoiba 10­maculata. ’’ My examination of cassidines in general and of specimens in this genus is that in addition to some individual variation, shades of color and spot size can vary, perhaps due to preservation conditions.

The type is probably in the Zoological Museum, University of Helsinki (Borowiec, pers. comm.) where cassidine material of Boheman, Dejean and Mannerheim are deposited but types lack type labels. It is premature to designate a lectotype until this collection is examined carefully.

Figures

Figs. 1–7. 1–2) Profiles, scale bar = 2 mm; 1) Elytrogona gemmata, profile; 2) Stoiba swartzii, profile; 3–7) Elytral punctation, square = 1 mm2; 3) E. bacca; 4). E. bulla; 5) E. gemmata; 6) E. nigrodorsta; 7) E. quatuordecimmaculata.

Figs. 20–22. Elytrogona spermatheca. 20) E. bulla, scale bar = 0.3 mm; 21) E. gemmata, scale bar = 0.2 mm; 22) E. quatuordecimmaculata, scale bar = 0.2 mm.