Amblycerus vitis ( Schaeffer, 1907 )

Santos, Aluska Tavares Dos & Ribeiro-Costa, Cibele Stramare, 2019, Rearrangements in some species groups of Amblycerus Thunberg, 1815 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) including keys, description of a new species, new host plant and distributional records, Zootaxa 4701 (2), pp. 101-148 : 137

Amblycerus vitis ( Schaeffer, 1907)

( Figs 18 , 31 , 44 , 57 , 74, 87, 106, 110, 121)

Spermophagus vitis Schaeffer, 1907: 293 (desc. type); Cushman, 1911: 505 (host); Leng, 1920: 306 (cat., distr.); Johnson, 1968: 1268 (type, new comb.).

Amblycerus vitis: Johnson, 1968: 1269 (type, new comb.); Bottimer, 1968: 1012, 1038 (new comb.); Johnson & Kingsolver, 1975: 322 (redesc., host, bio.); Center & Johnson, 1976: 196 (host); Johnson, 1977: 165 (bio.); Johnson, 1978: 433, 436 (bio.); Pfaffenberger, 1979: 239 (bio. immat.); Johnson, 1980: 28 (host.); De Luca, 1980: 41 (cat.); Johnson & Kingsolver, 1981: 411 (check.); Pfaffenberger, 1985: 2 (cit. immat.); Johnson & Kistler, 1987: 263 (bio.); Udayagiri & Wadhi, 1989: 17 (cat.); Romero et al. 1996 (descr., host, key, distri., spp. groups); Romero et al. 2002 (phyl).

Type material. The species was recognized through the original description and comparing the illustration of the male genitalia provided by Romero et al. (1996).

Additional specimens examined. [1 male specimen]: USA, TX: Jeff Davis Co\ Davis Mts. Resorts\ VII-1 /2- 1995\ D. J. Heffern coll; Amblycerus vitis \ ( Schaeffer, 1907)\ Det.: A. T. Santos; C. S. Ribeiro-Costa, 2017. ( TAMU). [2 specimens males]: Cochise Stronghold\ Cochise Co., Az.\ X-14-73; Reared seeds\ Nº. 552 or 558-13\ Reared seeds\ Vitis\ arizonica; C. D. Johnson\ Collector; Amblycerus \ vitis (Schaeffer) \ det. C. D. Johnson\ 19. ( FSCA). [1 male specimen]: ARIZ, Huachuca Mts\ Copper Canyon W. of\ Montezuma Pass\ VII-24-1963; Collector\ G. H. Nelson; On Rhus chlorophylla; Amblycerus vitis \ ( Schaeffer, 1907)\ Det.: A. T. Santos; C. S. Ribeiro-Costa, 2017. ( FSCA). [1 male specimen]: ARIZ. S. Rita Mts.\ Madera Canyon\ VIII-7-1961; G. H. Nelson\ & Family\ Collectors; at\ light; Amblycerus vitis \ ( Schaeffer, 1907)\ Det.: A. T. Santos; C. S. Ribeiro-Costa, 2017. ( FSCA). [2 specimens males]: ARIZ. Santa Rita Mts.\ Pima Co., Box / Cyn.\ /3-/ V/1 -77\ J. M. Cicero; Amblycerus vitis \ ( Schaeffer, 1907)\ Det.: A. T. Santos; C. S. Ribeiro-Costa, 2017. ( FSCA). [1 male specimen]: ARIZONA: CHIRICAHUA\ MTNS. CaveCr,\ Ranch 26 VII 87 \ G. H. NELSON; ULTRAVIOLET\ LIGHT; Amblycerus vitis \ ( Schaeffer, 1907)\ Det.: A. T. Santos; C. S. Ribeiro-Costa, 2017. ( FSCA). [1 male specimen]: ARIZONA: Cochise\ Co. Chiricahua\ Mts. Near Portal\ July 28-Aug. 7 1966; Amblycerus \ vitis\ ( Schaeffer, 1907)\ J. M. Kingsolver; Amblycerus vitis \ ( Schaeffer, 1907)\ Det.: A. T. Santos; C. S. Ribeiro-Costa, 2017. ( FSCA).

Measurements. BL: 5.0 mm; BW: 2.8 mm.

Diagnosis ( Figs 18 , 31 , 74, 106). Amblycerus vitis is characterized by the following combination of characters: eyes distant from each other anteriorly, ocular index: 2.7 ( Fig. 31 ); ocular sinus 2.6 and postocular lobe 0.2 the eye length; antennae long, going beyond the anterior margin of the hindcoxae; prosternal process longer than anterior coxae and slightly constricted between coxae; scutellum 1.3 longer than wide (Fig. 74); elytra with striae strongly impressed ( Fig. 18 ); at basal third, striae 2–6 with punctures more isolated; all striae free apically; hindtibia lateral spur about 1.2 times the length of median spur; basal tarsomere about 2.5 times the length of the median spur; pygidium without median strip of setae and with moderately coarse and sparse punctures ( Fig. 87 ); median lobe of male genitalia about 4.2 times as long as its greatest width at apical region ( Fig. 106 ); internal sac in the apical region with a pair of hollow, subtriangular sclerites ( Fig. 106 ). Amblycerus vitis is similar, in terms of genitalia, to the other three species of the spondiae group, from which it differs, however, because it has the apical sclerite subtriangular, non-tuberculate, with straight apex (subtriangular and tuberculate in A. alternatus ; subquadrate, tuberculate in A. cuernavacensis , and subtriangular, non-tuberculate and curved apically in A. spondiae has subtriangular not tuberculate but with acute apex); on the median region, A. vitis shows a long unpaired wishbone sclerite ( A. alternatus and A. spondiae have a short, wishbone and A. cuernavacensis has a subtrapezoidal sclerite).

Distribution ( Fig. 121 ). United States (Arizona and Texas).

Life History. Amblycerus vitis larvae feed on only one seed during their development, and pupate inside that seed ( Johnson & Kingsolver 1975). This contrasts with the common condition in this genus, where most larvae of species consume several seeds during their development ( Johnson et al. 2001). Apparently, A. vitis is univoltine (i.e., has only one generation per year) and is confined to one host ( Johnson & Kingsolver 1975). According to the Johnson & Kingsolver (1975), Urosigalphus sp. ( Hymenoptera : Braconidae ) is a parasite of A. vitis .

Host Plants (Tab. II). Anacardiaceae : Rhus virens var. choriophylla (Wooton & Standl.) L. D. Benson. (new record). Vitaceae : Vitis arizonica Engelm.

Figures

FIGURES 15–18. Dorsal, group spondiae: 15. A. alternatus, 16. A. cuernavacensis, 17. A. spondiae, 18. A. vitis. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 28–31. Head, group spondiae: 28. A. alternatus, 29. A. cuernavacensis, 30. A. spondiae, 31. A. vitis. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 41–44. Lateral, group spondiae: 41. A. alternatus, 42. A. cuernavacensis, 43. A. spondiae and 44. A. vitis. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 54–57. Pronotum, group spondiae: 54. A. alternatus, 55. A. cuernavacensis, 56. A. spondiae and 57. A. vitis. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 84–87. Pygidium. group spondiae: 84. A. alternatus, 85. A. cuernavacensis, 86. A. spondiae and 87. A. vitis. Scale bars = 1.0 mm.

FIGURES 103–106. Male genitalia, median lobe, group spondiae: 103. A. alternatus, 104. A. cuernavacensis, 105. A. spondiae and 106. A. vitis. Scale bars = 0.25 mm.

FIGURES 120–121. FIGURE 120. Map with the geographical distribution of A. alternatus and A. cuernavacensis. Leaked symbols refer to bibliography data. FIGURE 121. Map with the geographical distribution of A. spondiae and A. vitis. Leaked symbols refer to bibliography data.