Cephaloleia gratiosa Baly, 1858

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 153-154

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia gratiosa Baly, 1858 Fig. 154

Cephalolia gratiosa Baly 1858: 40. Gemminger and Harold 1876: 3601 (catalog); Donckier 1899: 549 (catalog); Weise 1905a: 130 (noted), 1911a: 8 (catalog), 1911b: 10 (catalog); Uhmann 1932b: 261 (museum list), 1936b: 483 (key), 1942: 94 (noted).

Cephaloleia gratiosa Baly. Baly 1858: 165 (noted), 1885: 8 (distribution); Blackwelder 1946: 719 (catalog); Papp 1953: 17 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 20 (catalog); Wilcox 1983: 137 (catalog); Staines 1996: 36 (Central America species); Staines and Staines 1999: 524 (Baly species list); McKenna and Farrell 2005: 119 (phylogeny), 2006: 10949 (phylogeny); Frank and Morón 2012: 8 (host plants).

Cephaloleia gratiosa nigripennis Weise 1905a: 130 (type: México, ZMHB?, not seen). Uhmann 1936b: 483 (key).

Cephaloleia unicolor Weise 1905a: 130 (type: México, ZMHB?, not seen).

Cephaloleia gratiosa unicolor Weise. Uhmann 1936b: 483 (key).

Cephalolia beckeri Weise 1905a: 131 (type: México, Amatan, ZMHB?, not seen). Weise 1911a: 7 (catalog), 1911b: 10 (catalog).

Cephaloleia beckeri Weise. Blackwelder 1946: 718 (catalog); Papp 1953: 14 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 16 (catalog); Wilcox 1983: 136 (catalog); Staines 1996: 36 (synonymy).

Description.

Large; subparallel; subdepressed, flattened; variable in color- reddish-brown with black eyes and black central maculae on apical ½ of elytra; or black head, antennae, and elytra, and reddish brown pronotum; or totally reddish brown; antennae black, sometimes with antennomeres 1-3 yellow; venter with prosternum yellow, meso- and metasterna yellow medially and black laterally, abdominal sterna black with yellow side margin; legs with femur yellow with black apex, tibiae black at base and apex. Head: vertex sparsely punctate, medial carina present; frons not projecting; depressed between eyes. Antenna: reaches beyond humerus; slender; antennomeres 1-5 compressed; 1 clavate, incrassate, elongate, very compressed; 2 and 4 elongate, subequal in length, dilated interiorly at apex, 3 longer than 2 or 4; 4 subtriangular; 5-10 transverse, subequal in length, each shorter than 4; 11 rounded at apex, elongate, ¾ length of 1; 1-3 punctate with scattered setae; 4-11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin straight for basal ¾ then rounding to anterior angle, margined; anterior angle rounded, slightly produced; posterior angle angulate; anterior margin emarginate behind head; disc subconvex; surface finely, sparsely punctate; disc almost impunctate; basal impression absent; pronotal length 1.6-2.1 mm; pronotal width 1.9-2.7 mm. Scutellum: triangular; shining; impunctate. Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth, margined; apex rounded; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; declivity beginning just behind humerus along puncture row 7 edged with faint carina; subconvex, disc flattened; moderately punctate-striate; puncture rows converge and unite at apex; elytral length 6.7-8.0 mm; elytral width 3.4-3.7 mm. Venter: prosternum impunctate; meso- and metasterna impunctate medially, punctate laterally; abdominal sterna punctate, each puncture with pale seta; suture between sterna 1 and 2 complete; last sternite with apical margin slightly sinuate in male, rounded in female. Leg: robust; tibia with setae on inner apical ⅓ and fringe of setae at apex; protibial basal marking extends along outer edge almost to apex. Total length: 9.1-10.3 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia flava and Cephaloleia fulvolimbata . It can be distinguished by the impunctate pronotal disc, by the larger size, and by the elytral puncture rows being regular apically.

Host plant.

Adults have been collected off flowers of Heliconia bourgaeana Peterson ( Heliconiaceae ) ( Frank and Morón 2012).

Distribution.

Costa Rica, Mexico, Panama.

Type material.

Type: México, Sallé, Baly coll., Saunders coll. (BMNH, not seen).

Specimens examined.

COSTA RICA: Alajuela- Río San Lorencito, 900 m, Res. For. San Ramón, 5 km N Col. Palmarena, March 1990, 13-18 June 1993 (INBIO); Upala Fluss, 17-21 August 1988 (MUCR). Guanacaste- Río San Lorenzo, 1050 m, Tierras Morenas, Z. P. Tenorio, April 1991, June 1991, 10-20 February 1992, 28 March- 21 April 1992, April 1992, July 1992, October 1992, December 1992, February 1993, April 1993 (INBIO). Heredia- Est. Magasasay, 200 m, P. N. Braulio Carillo, May 1992 (INBIO). Limón- Amubri, 700 m, Talamanca, 1-22 July 1992, 16-31 August 1992 (INBIO); Est. Cuatro Esquinas, 0 m, P.N. Tortuguero, 27 March- 29 April 1992, January 1993 (INBIO); Est. Hitoy Cerere, 100 m, R. Cerere, Res. Biol. Hitoy Cerere, September 1992, November 1992, 15-27 February 1993, April 1993 (INBIO); Manzanillo, 0-100 m, RNFS Gandoca y Manzanillo, 7-19 August 1992, 9 September- 13 October 1992, 24 September- 13 October 1992, 22 October- 11 November 1992, 4-12 December 1992, 15-13 December 1992, 6-27 January 1993 (INBIO); Est. Miramar, 500 m, Res. Biol. Hitory Cerere, September 1992 (INBIO). Puntarenas- Est. Queb. Bonita, 50 m, Res. Biol. Carara, May 1992, June 1992 (INBIO). MEXICO: no further data (DEI, ZMHB). Chiapas- (DEI). PANAMA: Bocas del Toro- 2.3 rd m. N from Continental Divide, 20 May 1993 (EGRC). Coclé- rd N. Cerro Gaital, 15 May 1980 (EGRC). Panamá- Nusagandi area, I. K. U. S. A. Igar, 20 May 1993 (EGRC). Total: 287.