Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia parenthesis Weise, 1904 Fig. 205

Cephalolia parenthesis Weise 1904: 437. Weise 1911a: 9 (catalog), 1911b: 12 (catalog); Uhmann 1936a: 116 (noted); Bryant 1942: 205 (faunal list).

Cephaloleia parenthesis Weise. Blackwelder 1946: 719 (catalog); Papp 1953: 20 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 23 (catalog); Wilcox 1983: 137 (catalog); Staines 1996: 48 (Central America species).

Cephalolia parenthesis reducta Pic 1926a: 10 (type: Amérique méridionale, MNHN, not seen).

Cephaloleia parenthesis reducta Pic. Uhmann 1957a: 23 (catalog); Descarpentries and Villiers 1959 a: 139 (types).

Description.

Small; elongate; subparallel; subdepressed; dark with reddish-yellow markings; elytra with yellow parenthesis-shaped vitta; venter prosternum reddish-brown; meso- and metasterna reddish-brown medially, darker laterally; abdominal sterna 1-4 yellowish medially, darker laterally; sternite 5 totally dark; legs yellowish. Head: vertex densely punctate, medial sulcus absent; frons lightly punctate, slightly projecting; slightly depressed between eyes. Antenna: reaches to humerus; slender; antennomere 1 slightly elongate; 2 transverse; 3 elongate, cylindrical, subequal in length to 1; 4-5 elongate, cylindrical, subequal in length, each shorter than 3; 6-7 elongate, subequal in length, each shorter than 5; 8-10 transverse, subequal in length; 11 2 × length of 10, pointed at apex; 1-4 punctate with scattered setae; 5-11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin nearly straight for basal ⅔, then rounding to anterior angle, margined; anterior angle produced into blunt tooth; posterior angle acute; anterior margin weakly emarginate behind head; disc subconvex; surface sparsely punctate, medial area behind apical margin punctate; depression just behind midline laterally; pronotal length 0.9 mm; pronotal width 1.1 mm. Scutellum: pentagonal, apex acute; micropunctate. Elytron: lateral margin expanding apically, smooth; apex rounded; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; moderately punctate-striate, humerus nearly impunctate, rows converge and unite apically; elytral length 3.0 mm; elytral width 1.6 mm. Venter: pro-, 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 broadly emarginate medially in male, subtruncate in female. Leg: slender; punctate, each puncture with pale seta; tibia with fringe of setae on inner margin of apex. Total length: 4.3 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is similar to Cephaloleia scitulus . It can be distinguished by the suture between abdominal sterna 1 and 2 being complete and by the sutural angle of the elytra without a small tooth.

Host plant.

According to label data, adults have been collected on Calathea sp. ( Marantaceae).

Distribution.

Mexico, Peru, Venezuela.

Type material examined.

Holotype male: Puerto Cabello, Mex. Hanil [green label]/ Puerto Cabello, Sievers leg., eog. Ges. ded. 6.X.9 [reversed white label]/ 105996/ Paratypus [red label]/ male/ Zool. Mus. Berlin/ parenthesis m (ZMHB).

Specimens examined.

MEXICO: no further data (NMHN). Peru: intercepted at Miami, Florida, 15 July 1977 (USNM). Loreto- Iquitos, 90 m, 7 May 1992 (SEMC); 1.5 km N Teniente Lopez, 210-240 m, 22 July 1993 (SEMC). Pasco- Villa Rica-Puerto Bermudas Rd., 910 m, 17 October 1999 (SEMC). Venezuela: Tachira- Pueblo Nuevo, 29 June 1983 (BYUC). Total: 5.