Beltia sanchezae Flowers, 2018

Flowers, R. Wills, 2018, A review of the genus Beltia Jacoby (Chrysomelidae: Eumolpinae: Eumolpini), with descriptions of fourteen new species from Costa Rica, Panama, and northwestern South America, Insecta Mundi 672, pp. 1-43 : 20-21

Beltia sanchezae Flowers , new species

Figures 34 , 54 , 69 , 82

Description of male holotype. Length 5.0 mm. Head, pronotum, elytra, and underside and legs metallic green; antennomeres 1–4 reddish brown, 5–11 black ( Fig. 34 ).

Head. Clypeus densely punctate, punctures separated by distance less than their diameters. Frons strongly punctate, surface between punctures smooth, vertex with median impressed line, punctures aciculate; antennal calli with fine punctulae, weakly swollen.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long, L/W = 0.63; pronotum smooth, shining, sparsely and finely punctate. Prosternum with short white setae, coarsely punctate; posterior margin of intercoxal process truncate, width of intercoxal process 0.87× diameter of procoxa. Proepimeron with surface smooth, evenly, sparsely punctate. Mesosternum with anterior surface flat, surface sparsely punctate and weakly wrinkled. Metasternum smooth, metepisternum with surface finely granulate.

Elytra. Evenly punctate, punctures larger than those on pronotum, separated by distance greater than puncture diameter; width across humeri 1.4× width across pronotum; basal calli weakly developed; postbasal depression shallow.

Abdomen. Sterna with numerous setae; each segment with a submedian pair of long erect setae, surface of segments alutaceous. Terga with apex of segment IV and segments V and VI shagreened.

Genitalia. Median lobe relatively short, thick and bent downward in lateral view ( Fig. 54a ); in en-face view broad, truncate, apicolateral margin sharply rounded, a nodule at middle of apical margin ( Fig. 54c ). Apex of endophallus with a small, twisted apical sclerite ( Fig. 54b ).

Female allotype. Length 6.0 mm (range 6.0– 7.1 mm). Head, pronotum, elytra, and underside and legs metallic green; antennomeres 1–4 reddish brown, 5–11 piceous.

Head. As in male.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long, L/W = 0.59; pronotum with punctures stronger than in male, intercoxal process weakly concave, width of intercoxal process 1.1× diameter of procoxa. Mesosternum with anterior surface weakly convex. Metasternum and metepisternum as in male.

Elytra. Punctation as in male, width across humeri 1.3× width across pronotum; basal calli weakly developed; postbasal depression shallow.

Abdomen. Sterna with numerous short setae, surface of segments alutaceous. Tergum II with a basal row of small spicules.

Genitalia. Segments VIII–IX forming a short, broad ovipositor (L/W = 0.77; Fig. 69a ); sternum VIII with Y-shaped basal apodeme; hemisternites relatively broad, with short basal rods, baculum broad, weakly sclerotized, subequal to gonocoxae. Gonocoxae short, robust, wider than long. Spermatheca with receptacle elongate, broadly fused to pump ( Fig. 69b ).

Specimens examined. COSTA RICA: Puntarenas Prov. (1♂, 5♀) Male holotype labeled: Finca Cafrosa , Embalce , 800m NO. de Tigre . Puntarenas, Costa Rica. 1280m. 13–21-MAY 1996. E. Navarro. LS317800596200 #7494//INBIOCR1002375002. Female allotype labeled: COSTA RICA, Prov. Puntarenas, Avenida El Pizote , 1.4 KM. NE. de la Tigra . 1300m. 10–29 JUN 1996. E. Navarro. LS 318500597100 #7703//INBIOCRI002466576. PARATYPES: (2♀) Fca. Cafrosa, 1300m, Est. Las Mellizas, P. Internac. La Amistad, Prov. Punt. COSTA RICA M. Ramirez, Jun 1991, L- S 316100596100//INBIOCRI000457776, INBIOCRI00045793; (1♀) Fca. Cafrosa, Est. Las Mellizas, P. N. Amistad, 1300m, Prov. Punt. COSTA RICA, M. Ramirez & G. Mora, May 1990. L- S 316100596100//INBIOCRI000239194; (1♀) COSTA RICA, Prov. Puntarenas, Est. Progreso , 800m NE. de la Escuela Progreso. 1280m. 10–29 JUL 1996. E. Navarro. LS317700594800 #8333//INBIOCRI002471958. All specimens deposited at MNCR-A.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Maria Sanchez, formerly with INBio, who greatly assisted me and many other visiting taxonomists participating in INBio’s biodiversity projects.

Diagnosis. Beltia sanchezae is similar in appearance to the other small green species, B. awapita , B. confusa , B. herreri , and B. talaga . Beltia sanchezae can be separated from all these by its dark bluish green legs and black or dark brown apical half of the antenna. There is also a strong superficial resem- blance in color and form between B. sanchezae and Colaspoides batesi Jacoby ; the generic characters noted above will distinguish these two species.

Remarks. Beltia sanchezae is known from only a small area in the Talamanca mountain range near the Panama border ( Fig. 82 ).

Figures

Figures 27–35. Beltia, dorsal habitus. 27) Beltia napoensis, male. 28) Beltia napoensis, female. 29) Same female as (28) photographed with diffuser. 30) Beltia nicaraguensis, female. 31) Beltia osa, male. 32) Beltia placidula, female. 33) Beltia rugosa, male. 34) Beltia sanchezae, female. 35) Beltia talaga, male.

Figures 50–56. Beltia, male genitalia: a) lateral view of median lobe; b) endophallic apical sclerites; c) en-face view of median lobe; d) en-face view of endophallic lateral digits. 50) Beltia napoensis, with endophallus partly everted: c) specimen from Peru; e) specimen from Ecuador. 51) Beltia osa. 52) Beltia placidula. 53) Beltia rugosa. 54) Beltia sanchezae. 55) Beltia talaga. 56) Beltia tilarana, with endophallus partly everted.

Figures 67–74. Beltia, female genitalia: a) ovipositor, ventral view; b) spermatheca. 67) Beltia osa. 68) Beltia placidula. 69) Beltia sanchezae. 70) Beltia tilarana. 71) Beltia tisingalita. 72) Beltia tsachila. 73) Beltia vacilona. 74) Beltia weyrauchi.

Figures 80–82. Distribution maps for Beltia spp.: Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. 80) Beltia angustomarginata (squares), B. osa (triangles), B. vacilona (circles). 81) Beltia chiriquensis (circles), B. herreri (stars), B. nicaraguensis (hexagons). 82) Beltia sanchezae (square), B. tilarana (inverted triangles), B. tisingalita (stars).