Beltia tilarana 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 : 22-23

Beltia tilarana Flowers , new species

Figures 36 , 56 , 70 , 82

Description of male holotype. Length 5.4 mm (range 5.4–7.9 mm). Head, pronotum, and elytra bright metallic green; antennomeres 1–6 reddish brown, 7–11 black. Underside reddish brown with metallic green reflexions, legs reddish brown ( Fig. 36 ).

Head. Clypeus with punctures separated by distance equal to puncture diameter. Frons coarsely punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters; surface between punctures finely wrinkled, vertex with surface between punctures smooth; antennal calli smooth.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.72; pronotum convex, with lateral margins narrow, disc regularly rounded, finely punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters, pronotum widest behind middle. Prosternum bare, sparsely punctate; posterior margin of intercoxal process truncate, width of intercoxal process 0.56× diameter of procoxa. Proepimeron with surface smooth. Mesosternum flat between coxae, punctate; metepisternum finely granulate.

Elytra. Punctures separated by distance greater than puncture diameter; width across humeri 1.3× width across pronotum; postbasal depression shallow.

Abdomen. Sterna with scattered pale setae, longer in middle third; surface of segments smooth. Basal row of spicules on tergum III; terga V, VI, and apex of IV shagreened.

Genitalia. Median lobe ( Fig. 56a ) strongly bent downward; in en-face view ( Fig. 56c ) postorifical length

very narrow, apical margin truncate, with a medium nodule. Endophallus ( Fig. 56d ) with a pair of small sclerotized basal lateral digits and a pair of large, divided, mostly membranous endophallic lateral digits; apical sclerite ( Fig. 56b ) lobed and somewhat contorted.

Female allotype. Body oval; length 6.6 mm (range 6.0– 10.1 mm); body and leg color as in male.

Head. Labrum, frons, clypeus, eyes, and antennae similar to male; mouthparts similar to male.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.67; shape of pronotum as in male; underside of prothorax similar to male. Mesosternum more strongly wrinkled than in male.

Elytra. Similar to male but with posthumeral depression deep in outer third.

Abdomen and pygidium as in male, a row of small spicules along base of tergum II.

Genitalia. Segments VIII–XI forming a short, stout ovipositor (L/W = 1.88; Fig. 70a ). Sternum VIII with Y-shaped basal apodeme; dorsum of segment VIII weakly sclerotized laterally. Segment IX covered with minute setae in apical half; hemisternites with short, broad basal rods; baculum indistinct, subequal to gonocoxae. Gonocoxae short, broad, robust. Spermatheca ( Fig. 70b ) with short, curved receptacle broadly joined to pump.

Specimens examined. (9♂, 11♀) Male holotype labeled: Río San Lorenzo, 1050m, Tierras Morenas Z.P. Tenorio, Prov. Guanacaste, Costa Rica. M. Segura, 28 mar. a 21 abr. 1992, L-N 287800, 427600// INBIOCR1000415041. Female allotype labeled: same locality, date, and collector as holotype// INBIOCR1000415042. PARATYPES: COSTA RICA, Guanacaste Prov. (1♂) same locality and date as holotype, A. Marin //INBIOCRI000414358; (1♂, 1♀) Tierras Morenas, Bajo Los Cartagos, R. Sn Lorenzo, 1050m, Zona Prot. Tenorio. A. C. Arenal, C. Alvarado , Abr 1991, L-N 287800427600// INBI- OCRI000443562 , INBIOCRI000443591 ; Puntarenas Prov. (2♂, 7♀) Est. G. Brenes, 1300m, Res. Biol. Monteverde, E. Bello , Jun 1991, L-N 249750450075//INBIOCRI000567202, INBIOCRI000567216, INBIOCRI000567188, INBIOCRI000567205, INBIOCRI000567206, INBIOCRI000567208, INBI- OCRI000567209 , INBIOCRI000567210 , INBIOCRI000567212 ; (4♂, 2♀) Monteverde , V-26 –/ VI-3-84, E. Riley, D. Rider, D. LeDoux ( TAMU). Holotype and allotype deposited in MNCR-A, paratypes in MNCR-A, FSCA, USNM, EGRC, and TAMU.

Etymology. This species is named for the Tilarán mountain range in Costa Rica, where the Monteverde locality is located.

Diagnosis. This species is distinguished from other Beltia by the combination of a uniform bright metallic green head, prothorax, and elytra, with legs, pterothorax, and abdomen orangish brown. In all other metallic green Beltia the thorax and at least the base of the abdomen are the same color as the dorsal side.

Remarks. This species has been collected only from Monteverde and surrounding localities in the Tilarán mountain range of Costa Rica ( Fig. 82 ).

Figures

Figures 36–41. Beltia, dorsal habitus. 36) Beltia tilarana, male. 37) Beltia tisingalita, female. 38) Beltia tsachila, female. 39) Beltia vacilona, female. 40) Beltia weyrauchi, male. 41) Beltia weyrauchi, female.

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).