Beltia ledesmae 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 : 13-14

Beltia ledesmae Flowers , new species

Figures 1 , 12 , 24–26 , 48 , 64 , 75, 76 , 79

Description of male holotype. Body ovate; length 6.3 mm (range 5.5–6.5 mm). Head and pronotum dark metallic green with purple reflexion, elytra dark reddish copper, antennomeres 1–6 reddish brown, 7–11 darker. Underside and legs dark reddish brown with metallic bluish green reflexion (as in Fig. 1 ).

Head. Clypeus punctate, punctures separated by distance slightly greater than their diameters. Frons sparsely punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters; surface between punctures smooth, weakly wrinkled next to eyes; vertex finely punctate, surface between punctures smooth, median sulcus obsolete; antennal calli smooth, markedly swollen.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.63; disc finely, sparsely punctate, punctures separated by distance much greater than their diameters; surface between punctures glossy, with numerous punctulae. Prosternum with posterior margin of intercoxal process broadly emarginate, width of intercoxal process 0.69× diameter of procoxa. Mesosternum smooth, with anterior surface between mesocoxae convex. Metasternum finely wrinkled; metepisternum finely alutaceous.

Elytra. Evenly punctate, punctures separated by distance greater than their diameters; surface between punctures smooth, with small punctulae; humeri prominent, subquadrate, width across humeri 1.3× width across pronotum; basal calli weakly developed; postbasal depression shallow.

Abdomen. Sterna with numerous short setae and a transverse band of long setae in middle third at apical margins; surface of segments alutaceous. Male sternum VII with lateral margins smooth, a weak depression in center, long setae along posterior margin. Terga heavily sclerotized, spicules on terga II and III small and inconspicuous.

Genitalia. Median lobe in lateral view ( Fig. 48a ) relatively thick and blunt, bent down slightly more strongly than at right angle to the basal hood, a small fold in lower margin just beyond bend; in en-face view sclerotized lateral and postorificial margins very narrow, a weak central nodule present on apical margin ( Fig. 48c ). Apex of endophallus with two dense patches of spicules and a subapical long, twisted mushroom-like sclerite ( Fig. 48b ).

Female allotype. Body oval; length 6.2 mm (range 6.2–7.1 mm); body entirely dark metallic green.

Head. Labrum, frons, eyes, and antennae similar to male; clypeus more finely punctate, otherwise mouthparts similar to male.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly wider than long, L/W = 0.54; shape of pronotum as in male; more densely punctate on disc, although with punctures still separated by distance greater than their diameters. Prosternum similar to male but with setae longer. Meso- and metathoracic sterna as in male.

Elytra. Similar to male but with posthumeral depression deeper.

Abdomen. Sterna evenly covered with long yellowish setae.

Genitalia. Segments VIII–XI forming elongate ovipositor (L/W = 5.07; Fig. 64a ). Sternum VIII with long linear basal apodeme, slightly expanded basally; dorsum of segment VIII with weak Y-shaped sclerites; segment IX covered with minute setae; hemisternites with long basal rods; baculum distinct, apical, slightly shorter than gonocoxae. Gonocoxae longer than wide. Spermatheca ( Fig. 64b ) with receptacle small, scarcely differentiated from pump.

Specimens examined. (5♂, 10♀) Male holotype labeled: ECUADOR Los Ríos, Quevedo, Est. Exp. Tropical Pichilingue , Col. Internacional de Cacao ; 24-mayo-2012; R. W. Flowers . Female allotype labeled: ECUADOR, Los Ríos; Quevedo, Est. Exp. Tropical Pichilingue , Sector Los Cauchos; Trampa Malaise , XII-2009 / I-2010; R. W. Flowers . PARATYPES: ECUADOR, Los Ríos Prov. (1♂, 2♀) same locality, date, and collector as holotype ; (1♀) same locality and collector as holotype, 21-IV-2012 ; (1♂) same locality and collector as holotype, 1-mayo-2014 ; (1♂, 2♀) same locality and collector as holotype, 22-mar-2014 ; (1♀) same locality and collector as allotype, 2-IV / 9-V-2010 ; (1♂, 1♀) #471, Lug. Pichilingue, Det. 9-VI-78 R. W. White ; (1♀) Rio Palenque, 250m, 79°33′00″W 00°35′00″S, 20 FEB 1986, Santamaria // QCAZ 1834 ; (1♀) Mocache, 23-Mar. 2014, R.W. Flowers ; Pichincha Prov. (1♂) Pitzarra, III-1992, Legt. G. Onore ; (1♀) Tinalandia, 8–10-VII-1987, H.V. Weems . Holotype, allotype, and nine paratypes deposited in QCAZ, two paratypes in FSCA, two paratypes in INIAP, and two paratypes in USNM .

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Lorena Ledesma R., who has greatly assisted me during the Ecuador part of this study, and has made many other scientific visitors feel welcome in the Pichilingue field station facilities in western Ecuador.

Diagnosis. Beltia ledesmae can be distinguished by the combination of the male endophallus with a large and elongate apical sclerite, an emarginate posterior margin of the intercoxal process, and the apical five antennal segments black. Beltia awapita has similar modifications of the endophallic apical sclerites but can be readily separated from B. ledesmae by its smaller size, truncate intercoxal process, and straighter lateral margins of the pronotum.

Remarks. Colors of B. ledesmae are quite variable among individuals ( Fig. 24–26 ). Most are either dark metallic green or glossy lead-blue with dark orangish brown to piceous brown legs. However, individuals may be bright metallic green, bright green with coppery red elytra, or bluish green with golden green elytra. At the Pichilingue locality B. ledesmae was regularly collected by beating, and observed on understory vegetation ( Fig. 75, 76 ) in an old teak plantation ( Fig. 77 ) and in a patch of very old secondary-growth forest. Specimens were collected under permit 004 RM-DPM-MA. All known localities of B. ledesmae are from remnant forest patches along the foot of the western Andes in Ecuador ( Fig. 79 ).

Figures

Figures 1–8. Structures of Beltia and Colaspoides. 1) Beltia ledesmae, living male. Photo: Bernardo Navarrete. 2) Prothorax, lateral view showing lateral wings of prosternum (arrow), B. napoensis. 3) Pygidium, B. chiriquensis. 4) Lateral view of prothorax showing lateral wings of prosternum (arrow), C. bicolor (Olivier). 5) Posterior view of metatibia, B. tilarana. 6) Posterior view of metatibia, C. bicolor. 7) Furcasternum, B. vacilona. 8) Hind wing, B. vacilona.

Figures 9–17. Structures of Beltia. 9) Profemur, B. nicaraguensis. 10) Profemur, B. tisingalita. 11) Pronotum, B. angustomarginata. 12) Pronotum, B. ledesmae. 13) En-face view of median lobe, B. angustomarginata. 14) Apex of abdomen, B. placidula. 15) Concave prosternum (arrow), B. ledesmae. 16) Head and pronotum, B. napoensis. 17) Male abdomen with seta patches (arrow), B. herreri.

Figures 18–26. Beltia, dorsal habitus. 18) Beltia angustomarginata, male. 19) Beltia awapita, male. 20) Beltia chiriquensis, female. 21) Beltia confusa, male. 22) Beltia gorgona, female. 23) Beltia herreri, male. 24–26) Beltia ledesmae, females. 24) Monochrome specimen. 25) Bicolored specimen. 26) Same female as (25) photographed with diffuser.

Figures 42–49. Beltia, male genitalia: a) lateral view of median lobe; b) endophallic apical sclerites; c) en-face view of median lobe. 42) Beltia angustomarginata. 43) Beltia awapita. 44) Beltia chiriquensis. 45) Beltia confusa. 46) Beltia gorgona. 47) Beltia herreri. 48) Beltia ledesmae. 49) Beltia nicaraguensis.

Figures 60–66. Beltia, female genitalia: a) ovipositor, ventral view; b) spermatheca. 60) Beltia angustomarginata. 61) Beltia chiriquensis. 62) Beltia gorgona. 63) Beltia herreri. 64) Beltia ledesmae. 65) Beltia napoensis. 66) Beltia nicaraguensis.

Figures 75–77. Habitat photos. 75–76) Beltia ledesmae resting on low vegetation. 77) Teak trees with heavy undergrowth at the Estación Experimental Tropical Pichilingue, western Ecuador.

Figures 78–79. Distribution maps for Beltia spp. 78) Northwestern South America: B. confusa (star), B. gorgona (inverted triangles), B. placidula (blue circles), B. rugosa (red circle), B. weyrauchi (square). 79) Ecuador: B. awapita (hexagon), B. ledesmae (squares), B. napoensis (triangles), B. talaga (circle), B. tsachila (star).