Oxychalepus posticatus ( Baly 1885 )

Staines, C. L., 2010, A review of the genus Oxychalepus Uhmann, 1937 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Zootaxa 2573 (1), pp. 35-56 : 50-52

Oxychalepus posticatus ( Baly 1885)

( Figure 13 )

Chalepus posticatus Baly 1885: 77 [Holotype: Nicaragua, Chontales (BMNH)]. Donckier 1899: 591 (catalog);

Blackwelder 1946: 727 (faunal list). Chalepus (Xenochalepus) posticatus (Baly) . Weise 1911b: 28 (catalog), 1911c: 39 (catalog), 1921b: 268 (faunal list). Xenochalepus posticatus (Baly) . Weise 1921a: 268 (note); Uhmann 1930b: 249 (distribution), 1937a: 66 (host plants). Oxychalepus posticatus (Baly) . Uhmann 1938b: 439 (redescription), 1957a: 109 (catalog); Papp 1953: 85 (catalog);

Wilcox 1975: 143 (faunal list); Maes & Staines 1991: 38 (faunal list); Staines 1996 (1997): 43 ( Nicaragua species);

Hespenheide & Dang 1999: 380 (host plant); Maes 1998: 1021 (faunal list); Santiago-Blay 2004: 72 (host plants). Oxychalepus postdatus (Baly) (sic). Memmott et al. 1994: 535 (host plant).

Description. Antennae and legs black; head black with orangish spot near base of antennae; pronotum orangish with black medial vitta; elytra orangish with basal black sutural vitta and apical ¼ black; venter with medial area of pro-, meso, and metasterna plus medial area of abdominal sterna 1 and 2 yellowish-orange, remainder black. Head: vertex trisulcate; frontal carina distinct; frons strongly produced between eyes; vertex opaque. Antenna: ½ length of body; robust, rigid; slightly compressed laterally; antennomeres 1–2 short, 1 submoniliform, 2 turbinate; 3–4 each subequal in length to 1–2 combined; 11 acutely pointed at apex. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin slightly rounded, converging from base to apex, some specimens obsoletely angulate just before middle; anterior angle with tooth; transverse basal impression, with large, shallow punctures; lateral margin and discoidal vitta black; pronotal length 1.3–1.5 mm (n=20); pronotal width 2.1–2.4 mm. Elytron: lateral margin gradually expanded from base towards apex, distinctly serrulate; apices regularly rounded; apical margin with several short, acute spines; with 10 regular, deep puncture rows, scutellar row absent; interspaces 2 and 3 strongly costate; sutural vittae at base and large apical spot black; elytral length 7.9–9.1 mm; elytral width 3.0– 3.3 mm. Venter: abdominal sterna with row of punctures at apex. Leg: femur and tibia punctate. Total length: 10.0– 11.6 mm.

Remarks. This species can be distinguished by the elytra without a scutellar row; by the vertex of the head being trisulcate; and by antennomeres 1 and 2 being cylindrical.

Host plant. Cassia oxyphylla Kunth. ( Uhmann 1937a) ; C. hayesiana Standl. ( Memmott et al. 1994) , C. fruticosa ( Hespenheide & Dang 1999) ( Fabaceae : Caesalpinoidea).

Distribution. Brazil, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, and Panamá.

Specimens examined. No label data (BPBM). Brazil. Santos ( DEI) . Costa Rica. No data ( DEI) .?: Santa Clara , 28.vii.1936 ( USNM) . Alajuela: 8 mi W Atenas , 26.vii.1990 ( EMEC) ; Los Chiles, Caño Negro, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; 20 km S Upala , 14–17.viii.1970, 21–31.viii.1991 ( USUC) . Cartago: Turrialba ( DEI) , 5.vi.1951, 11.ix.1966 ( USNM) . Guanacaste: Canas, 150 ft., 13.vii.1966 ( BYUC) ; La Cruz, P. N. Guanacaste, 600–700 m ( INBio) ; Liberia, P. N. Rincón de la Vieja, 800–900 m ( INBio) ; Liberia, P. N. Santa Rosa, 200–300 m ( INBio) ; El Hacha, P. N. Guanacaste, 300 m, 27.vii.1987 ( USNM) ; 30 km SE R. Naranjo , 20.xi.1991, v.1992 ( USUC) ; San Carlos (USNM). Heredia: Chilamite , 18–23.viii.1988 ( USUC) ; Horquetas, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; La Selva Biol. Sta., 50 m, 17.ii.1970 ( CMNC) , 6–11.vii.1993 ( LACM) , 27.iii.1998, 10.viii.1992 ( TAMU) ; Puerto Viejo , 3.viii.1965 ( UICM) , 14.viii.1965 ( LACM) , 3–5.vi.1984 ( EGRC) ; La Maritia Farm, Sarapiqui, Chilamate , 26.ii.1992 ( BYUC) . Limón: 7 mi N. Guacimo, 13.vii.1982, 22.ii–3.iii.1988 ( USUC) , 12.i.1995, 8.viii.1996 ( USNM) ; Hamburg Farm , xii.1922, 20.viii.1922, xii.1924, 5.ii.1925, 22.v.1925, ( USNM) , 22.v.1928, 5.ii.1925 ( DEI) ; Limón, 28.ix.1905 ( USNM) ; Pococí, R. V. S. Barra del Colorado , 100–200 m ( INBio) ; Puerto Viejo , 2.iii.1987 ( FSCA) ; Sizaola, R. V. S. Gandoca-Manzanillo, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Talamanca, R. I. Talamanca, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; 40 km NE Turrialba , 18.v.1979 ( CMNC) . Puntarenas: Aguirre, P. N. Manuel Antonio, 0–100 m ( INBio) ; Monteverde, 3000 ft., 23.ii.1966 ( BYUC) . Nicaragua. ??: Chontales ( PSUC) . Rio San Juan: Refugio Bartolo, 51 m, 5–15.viii.2002 ( TAMU) . Panamá. ??: Feance Field , ix.1938 ( DEI) . Bocas del Toro: 6.vii.1908 ( USNM) . Chiriquí: Barro Colorado Island , ii.10.1929, ii.13.1929 ( AMNH) , i.1938, 9.vii.1976 ( USNM) , 26.iii.1929, 16.xii.1936, 31.i.1929, 8.iv.1929 ( PSUC) . Colcé : 5 mi NW Gamboa, 29.ix.1989 ( USNM) . Colón: Gatun Spilway , 8.ix.1985 ( EGRC) . Panamá: Cerro Campana , vi.1976, 20.vi.1985 ( EGRC) . Total: 202.

Figures

FIGURES 9–14. Habitus of Oxychalepus species. 9. Oxychalepus insignitus. 10. Oxychalepus normalis. 11. Oxychalepus opacicollis. 12. Oxychalepus paranormalis. 13. Oxychalepus posticatus. 14. Oxychalepus proximus.