Alurnus humeralis Rosenberg 1898

Staines, C. L., 2013, A review of the genus Alurnus Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Cassidinae), Insecta Mundi 2013 (291), pp. 1-34 : 14-15

Alurnus humeralis Rosenberg 1898

( Figure 13)

Alurnus humeralis Rosenberg 1898: 94 [lectotype (here designated): Cachabe, low c., XII-96 (Rosenberg)/ F. C. Bowditch Coll./ A. humeralis Rosenberg type (handwritten)/ M.C.Z. type 25816 (MCZC). Paralectotype (here designated): CO-TYPE, Rosenberg, Nov. Zool. Vol. V, p. 94, Coll. Hope Oxon. (white label with red border)/ N. W. Ecuador, Low Country, River Cachabe, Cachabe, Coll. Dec. 1896 & pres. 1903 by W. F. Rosenberg/ bachabi Dec. 96/ Alurnus humeralis Rosenberg Cotype / 1903, 2911/ N. W. Ecuador, Low Country, River Cochabe, Cachabe, Coll. Dec. 1896 & pres. 1903 by W. F. Rosenberg/ bachabi Dec. 96/ Alurnus humeralis Rosenb. = maximus, Jacoby / TYPE COL: 1975, Alurnus humeralis Rosenberg, Hope Dep. Oxford (white label with black border) (OUMNH).]. Donckier 1899: 613 (catalog); Jacobson 1899(1900): xi (noted); Gestro 1900: 468 (noted); Weise 1910: 103 (key), 1911a: 13 (catalog), 1911b: 20 (catalog); Campos 1921: 96 (faunal list); Fischer 1935: 276 (revision); Blackwelder 1946: 721 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 32 (catalog); Uhmann 1957a: 38 (catalog); Merino and Vásquez 1963: 6 (biology); Hartley 1965: 363 (noted); Anonymous 1968: 111 (host plants); Santos 1968a: 115 (biology), 1968b: 159 (biology); Genty et al. 1978: 330 (biology); Mariau 1988: 459 (host plants), 1999: 233 (host plants), 2001: 132 (noted); Angel 1989: 81 (museum list); Couturier and Kahn 1992: 720 (host plants); Howard and Abad 2001: 100 (host plants); Staines 2002a: 12 (types); Chávez and Rivadeneira 2003: 62 (biology); Chaboo 2007: 49 (noted); Verheye 2010: 15 (noted); Palma et al. 2011: 1 (pathogen).

Alurnus forticornis Weise 1910: 104 [type: Ecuador, Llanos (DEI)]. Weise 1911a: 13 (catalog), 1911b: 19 (catalog); Fischer 1935: 276 (synonymy); Papp 1953: 32 (catalog); Gaedike and Döbler 1971: 348 (types).

Alurnus maximus Jacobson 1899: 255 [type: Ecuador, Cachabi, depository unknown]. Jacobson 1899(1900): xi (synonymy); Gestro 1900: 552 (synonymy), 1901a: 439 (noted), 1901b: 468 (synonymy).

Alurnus d’orbignyi humeralis Rosenberg. Weise 1911a: 14 (catalog), 1911b: 20 (catalog); Fischer 1935: 276 (synonymy).

Alurnus saundersii humeralis Jacobson 1899: 247 [type: Ecuador, depository unknown]. Weise 1910: 105 (noted); Fischer 1935: 276 (synonymy).

Alurnus orbignyi humeralis (Guérin) . Blackwelder 1946: 721 (faunal list); Papp 1953: 33 (catalog).

Alurnus umeralis Rosenberg. Silva et al. 1985: 36 (lapsus calami, faunal list).

Description. Head, antennae, legs, and venter black; scutellum black with reddish spots; pronotum red; elytra yellow with black spot margined in red on humeral callus and black spot centrally just beyond middle. Head: vertex slightly rugose, medial sulcus present; front smooth with few scattered punctures; clypeus with fringe of yellowish setae near apex; yellowish setae on inner margin of each eye. Antenna: antennomeres 1-2 subequal in length, cylindrical, short, 1 wider than 2; 3 elongate, cylindrical, 2x length of 1 and 2 combined; 4-10 cylindrical, decreasing in length; 11 longer than 10, pointed at apex; 1-11 punctate, each puncture with pale seta. Pronotum: lateral margin bisinuate and convergent; anterior angle with small rounded tooth; posterior angle with large acute tooth; surface irregularly, coarsely punctate; disc slightly flattened, with punctures confluent; broad transverse basal impression present medially; glabrous; pronotal length 5-6 mm; pronotal width 6-9 mm. Scutellum: cordate; punctate. Elytron: lateral and apical margins smooth, slightly explanate; apical margin slightly elongate; sutural angle without tooth; humerus angulate, slightly produced; without costae; finely punctate; elytral length 20-28 mm; elytral width 13-15 mm. Leg: punctate, each puncture with pale seta; tibiae and tarsi fringed with golden setae. Venter: prosternum punctate, with wide medial sulcus and white seta in each puncture medially, glabrous laterally; mesosternum with four long sulci, alutaceous laterally; metasternum punctate, medially each puncture with white seta, glabrous laterally; abdominal sterna 1-4 impunctate; sternite 5 with fringe of long golden setae on apical margin. Total length: 27-37 mm.

Larval host plant. Cocos nucifera L., Elaeis guineensis Jacq. ( Merino and Vásquez 1963) ; Astrocaryum chonta Martius ( Couturier and Kahn 1992) (Arecaceae) .

Biology [summarized from Merino and Vásquez (1963), Santos (1968a, b)]. Adults are diurnal and are easily observed on foliage. Oviposition occurs near the main shoot. The oval flattened, eggs are laid in chains of 2 to 10 in the youngest unfurled leaves of the host palm. Chains are united by a mucilaginous substance, and the eggs hatch in 29 to 43 days (average 32). Larvae are flattened and are 7-8 mm long when they hatch and are 40 mm long when mature. Larvae mature in 221 to 254 days (average 239) and undergo seven molts before entering a 12-day prepupal stage. Pupation occurs on the host plant and lasts from 26 to 37 days (average 32). Adults are active for 55 to 181 days (average 113). Female beetles lay from 94 to 181 eggs (average 109).

Natural enemies. Tetrastichus sp. and Horismenus sp. ( Hymenoptera : Eulophidae ) ( Merino and Vásquez 1963).

Distribution. Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru.

Specimens examined. No data ( USNM, 3; BMNH, 2).?: Amazonas ( BMNH, 1). Bolivia. No further data ( BMNH, 1). Colombia. Putumayo: Mocoa , 530 m, ii.1921 ( USNM, 1). Ecuador. No further data ( BMNH, 1).?: NW, 3000 ft., 1901 ( BMNH, 1) ; Ljanos (?) ( MHMB, 1). Bolivar: Balzapambam 630 m ( USNM, 1). El Oro: La Chilca , 1.ix.1893 ( USNM, 1; ZIN, 2). Cañar: Bucay, i.1918 ( USNM, 2). Esmeraldas: Cachabí ( BMNH, 4; MCZC, 2; OUMNH, 1; ZIN, 1; BPBM, 1), xii.1896 ( USNM, 1), low country, I.1897 ( BMNH, 1) ; Cachabé to Paramba ( MCZC, 1) ; Paramba ( MCZC, 2) ; Playa de Montalvo, 8.iv.1938 ( AMNH, 1). Guayas: La Puntilla, iv.1964 ( FMNH, 1). Imbabura: Paramba ( USNM, 1, BMNH, 2), 3500 ft., i.1897 ( USNM, 1). Loja: Los Lanos ( MHMB, 2). Manabi: Cajimies , 15.vii.1949 ( AMNH, 2), 26.ii.1949 ( AMNH, 1), v.1956 ( USNM, 4) ; Manabi, x.1949 ( USNM, 2), 9.iv.1949 ( USNM, 1). Pichincha: 12 km SW Santo Domingo de los Colorados , 3-8.iv.1971 ( FMNH, 1) ; INIAP, nr. Concordia , 8.v.1986 ( FSCA) ; Quito , 10.v.1954 ( USNM, 2) ; Hotel Timalandia, 12 km E of Santo Domingo de los Colorados , 23.v.1985 ( USNM, 2) ; Santo Domingo de los Colorados, 37 km from Quito , 29.x.1960 ( USNM, 2) ; Santo Domingo , 10.xii.1964 ( USNM, 10) ; nr Sto. Domingo , 7-14.iii.2000 ( BLCU) ; Santiago de los Tsáchilas, km 11, near Villa Aidita , 27.x.2007 ( BYU, 8). Peru. No further data ( BMNH, 3).?: Perú-Brazil Frontier, 30.i.1928 ( AMNH, 1). Huánuco: Tingo Maria, V.1938 ( MHMB, 1). Madre de Dios: nr. Puerto Maldonado, 10.x.2004 ( UDCC). Total: 82 .