Epicauta vittata

Campos-Soldini, María Paula & Roig-Juñent, Sergio Alberto, 2011, Redefinition of the vittata species group of Epicauta Dejean (1834) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) and taxonomic revision of the species from southern South America, Zootaxa 2824, pp. 21-43 : 24

Key to species of E. vittata group from southern South America

1. Head capsule uniformly coloured; male with the central part of the head excavate ............... E. excavata ( Klug, 1825) .

- Head capsule with maculae or bicoloured; male with the head not excavate ........................................ 2

2. Elytra pale with dark vittae.............................................................................. 3

- Elytra dark with pale vittae..............................................................................4

3. Both inner vittae much abbreviated, the middle one much broadened distally to form irregular blotches, with additional basal blotch resulting from the fusion of the middle and outer vittae (Fig. 23). Legs pale, tinged with brown........................................................................................ E. leopardina (Hagg-Rutemberg, 1880) .

- Vittae thin and straight (Fig. 24). Legs pale............................................. E. monachica ( Berg, 1883) .

4. Two vittae short, subparallel, interrupted on apical and basal third, slightly convex, lateral margins oblique (as in Fig. 25)............................................................................... E. semivittata ( Fairmaire, 1875) .

- With at least one complete longitudinal vitta from the base to the apical third...................................... 5

5. Only with one complete marginal vitta or with a marginal vitta and a vitta reduced at the humeral callus................. 6

- With two or more vittae from the base to apical third or from the base to the apex................................... 7

6. Only marginal vitta, from base to the apex (Fig. 27); tarsal claws with straight ventral blade..... E. missionum ( Berg, 1881) .

- Marginal vitta from base to apical third and vitta on base of the humeral callus (Fig. 19); tarsal claws with dorsal and ventral blades wide, subequal.............................................................. E. clericalis ( Berg, 1881) .

7. Elytra with two vittae from the base to basal third; head with two colors.......................................... 8

- Elytra with three or more vittae; head dark with a pale patch of different size on front................................9

8. Head capsule brown with pale patch on forehead and two pale supra-ocular patches ( Fig 16 ); tarsal claws with ventral blade like dorsal blade, subequal and wide E. rutilifrons Borchmann, 1930 .

- Head capsule pale with two black patches extending from clypeus along each side of front bordering eyes ( Fig. 17 ); tarsal claws with straight ventral blade................................................... E. grammica ( Fischer, 1827) .

9. Four vittae (Fig. 18)................................................................. E. bosqi Denier, 1935 .

- Two large vittae and one short on apical third (Fig. 21)..................................... E. luteolineata Pic, 1933 .

Figures

FIGURES 12 – 17. Head cuticle color: 12. E. excavate; 13. E. semivittata, E. missionum; 14. E. clericalis, E. luteolineata; 15. E. bosqi; 16. E. leopardina, E. monachica, E. rutilifrons; 17. E. grammica.