Stolas mannerheimi ( Boheman, 1850 )

Sekerka, Lukáš, 2016, Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in Cassidinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae 56 (1), pp. 275-344 : 334-335

Stolas mannerheimi ( Boheman, 1850)

Mesomphalia Mannerheimi Boheman, 1850: 281 (original description).

Mesomphalia beatula Boheman, 1862: 129 (original description), syn. nov.

Type localities. Mesomphalia beatula : ‘Brasilia (Ega)’ [= Tefé in Amazonas]; M.mannerheimi : ‘Chiquitos Boliviae’.

Type material examined. Mesomphalia beatula : HOLOTYPE: ♀, pinned, ‘Type [w, p, s, c, rf] || Ega . [hw] | Baly Coll. | 1905—54. [w, p, cb] || Mesomphalia | beatula | Boh | Amazons [w, hw by Baly, cb] || Coll Bates | Named by | Boheman | Type | 25 [hw by Baly on underside of preceding label]’ ( BMNH).

Mesomphalia mannerheimi : LECTOTYPE (designated by BOROWIEC 1999a): ♂, pinned,‘ Boliv.[w, p, s] || M. Gall [w, p, s] || Type. [w, p, s] || LECTOTYPE | des. L. Borowiec [r, p, cb] || NHRS-JLKB | 000022719 [w, p, cb]’ ( NHRS).

Remarks. Stolas mannerheimi is a variable and widespread species distributed in the Andean foothils and adjacent lowlands of the western Amazon Basin. It has numerous colour forms differing in pattern of the explanate margin of elytra, from uniformly metallic green to mostly yellow or with red reticulation. There are numerous intermediate forms with variously thick and extant reticulation and as a result the species was described under several names.

Originally, this species was described as Cyrtonota illustris Erichson, 1847 but BOHEMAN (1850) transferred it together with Cassida illustris Chevrolat, 1834 to Mesomphalia Hope, 1839 thus the names become subjective homonyms and he proposed a new substitute name M. fastuosa Boheman, 1850 for the Erichsonʼs species. However, SPAETH (1914) downgraded M. fastuosa to subspecies of M. mannerheimi and therefore the latter name became valid for this taxon as M. fastuosa was only a substitute name. Subsequently, Pseudomesomphalia imitans Spaeth, 1913 and M. fastuosa were considered by SPAETH (1942) as aberrations of M. mannerheimi . These forms differ only in colouration: typical M. mannerheimi has uniformly green elytra including explanate margin; M. fastuosa has oval spot of yellow reticulation on explanate margin of elytra; and in P. imitans the reticulation is covering most of the explanate margin.

I have recently studied the type of Mesomphalia beatula described from Ega ( BOHEMAN 1862), so far listed only in catalogues (see BOROWIEC 1999a), and in my opinion it is also conspecific with S. mannerheimi . It was presumably described from a single specimen which has colouration just like Agenysa caedemadens : metallic dark green elytra with oval reticulate spot on explanate margin of elytra around midlength. The elevated reticulation on disc of elytra and shape of pronotum is identical with S. mannerheimi and therefore I synonymize it with the latter species.

Distribution. Bolivia, Peru ( BOHEMAN 1850, SPAETH 1913, BOROWIEC 1996), Brazil:Amazonas ( BOHEMAN 1862), Ecuador ( SPAETH 1942).