Cephaloleia alternans Waterhouse, 1881

Staines, Charles L. & Garcia-Robledo, Carlos, 2014, The genus Cephaloleia Chevrolat, 1836 (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae, Cassidinae), ZooKeys 436, pp. 1-355 : 55-56

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Chrysomelidae

Cephaloleia alternans Waterhouse, 1881 Fig. 68

Cephaloleia alternans Waterhouse 1881: 261. Dohrn 1885: 145 (morphology); Uhmann 1957b: 15 (catalog); McKenna and Farrell 2005: 119 (phylogeny), 2006: 10949 (phylogeny).

Cephalolia alternans Waterhouse. Donckier 1899: 547 (catalog); Weise 1911a: 7 (catalog), 1911b: 11 (catalog); Uhmann 1932c: 261 (museum list).

Description.

Elongate; subdepressed; shining; yellow; head with vertex black; antennomeres 1-6 fuscous-yellow, 7-11 clear yellow; pronotum yellow with black trapezoidal macula on middle of anterior margin; scutellum yellow; elytra yellow with transverse black band near base and another on apical ⅓. Head: vertex finely, sparsely punctate, medial sulcus absent; eyes slightly convex; frons not projecting; not depressed between eyes. Antenna: longer than head and pronotum combined; slender; antennomere 1 clavate, thick; 2-4 elongate, 2 shorter than 1, 3 longer than 1; 4 subequal in length to 2; 5-6 subequal in length, each shorter than 4; 7-10 transverse, subequal in length, each shorter than 6; 11 longer than 10, rounded at apex; 1-4 punctate with scattered setae; 5-11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin sinuate at base, then straight and divergent and rounding to anterior angle, slightly canaliculate; anterior angle obtuse, not produced; posterior angle acute; anterior margin emarginate behind head: disc flattened; surface with disc impunctate, punctate laterally; medial transverse impression present on basal margin; pronotal length 1.7-2.1 mm; pronotal width 2.1-2.4 mm. Scutellum: elongate triangular; impunctate. Elytron: lateral margin straight, smooth, slightly laminate; apex rounded; sutural angle without tooth; humerus rounded, not produced; slightly constricted behind humerus; weakly punctate-striate, punctures confused apically; elytral length 6.5-6.8 mm; elytral width 2.6-3.0 mm. Venter: pro- and mesosterna impunctate; metasternum impunctate medially, punctate lat erally; abdominal sterna punctate, each puncture with pale seta; suture between sterna 1 and 2 complete. Leg: punctate; tibia with seta in each puncture, fringe of setae at apex. Total length: 8.8-9.2 mm.

Diagnosis.

This species is one of the yellowish species with black transverse bands on the elytra and pale elytral margins. It can be distinguished from all other species with this color pattern by the following combination of characters: the vertex of the head lacking a medial carina, sulcus or fovea, by the lateral margin of the pronotum being canaliculate, by antennomere 2 being elongate rather than subglobose, and by lacking a declivity on the elytra.

Host plant.

Accodring to label data adults have been collected on Calathea lanata Peterson ( Marantaceae ).

Distribution.

Ecuador, Peru.

Type material examined.

Holotype: Type H. T. [White disk with red border]/ Ecuador, Sarayacu [handwritten label]/ Buckley [handwritten label]/ Cephalolia aternans Waterh., C. Waterh. (Type) [handwritten label] (BMNH).

Specimens examined.

Ecuador:?: 1880 (USNM). Morona Santiago- Macas (USNM). Orellana- 1 km S Onkone Gare Camp, Reserva Etnica Waorani, 216.3 m, 4 February 1996 (USNM). Pastaza- Kapawi, 300 m, 6 March– 20 June 1996 (SEMC). Peru: Loreto- Madreselva Biol. Stn., 24 June 2005 (USNM). Total: 7.