A taxonomic review of the Xanthonia species occurring in Texas (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae, Eumolpinae)
Author
Riley, Edward G.
Author
Weisman, Donald M.
Author
Quinn, Michael A.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-09-09
4668
1
1
29
journal article
25560
10.11646/zootaxa.4668.1.1
bb8db045-2674-4e59-ac63-d1f909d1dcfb
1175-5326
3414686
1C31A386-FA1A-4839-8BC1-90BE5BB9557D
1.
Xanthonia vagans
(LeConte)
(
Figs 10
, 13, 21, 27–29;
Map 1
)
Trichotheca vagans
LeConte 1884:12
.
Xanthonia vagans
:
Horn 1892:19
. Clavareau 1914: 75.
Leng 1920: 292
.
Riley et al. 2003: 152
.
Holotype
. Not examined, sex undetermined (Fig 13), conserved in MCZ (images at MCZ type database viewed November, 2017). This species was originally based on one specimen collected by Gustaf Belfrage in
Texas
(
LeConte 1884
).
Weisman (1960)
based his interpretation of this species on a specimen from
Texas
in the
United States
National Museum that had been compared to LeConte’s type by Doris Blake. This
USNM
specimen is so labeled and was examined during the present study.
FIGURES 1–9
.
Xanthonia
species, dorsal habitus.
1)
X. angulata
(Bastrop Co., Texas);
2)
X. dentata
(Jeff Davis Co., Texas);
3)
X. furcata
(Wood Co., Texas);
4)
X. nitida
(Pecos Co., Texas);
5)
X. parva
(Kerr Co., Texas);
6)
X. picturata
(Robertson Co., Texas);
7)
X. querci
(Val Verde Co., Texas); 8
)
X. texana
(Bandera Co., Texas);
9)
X. villosula
(Bossier Parish, Louisiana). Images to scale, scale bar = 1 mm.
Diagnosis
. Size large, length
3.8–5.2 mm
; ground color of dorsum medium to dark brownish, elytra usually with vague dark streaks enhanced by arrangement of variable light and dark colored elytral hairs (
Fig 10
), venter dark brown; punctures of elytral disc in uniform rows; hairs on elytral intervals roughly in paired rows, curved and strongly reclined, shorter hairs arising from punctures very small confined to punctures (difficult to see); ventral tooth of profemur large (
Fig 21
); lateral margins of all ventrites entire; median lobe of male genitalia long and nar- row, evenly tapered to non-incised apex (
Figs 27–28
).
FIGURES 10–12
.
Xanthonia
species, dorsal habitus.
10)
X. vagans
(Cochise Co., Arizona);
11)
X. marquai
(Jeff Davis Co., Texas);
12)
X. hirsuta
(Travis Co., Texas). Scale bars = 1 mm.
Figs 13–16
.
Xanthonia
species, types and type labels.
13)
X. vagans
(courtesy of the MCZ type database);
14)
X. marquai
;
15)
X. picturata
;
16)
X. villosula
.
Range
. Central Texas to Arizona and
Sonora
,
México
.
Weisman (1960)
recorded
X. vagans
from the Chisos Mountains of Texas, but it occurs as far eastward as the eastern edge of the Edwards Plateau (
Map 1
). LeConte’s original
type
probably came from the vicinity of Bosque County where Gustaf Belfrage lived from
1868 to 1882
(
Geiser 1948
). Since there are very few Arizona and New
Mexico
records published for this species, label data from those states are cited in Appendix 1 and that for what is apparently the first record for
México
(
Sonora
). The Utah record reported by
Horn (1892)
has not been verified.
FIGURES 17–26
.
Xanthonia
species, margins of ventrites III–V.
17)
X. dentata
;
18)
X. parva
;
19)
X. villosula
;
20)
X. angulata
.
Figs. 21–22
.
Xanthonia
species, profemora.
21)
X. vagans
;
22)
X. marquai
;
23)
X. picturata
;
24)
X. hirsuta
;
25)
X. texana
;
26)
X. parva
.
Plant associations
.
Weisman (1960)
listed “walnut” as a plant association for specimen(s) from Santa Rita Mts.,
Arizona
. Our specimens from Travis County were taken on
Juniperus ashei
J. Buchholz
as were some additional specimens from other counties indicating that this species is likely a juniper specialist. Label data indicate this species frequently comes to light.
Seasonal distribution
. Collection dates indicate it is active later in the season. Only three specimens were taken during the Travis County study, all during late July.
Remarks
. This and the following species are the most distinctive of North American
Xanthonia
because of their large size, greatly enlarged tooth of the anterior femur, clavate anterior tibiae, and the unique shape of the median lobe which is pointed and not incised at the apex. These characters are shared with certain other large species of
Xanthonia
found in
México
and Central America.
Specimens examined
. See Appendix 1. The genitalia of eight males from six localities were examined.