New genera and species of mimetic Cleridae from Mexico and Central America (Coleoptera: Cleroidea)
Author
Rifkind, Jacques
text
Insecta Mundi
2017
2017-12-29
2017
591
1
18
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.5169515
1942-1354
5169515
7F2A2366-B4E4-4F37-A5A5-45CB51D4D859
Namba testacea
Rifkind
,
new species
(
Fig. 1–3
)
Type material.
Holotype
, male.
Mexico
: N. L. [
Nuevo León
],
9 mi.
E
Iturbide
,
VI-13-1962
,
J. M. Campbell
, 4000
′.
Holotype
deposited in
CASC
.
Paratypes
: 2 (
JNRC
), 1 (
CNIN
), 1 (
CSCA
), same data as holotype
;
1 (
WOPC
),
Mexico
, 23-IV-62 (no further data)
.
Diagnosis.
This is the only known member of the genus.
Description.
(
Holotype
) Length:
10 mm
. Form: pronotum and elytra subflattened above. Color: or- ange-testaceous, except eyes and mandibles black; antennomeres black except inner surface of scape; terminal maxillary palpomeres with a broad infuscate annulus at middle; distal 1/5 of femora, tibiae and tarsi in their entirety, piceous. Elytral surface rather dull, densely set with small/ medium punctations that do not diminish in size or density apically; punctures subconfluent, not arrayed in striae.
Variation.
The available specimens are rather uniform. The shape of the female pygidium is characterized under the generic description.
Distribution.
This species is known from near Iturbide in
Nuevo León
,
Mexico
.
Etymology.
The specific epithet refers to the new species’ nearly concolorous orange-testaceous color.
Remarks.
The
holotype
and
four paratypes
were collected at 4000′ in the Sierra Madre Oriental. The habitat at the type locality is presumably pine forest and/or piedmont scrub, the characteristic plant landscape types for the Gran Sierra Plegada which encompasses the area around Iturbide (Nevárez-de los
Reyes et al. 2016
). J. M. “Milt” Campbell collected the type specimens of
Namba testacea
along with a series of remarkably similar aulacosceline chrysomelid beetles (
Fig. 4
) (identified as
Aulacoscelis hoegei
Jacoby
by J. A. Wilcox). Some adult
Aulacoscelis
species
in
Mexico
and Central America are known both to feed upon cycad palm fronds, and to sequester and reflex bleed highly toxic and mutagenic azoxygly- cosides derived from these plant hosts (
Prado et al. 2011
;
Windsor et al. 1999
).
Dioon
Lindl.
, one of the host cycad genera recorded for
Aulacoscelis vogti
Monrós
in northeastern
Mexico
(Prado et. al. 2011) includes species that range into
Nuevo León
(
Whitelock 2004
), and are known from localities near Iturbide (
González-Astorga et al. 2005
). Further collecting is needed to explore the intriguing possibility that
Namba testacea
mimics chemically protected
Aulacoscelis
leaf beetles on cycads in
Nuevo León
.