Metachroma panamense ( Blake, 1970 )

Gómez-Zurita, Jesús & Maes, Jean-Michel, 2022, New Genera and Species Records of Nicaraguan Eumolpinae (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Including a New Species in a New Generic Record for Central America, Neotropical Entomology 51 (5), pp. 705-721 : 714

Metachroma panamense ( Blake, 1970)

( Figs. 5e , 6a )

New species record: JGZC: female ( JGZC-2594 ), León, Salinas Grandes, Reserva Natural Isla de Juan Venado , 12.27217 -86.88130, 36 m, 24 January 2012, J. Gómez-Zurita, A. Cardoso, G. De la Cadena & A. Papadopoulou leg., Metachroma clarkei Blake J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2022. MEL: 2 exx., #70 , Carazo, Chacocente, 11.534389 -86.188843, 5 m, 11–13 September 1992, trampa de luz en bosque tropical seco, J.-M. Maes, A. Martínez & R. López leg., Metachroma sp. C. L. Staines det. 1993 .

Metachroma Chevrolat, 1836 was comprehensively revised by Blake (1970) and she raised the number of species found in Central America from twelve up to 25 species, most of them from Mexico, and three of them reported from Nicaragua already ( Maes and Staines 1991). M. panamense is a species originally described from Panama, as the name suggests, and characterized by the presence of four dark spots on the pronotum, vittate elytra, and differences in punctation and sculpture on pronotum and elytra compared to other species with spotted pronotum, as well as the lack of convex lateral intervals in female elytra ( Blake 1970). The specimen from Nicaragua fits the description of M. panamense in most respects, including the relatively short inner appendix of bifid claws, the presence of median dark spots on disc of elytra close (actually fused) to suture, pale margins of pronotum and scutellum, and a relatively small size (length of female = 4.1 mm). However, the specimen also shares some traits with M. clarkei Blake, 1970 , a larger Mexican species described from Yucatan, but very similar externally to M. panamense , although they present some distinctive traits which are present in the Nicaraguan specimen. These would include darkened apical antennomeres, presence of subhumeral and median dark spots fused to lateral margin of elytra, the prominent spots on elytra with sutural stripe enlarged behind scutellum, or the relatively strong punctation on elytra, attenuated apically, but clearly distinct on disc. Both species apparently have very similar male genitalia, based on Blake’s (1970) illustrations, and it is entirely possible that they are indeed conspecific. However, until the genus is revised again with more data, we are inclined to consider the Nicaraguan record akin to the Panamanian, rather than the Mexican taxon. The specimen ( Fig. 6a ) and the spermatheca ( Fig. 5e ) are figured to assist future taxonomic reassessment.

Figures

Fig. 5 Spermathecae of Brachypnoea modesta anima- toria (Bechyné) (a), Chrysodi- nopsis cupriceps (Lefèvre) (b), Colaspis jalapae (Bechyné) (c), Megascelis spinipes Jacoby (d), Metachroma panamense Blake (e), Nodocolaspis femoralis (Lefèvre) (f), Paria nigritar- sis Jacoby (g), Rhabdopterus uncotibialis (Blake) (h), Spintherophyta ignita (Lefèvre) (i), S. minuta (Jacoby) (j), Talurus tortonesei Bechyné (k), Typophorus apicicornis Jacoby (l), T. cyanipennis Lefèvre (m), and T. subbrunneus Jacoby (n). Scale bar=0.2 mm

Fig.6 Dorsal views of the new records of Nicaraguan Eumolpinae in the tribe Typo- phorini, including Metachroma panamense Blake (a), Paria nigritarsis Jacoby (b), Tijucana vitticollis (Jacoby) (c), Typopho- rus apicicornis Jacoby (d), T. cyanipennis Lefèvre (e), and T. subbrunneus Jacoby (f). Scale bar=1.0 mm