Calligrapha barda Say 1835
Creators: name: Gómez-Zurita, Jesús
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Calligrapha
Calligrapha barda

description: Calligrapha barda (Say, 1835)
(Figs 1 b, 2e, 2f, 3c)
Chrysomela barda Say, 1835. Boston J. Nat. Hist. 1(2), p. 197.
Calligrapha morbida: Stål, 1859. Öfv. Kongl. Vet.-Akad. Förhandl. 16, p. 326. Chrysomela morbida: Stål, 1865. Mon. Chrysom. Am., pt. 3, p. 285.
Chrysomela barda: Stål, 1865. Mon. Chrysom. Am., pt. 3, p. 323.
Chrysomela barda: Gemminger & Harold, 1874. Cat. Col., p. 3415.
Calligrapha morbida: Gemminger & Harold, 1874. Cat. Col., p. 3433.
Calligrapha barda: Jacoby, 1882. Biol. Centr.-Amer., vol. vi, pt. 1, p. 204. Calligrapha barda: Jacoby, 1891. Biol. Centr.-Amer., vol. vi, pt. 1, suppl., p. 246. Polyspila barda: Weise, 1916. Coleopt. Cat., p. 38.
Calligrapha barda: Blackwelder, 1946. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 185, p. 674. Calligrapha barda: Scherer, 1959. Ent. Arb. Mus. Frey 10, p. 610.
Calligrapha barda: Wilcox, 1975. Checklist Chrysom., Biol. Res. Inst. Amer., p. 66. Calligrapha barda: Burgos-Solorio & Anaya-Rosales, 2004. Acta Zool. Mex. (n.s.) 20, p. 45.
Chrysomela barda Say, 1835 was described posthumously after the death in 1834 of Thomas Say (born in Philadelphia in 1787), apparently victim of typhoid fever in the enlightened utopian society established by Robert Owen in New Harmony, Indiana (Stroud 1992). It is generally assumed that all, or virtually all of Thomas Say's collection was disarranged and in great measure destroyed by dermestid larvae and other pests, although some of his material seemingly survives mostly in the Museum of Comparative Zoology (Mawdsley 1993). The collection at MCZ does not include any specimen of C. barda that one can confidently attribute to Say’s material, and neotype designation is thus required. Twenty-five years after Say’s discovery of C. barda, Carl Stål rediscovered the species and described it under the name of Calligrapha morbida Stål, 1859. This taxonomic mistake went unnoticed for a long time and it occurred because, as emphasised by the Swedish entomologist a few years after his description of C. morbida, he did not know Say’s species (Stål, 1865). The first to recognise that both entomologists had in fact described the same species was Martin Jacoby, who synonymised Stål’s taxon accordingly (Jacoby 1882). In order to stabilise nomenclature and convinced that Jacoby’s assessment was sound, since this species is very characteristic and its distinguishing traits conveyed in both authors’ descriptions, the type of C. morbida Stål could be used to represent C. barda (Say). Unfortunately, the identity of Stål’s type material for this species is lost as well. However, a single representative of unknown origin, but fitting the species description, remains in the beetle collection at NRM (Stockholm, Sweden), and this is designated here as neotype.
Neotype by present designation: Mexico / Stål / Type / Typus [red] / morbida Stål (NRM).
Habitus (Fig. 1 b). Length: 6.86 mm, width: 4.14 mm. Body elongate oval, moderately convex, curvature of pronotum and elytra common. Head, pronotum, scutellum and ventral surfaces black with bronzy metallic reflections. Apex of clypeus, labrum, mandibles, mouthparts, four apical antennomeres, dark parts of elytra, epipleura, and apical abdominal ventrite brown or dark rufous; six basal antennal segments and legs paler. Pale spots on elytra yellow.
Head large, deeply embedded into prothorax; smooth on antennal calli and around frontal suture, moderately punctured on frons, punctures stronger near eyes, with very fine whitish anteriorly appressed hairs; frontal suture fine, deeper anteriorly at juncture with broad V-shaped frontoclypeal suture; clypeus, smooth on antennal calli; supraocular sulci short, adjacent to upper eye margin. Antennae relatively slender, reaching slightly behind humeri, clavate beyond seventh antennomere; scape enlarged, rather convex anteriorly, reaching maximum width at apical 1/3; pedicel slender, clavate, about 2/3 as long as scape; third antennomere slender, as long as scape; fourth antennomere slightly longer than pedicel; fifth antennomere subconical, shorter than pedicel; sixth antennomere as long as pedicel and remaining antennomeres progressively longer, narrow at base and abruptly widening with subparallel sides; tenth antennomere nearly as long as scape and eleventh longer; eighth antennomere 1.4x as long as wide at apex; antennomeres 1–6 smooth, sparsely pubescent up to fifth antennomere, remaining antennomeres coarsely and densely punctured, thickly pubescent. Clypeus with sparse punctation at posterior half, near angles, unpunctured elsewhere, with punctures bearing very fine whitish translucent hairs; anterior half depressed to weakly concave anterior border with emarginate angles. Labrum broad, rather long, with quickly sloping sides and angles and emarginate anteriorly; surface smooth with few setigerous punctures near anterior border and short pale yellowish setae. Mandibles small, sparsely pubescent sides converging, apically reaching short distance beyond anterior border of labrum. Palpomeres sturdy; second palpomere clavate, obliquely cut at apex; third palpomere with short cylindrical pedicel, gently curved at outer border and strongly elbowed at inner border to apical enlargement, twice as broad as base; apical palpomere large, strongly dilated, subtrapezoidal, with sides weakly convex and apex compressed dorso-ventrally, truncated straight. Pronotum transverse (W/L = 2.03), sides feebly convex, slightly divergent at base and convergent apically towards produced anterior angles; posterior border convex, anterior border straight behind head; sides finely margined with lateral convexity concealing margin from above, margin thicker at anterior angles and sides of anterior border, margin obliterated behind vertex; surface very finely microreticulate, sparsely punctured with shallow heterogeneous punctures on disc and very strong, deep fossette-like sometimes confluent punctures at sides and anterior angles; anterior trichobothria at angles with seta laterally bent backwards; posterior trichobothria slightly before angle, bent laterally forwards. Hypomera very finely shagreened, rather smooth and shiny, unpunctured, longitudinally depressed on disc, with transverse impressions basally; hypomeral suture strongly impressed except near base of hypomera, subparallel to pronotal margin, slightly divergent at apex. Prosternum as long as transverse diameter of apical palpomere; apical border feebly concave, finely margined with fringe of sparse very fine whitish setae; surface microreticulate, unpunctured at anterior half, with deep punctures posteriorly, punctures with medially convergent very fine whitish, recumbent setae; prosternal process transversally convex, smooth with strong punctures at sides and deep impressions at apex, narrow between procoxae, widening towards apex, with regularly round posterior angles and straight apical border. Mesanepisterna and mesepimera shagreened, with sparse shallow punctures. Anterior border of metanepisterna relatively narrow; disc of metanepisterna strongly punctured except near inner border. Metaventrite shagreened, mostly smooth, with scattered fine punctures except row of impressed punctures near lateral borders and strong confluent punctures at posterior border behind metacoxae. Scutellum flat, relatively broad, shaped as shield, slightly longer than wide at base (W/L = 0.94), finely microreticulate, unpunctured. Elytra elongate, with weakly marked humeri laterally, sides subparallel medially and regularly round apex; border with margin not visible from above except briefly at humeral angle; integument smooth, cereous, particularly on pale areas, moderately punctured on dark areas and around pale markings with punctures comparable to those on disc of pronotum, sparsely and more finely punctured within some pale markings; scutellar row of punctures present; premarginal row of fine punctures indicated on anterior half of elytra; punctures partially aligned along suture and basally on elytra. Numerous irregular pale markings on elytra with some areas completely dark, including sutural area up to second interval, postscutellar transverse area between humeri, and narrow median area between premarginal row of punctures and border of elytron; some prominent pale markings include: (i) irregular marking in humeral angle at basal 1/3 of elytra with two lobes, one subhumeral and one behind, separated by distance of two punctures and connected by pale area external to premarginal row of punctures; marking diffusedly connected with lateral border of elytron; (ii) three longitudinally elongated spots in alternate intervals basally on elytra, narrowly separated from basal border of elytra and reaching slightly beyond apex of scutellum; (iii) numerous more or less confluent, irregular heterogeneous spots on disc and apical and lateral declivities of elytra. Femora thick, slightly enlarged medially, with sparse fine punctures and short fine whitish recumbent setae; tibiae feebly curved, shorter than femora, weakly enlarged to apical 1/4 and slightly emarginate at apex in lateral view with external border furrowed at apical half; surface sparsely punctured with short whitish setae, but denser, finer yellowish setae at apex; ensemble tarsi shorter than corresponding tibia; claws divergent at base. Abdominal ventrites alutaceous, corrugated and punctured at sides, with irregular row of punctures close to apical border. Penis (Fig. 2 e, 2f) slender, slightly clavate, narrower medially and enlarged to apex around ostium before curved preapical narrowing; regularly curved in lateral view, flattened at apex; apical border at wide obtuse angle to laterally produced teeth, maximum width of penis between tips of teeth; distal end of flagellum cylindrical.
Distribution. C. barda (Say) is a Mexican endemic species distributed in the southern part of the Central Mexican Plateau and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, from the States of Guanajuato to northern Oaxaca (Fig. 3 c).
Material examined (164 specimens).
MEXICO. EGRC: (1) five specimens: Mexico, Guerrero, 3.3km Cacahuamilpa, 1495m, 2.vii.1992, C. Bellamy coll., Calligrapha barda (Say) det. Daccordi ’94; (2) two specimens: Mexico, Hidalgo, 12km S Venados, 24.x.1979, J.E. Wappes coll., Calligrapha barda (Say) det. Daccordi ’81; (3) eleven specimens: Mexico, Hidalgo, HWY45 21mi NE Wichapan, 6650ft., 26.vii.1982, C. & L. O’Brien & G. Wibmer coll.; (4) two specimens: Mexico, Hidalgo, Tepeapulco, 18.ix.1974, G. Bohart & W. Hanson coll., Calligrapha barda (Say) det. Daccordi ’94; (5) one specimen: Mexico, Puebla, 7.3mi SW Izucar de Matamoros, 22.vii.1981, Bogart, Schaffner & Friedlander coll., Calligrapha barda (Say) det. Daccordi ’86; (6) nine specimens: Mexico, Queretaro, HWY120 8mi N Cadereyta, 7200ft., 27.vii.1982, C. & L. O’Brien & G. Wibmer coll. FSCA: (1) six specimens: Mexico, Guanajuato, San Miguel Allende, 21.vi.1987, B.K. Dozier coll.; (2) three specimens: Mexico, Guerrero, 2–4mi N Chilpancingo, 24.vi.1983, B.K. Dozier coll.; (3) two specimens: Mexico, Guerrero, 10km N Chilpancingo, 22.vii.1987, R. Turnbow coll., Calligrapha barda (Say) Det. E.G. Riley ’88; (4) seven specimens: Mexico, Hidalgo, 12km S Venados, 24.x.1979, J.E. Wappes coll.; (5) two specimens: Mexico, Oaxaca, HWY175, 22mi S Valle Nacional 5800’, 28.v.1983, C. & L. O’Brien & G.B. Marshall coll. [one with: Calligrapha barda (Say) Det. I.S. Askevold 1990]; (6) two specimens: Mexico, Puebla, 3.9mi SE Tepexco, 15.vii.1987, B.K. Dozier coll. MCZ: (1) four specimens: Mex. [one with: Calligrapha barda Say; one with: Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010]; (2) one specimen: Puebla, Mexico, Salle Coll., 1st Jacoby Coll.; (3) three specimens: Tula, Hidalgo, Höge, Jacoby 2nd Coll.; (4) two specimens: Matamoros, Izucar, Puebla, Höge, Jacoby 2nd Coll. MfN: (1) five specimens: 29792, morbida Stål, Mexico, Gerh., barda Say [four without data]; (2) three specimens: Tula, 23 [two without data]; (3) three specimens: V. de Mexico [two without data]; (4) eight specimens: Mexico, Sierra Mixteca, O.A. Purpus S.V. [one with: 3, Cal.; one with: 554; one with: 841]; (5) three specimens: Mexico, Tehuacan VI, Purpus S.V., Tehuacan Jun. [two without data]; (6) one specimen: 579, Tepetlapa; (7) one specimen: Tasco [or Jasco?]. MTJM: (1) two specimens: Mexico, Puebla St., 2.7km NE Chietla, 12 Oct. 1989, R.S. Zack coll., Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2009. NHM: (1) one specimen: Mexique, named by Stål, Baly Coll., Calligrapha morbida Stål Mexico; (2) one specimen: Puebla, Mexico, Sallé Coll., 666, Sp. figured, Godman- Salvin Coll., Biol. Centr.-Amer.; (3) one specimen: Ex. Coll. J. Sturm, Calligr. maculipennis St. Mexico, Sallé Coll., 668, Calligrapha maculipennis Stm. apud Sallé, Godman-Salvin Coll., Biol. Centr.-Amer.; (4) one specimen: Mochitlan, Guerrero, Baron, Biol. Cent.-Am. 1905-71, Godman-Salvin Coll., Biol. Centr.-Amer.; (5) seven specimens: Truqui, Mexico, Fry Coll. 1905.100 [one with: 23851]; (6) seven specimens: Matamoros, Izucar, Puebla, Höge, Godman-Salvin Coll., Biol. Centr.-Amer. [one with: Calligr. barda]. NMB: (1) two specimens: Mexico [one with: Calligrapha barda Say J. Bechyné det. 1957; (2) three specimens: Tlacotepec, Puebla Mex., 29.x.1958, leg. G. Frey [one with Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010; (3) one specimen: Mex. (Morelos) Cacahuamilpa 1495 m, 2.vii.1992, S. Bilý leg., Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010; (4) six specimens: Mex. (Puebla) 7km SSE Acatlan 1280 m, 5.vii.1992, S. Bilý leg.; (5) one specimen: Mex. (Puebla) 5km SSE Chila 1830 m, 7.vii.1992, S. Bilý leg.; (6) one specimen: Mexico, Guerrero, 3km NW Cacahuamilpa 1500 m, 2.7.1992, leg. S. Bilý, Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010. NMCZ: (1) two specimens: Sierra de Durango, morbida Stal J. Achard det., Coll. Achard Mus. Pragense [one with: Mex.]. NMNH: (1) one specimen: Morelos, Koebele, Koebele Collection, Calligrapha barda (Say); (2) three specimens: Mexico, Hgo., Pachuca, vii-1-1965, P.J. Spangler [one with: Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gomez-Zurita det. 2011]; (3) five specimens: Mexico, Hidalgo, Valle de Mesfintal, 27.vi.63, coll. A.B. Lau [one with: Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011]; (4) two specimens: Mexico, Hueyapan, Hidalgo, vii.1953, Halffter-Aguilar, F. Monrós Collection 1959, Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (5) one specimen: Mexico, Hidalgo, Barranca de Meztitlan, 28.vii.1953, Halffter, F. Monrós Collection 1959, Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (6) one specimen: Mexico, Hidalgo, Barranca de Venados, xi.1955, G. y V. Halffter, F. Monrós Collection 1959, Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (7) one specimen: Mexico, Puebla St., 2.7km NE Chietla, 12 Oct 1989, R.S. Zack collector, Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011; (8) two specimens: Mexico, Morelos, Xochicalco Ruins 18º48’N 99º16’W, 14 July 1995, leg. D. Furth & G. Chevarria [one with: Calligrapha sp. Det. C.L. Staines 2005, Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011]. OUMNH: (1) one specimen: 15.209, Mexico, Miers Coll., Presented 1880 by J.W. Miers, Named 1897 by M. Jacoby Calligrapha multiguttata Stal, Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2011. TAMUIC: (1) six specimens: [X0536777, X0539106, X0539895, X0540171, X0540444, X0547359], Mexico, Guanajuato, 2mi W Dolores Hidalgo, vii.5.1985, Robert W. Jones & Joseph C. Schaffner coll.; (2) two specimens: [X0540967, X0542425], Mexico, Guerrero, 3.2km N Cacahuamilpa, vii.4.1987, R. Anderson coll., Acacia woodland; (3) one specimen: X0548067, Mexico, Guerrero, 2.1mi NW Cacahuamilpa, viii.10.1980, J.C. Schaffner & Weaver coll.; (4) one specimen: X0550021, Mexico, Guerrero, 6mi E Xochipala, vii.13.1985, Robert W. Jones & Joseph C. Schaffner coll.; (5) four specimens: [X0537693, X0540594, X0541781, X0549166] Mexico, Hidalgo, Tepeapulco, ix.18.1974, G. Bohart & W. Hanson coll.; (6) two specimens: [X0539851, X0547990] Mexico, Puebla, 7.3mi SW Izucar de Matamoros, vii.22.1981, D.S. Bogar & J. Schaffner coll. ZSM: (1) two specimens: Mexico, Sierra Mixteca, C.A., Purpus S.V., Calligrapha barda Stål, Staatssammlung München 1975 Erwerb Coll. Machatschke.
USA. NMNH: (1) one specimen: at San Diego, CA, Mch. 1-83, MacLelland, with bromeliaceae, USDA-83- 4411, Calligrapha prob. barda Say det. R. White ’83; (2) two specimens: Mexico 18.i.1971, Heinrich et al., Tillandsia sp., Brownsville 1601, Lot 71-2265 [one with: Calligrapha sp. nr. panzoensis Bechyné det. R. White, Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gomez-Zurita det. 2011].
UNKNOWN SOURCE. MCZ: (1) two specimens: 1st Jacoby Coll. [one with: Calligrapha barda (Say) J. Gómez-Zurita det. 2010]; (2) one specimen: 15-209, Miers Coll., 524, Jacoby 2nd Coll.; (3) one specimen: 95.
Variation. The markings on the disc of elytra are quite irregular, and individuals generally differ from the type in one way or another. These markings can be large or broken in many minute spots, or show various degrees of confluence. Size is also quite variable and, for instance, the specimens from Sierra de Durango held at NMCZ are larger than the type; these specimens also have larger and less clearly delimited basal pale maculae and one of the specimens has a slightly greener tint to pronotum.
description: Published as part of Gómez-Zurita, Jesús, 2016, Systematic revision of Calligrapha Chevrolat (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) with pale spots on dark elytra and description of two new species, pp. 61-89 in Zootaxa 4072 (1) on pages 70-73, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4072.1.3, http://zenodo.org/record/270656