Mesomphalia variolaris Boheman 1850
Creators: name: Simões, Marianna V. P.
name: Monné, Marcela L.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2014
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Chrysomelidae
Mesomphalia
Mesomphalia variolaris

description: Mesomphalia variolaris Boheman, 1850
(Figs. 73–81, 98–100, 124–130, 157, 165)
Mesomphalia variolaris Boheman, 1850: 228; 1856: 39; 1862: 105; Gemminger & Harold, 1876: 3636; Wagener, 1881: 63; Spaeth, 1901: 339; 1914: 33; Blackwelder, 1946: 738; Borowiec, 1999: 118.
Measurements (13 males / 4 females). Total length: 13.3–14.5/13.6–14.3; greatest elytral width: 12.5–13.6/ 11.2–12.1; pronotum length: 3.2–3.6/2.9–3.5; greatest width of pronotum: 7.9–8.5/7.9–8.6; elytral length/width ratio: 1.06/1.18–1.21; pronotal length/width ratio: 0.40–0.42/0.36–0.40.
Diagnosis. Mesomphalia variolaris is distinguished by:diamond-shape; elytra with long and decumbent setae limited to band under humeral angle and apical third of disc; elytra with dark and smooth circular depressions of different sizes, always with a pair of depressions at anterior portion of gibbosity.
Redescription. Body diamond-shaped, with elytral margins divergent until median portion and convergent towards apex, with yellowish-brown setae. Vertex with short and sparse setae, deep and dense punctures. Coronal suture with reddish-brown depression. Antennae with apex of scape, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV yellowishbrown or ccape, pedicel and antennomere III reddish-brown. Antennomeres III–IV and VI–VIII subequal in length; V slightly longer than IV and subequal in length to IX; X about 1.1x longer than IX; XI with rounded apex.
Prothorax with a pair of arcs of long, dense and decumbent setae. Pronotum with sinuous anterior margin; posterior angle truncate. Prosternum with long, sparse and semidecumbent setae, except anterior margin of procoxal cavity with short, dense and decumbent setae, extending until basal third of process. Prosternal collar slightly curved, followed by long and deep transverse groove. Prosternal process with lateral margin with long and sparse setae, becoming denser at apical margin; a deep longitudinal sulcus starting at ante-median region and extending to post-median region, not reaching apex; lateral margins subparallel; apical margin rounded.
Mesoventrite, mesepisterna and mesepimera with long and semidecumbent setae, becoming denser at apex; mesepisterna with short, sparse and decumbent setae; mesoventrite process short, robust, U-shaped, with subtruncate apex. Elytra 3 to 3.5x longer than prothorax; with dark and smooth circular depressions of different sizes, always with a pair of depressions at anterior portion of gibbosity; disc with fine dense punctures, becoming denser at suture, decreasing towards lateral margins. Long and decumbent setae limited to band under humeral angle and apical third of disc. Lateral margin broader at median region, with approximately the same width of disc; apical angles acuminate and divergent. Gibbosity approximately half elytral length and perpendicular to disc.
Metaventrite with lateral margins depressed, adorned longitudinally by long and decumbent setae; posterior margin with a row of long, dense and decumbent setae; metepimera with long, dense and decumbent setae.
Sternite III–V with reddish-brown ellipsoidal spots; II–V with short row of long, decumbent setae, becoming denser laterally.
Male terminalia (Figs. 73–76). Tergite VIII convex, sclerotized, with rounded apical margin and basal margin with lateral apodemes; long and dense setae. Tegmen (Figs. 75–76) furcate, fused to manubrium; thicker in middle region and narrow next to apex; apex rounded and curved in lateral view; manubrium subequal in length to furcate region, sclerotized, flattened laterally. Median lobe (Figs. 73–74) sclerotized, long and narrow, with apex (Fig. 74) narrowed and rounded; internal sac membranous, ostium with two semisclerotized plates.
Female terminalia (Figs. 77–81). Tergite VIII similar to that observed in male. Sternite VIII (Fig. 77) slightly sclerotized with long setae at apical margin, and short setae laterally; lateral arms fused to sternite IX, forming transverse membranous sacs; apodeme with parallel margins, about 1.5x the length of apical region. Sternite IX (Figs. 78, 80) subdivided into two plates with long and erect setae at apical margin; small sclerotized region at median region next to base. Tergite X (Figs. 79–80) with two sclerotized regions next to apical margin. Spermatheca (Fig. 81) strongly sclerotized, with rounded apex; vasculum hook-shaped; ampulla present, about 1.5x the length of vasculum. Spermathecal gland attached laterally to ampulla.
Remarks. Boheman (1850) considered the body length of M. variolaris (Figs. 124–130) similar to that of M. gibbosa (Figs. 101–104); however, he did not take into account the great variation of this characteristic in M. gibbosa, in which the females are usually larger than the males. For more comments see M. denudata.
The male terminalia of M. variolaris (Figs. 73–76) differs from the other species in the genus by having the median lobe (Figs. 73–74) sclerotized, long, and narrow, and the spermatheca of the female with a rounded apex. Males of other species in the genus have a median lobe thicker and shorter, and females have a tapered spermatheca (Fig. 81).
Geographical distribution. Described generally from “ Brasília (Boheman 1850). A new state record from Bahia is added (Figs. 157, 165).
Material examined (15). Type material. Lectotype and paralectotype (Figs. 126–128), at SMNH, photographs examined; paralectotype (Figs. 129–130), at ZMHB, photograph examined. BRAZIL: (Ex Coll. Vigors) (1 male, BMNH); Bahia: G. Bondar (1 female, BMNH); Belmonte, (Barrolândia), VIII.1978, G. Bondar & J. Becker (1 male, MNRJ); II.1947, J. Becker (1 male, MNRJ); Ilhéus, 1920 (1 male, MNRJ); Mascote, VIII.1977, J. Becker (1 male, MNRJ); Itamaraju, X.1985, Roppa & Becker (1 male, 1 female, MNRJ); 4.XI.85, J. Becker (1 male, MNRJ); Mogiquiçaba, 25.II.1947, J. Becker (1 male, MNRJ); Prado, 18.I.1977, J. Becker (3 males, MNRJ); 1977, J. Becker (1 female, MNRJ); Una, VII.1985, Roppa & Becker (1 male, MNRJ).
description: Published as part of Simões, Marianna V. P. & Monné, Marcela L., 2014, Taxonomic Revision of the genus Mesomphalia Hope, 1839 (Insecta, Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae), pp. 151-197 in Zootaxa 3835 (2) on pages 174-176, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3835.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/249789