Epicauta leopardina Hagg-Rutemberg 1880
Creators: name: Campos-Soldini, María Paula
name: Roig-Juñent, Sergio Alberto
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Coleoptera
Meloidae
Epicauta
Epicauta leopardina

description: Epicauta leopardina (Hagg-Rutemberg, 1880)
Lytta leopardina Haag-Rutemberg, 1880: 30.
Cantharis leopardina: Burmeister, 1881: 24 (rev.); Berg, 1881: 304 (rev.).
Epicauta leopardina: Bruch, 1914: 404 (cat.); Borchmann, 1917: 77 (cat.); Denier, 1935: 156 (cat.); Bosq, 1934: 327 (cat.); 1942: 11 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1945: 483 (cat.); Viana and Williner, 1974: 11 (dist.); Martínez, 1992: 7 (dist.); Di Iorio 2004: 169 (cat.).
Type material. Adams and Selander (1979) indicate that the type material is a series of syntypes from Córdoba, Argentina; it is deposited in the Haag-Rutemberg collection, in Zoologisches Sammlung der Bayerischen Stattes Munich. These specimens were not examined.
Diagnosis. Maxillary palpi, labrum, antennal segments I, II and part of segment III light. Elytra with three dark vittae on a pale background, both inner vittae much abbreviated, middle one much broadened distally to form irregular blotches, with additional basal blotch resulting from fusion of the middle and outer vittae; elytral pubescence is coincident with cuticle color.
Remarks. The pattern of elytra pale with three dark vittae like blotches, is quite distinctive and permits an easy recognition of this species.
Redescription. Body length 10–23 mm.
Cuticle and pubescente. Cuticle of head and pronotum brown; head with light patch on forehead, and two light supra-ocular patches (Fig. 16); maxillary palpi, labrum and segments I, II and basal third of segment III of antennae light. Elytra pale with three dark vittae, both inner vittae much abbreviated, and the middle one much broadened distally to form irregular blotches, with an additional basal blotch resulting from fusion of the middle and outer vittae (Fig. 23). Legs pale tinged with brown. Pubescence of head sparse (13–19 setae by lineal mm); pronotum and elytron dense (28–34 setae by lineal mm); pubescence of head dark brown with pale setae on marginal area, pronotum pale with two dark brown extended patches on disk, elytra pubescence is coincident with cuticle color. Abdominal pubescence uniformly light brown.
Habitus. Head 0.91 times as long as wide (L/A: 21–33); mandible strongly curved apically (as shown by arrow in Fig. 21); antennae sexually dimorphic, male with segments V, VI, and VII bulged; antennal segments of female with following proportions: 4 (I); 2 (II); 2 (III); 4.3 (IV); 3 (V); 2.3 (VI); 2.3 (VII); 2 (VIII); 3 (IX); 3 (X); 3.4 (XI); antenna of males: 4 (I); 1.6 (II); 4.3 (III); 2.6 (IV); 2.3 (V); 2 (VI); 2 (VII); 3 (VIII); 2.5 (IX); 2.5 (X); 4 (XI). Pronotum 0.8 times as long as wide (L/A: 40–50), impressed on apical third in lateral view. Elytron subequal in width throughout. Legs with tarsal segments with two longitudinal rows of adhesive setae. Claws with dorsal blade slightly curved from base to apex, ventral blade slightly curved, broader than dorsal near apical third.
Male genitalia. Falobase with superior margin with deep concavity. Spiculum gastrale (as in Fig. 33). Median lobe slender, pointed at apex, dorsal-hook; uncus short, moderately robust (Fig. 41).
Intra-specific variation. Variation occurs in body length, form of head and pronotum patches. This species presents a wide range of size, some specimens double the size of others. In the same specimens different sizes of the pale patches are present on the forehead, supraocular patches and pronotum.
Distribution. Map (Fig. 47). Known from Argentina, Bolivia, and Brasil. In Argentina it is recorded from Buenos Aires; Catamarca; Chaco; Córdoba; Entre Ríos; La Rioja; Mendoza; Neuquén; Salta; San Luis; Santa Fe; Santiago del Estero; and Tucumán. New records: Misiones.
Host plant. Host plant citations for this species are: at native vegetation in Amaranthus quitensis and Portulaca sp. (Martínez, 1992); Beta vulgaris L. var rapacea, Beta vulgaris var cycla and Solanum tuberosum (Hayward, 1942; 1960); Cichorium endivia (Hayward, 1942; 1960, Adams and Selander, 1979); Helianthus annus (Rizzo, 1977); Lycopersicum esculentum (Hayward 1942, 1960; Adams and Selander 1979); Medicago sativa (Hayward, 1942; 1960); Nicotiana tabacum (Bosq, 1942; Hayward, 1942; 1960); Portulaca sp. (Adams and Selander, 1979); Solanum dulcamara (Adams and Selander, 1979); Solanum eleagnifolium (Adams and Selander, 1979).
Material examined. Fifty-six specimens are recorded from Argentina belonging to the following collections: MALP, MCNFA, IMLA. Buenos Aires. Catamarca; Córdoba: Villa María (32º 24’ 82’’ S, 63º 14’ 12’’ W). Chaco: Gancedo (27º 29’ 48’’ S, 61º 40’ 21’’ W). Entre Ríos: La Paz (30º 45’ 02’’ S, 59º 38’ 44’’ W). Mendoza. Misiones: El Dorado (26º 23’ 88’’ S, 54º 37’ 52’’ W); San José 27º 46’ 27’’ S, 55º 46’ 76’’ W). Neuquén. Santa Fe: Rosario (32º 57’ 96’’ S, 60º 40’ 84’’ W). Salta: Talapampa (25º 32’ 66’’ S, 65º 34’ 05’’ W). Santiago del Estero: San Ignacio (25º 41’ 07’’ S, 62º 56’ 74’’ W), Río Salado (27º 50’ 59’’S, 63º 28’ 06’’ W), Negra Muerta (27º 30’ 83’’ S, 64º 08’ 95’’ W). Tucumán: San Pedro de Colalao (26º 13’ 95’’ S, 65º 28’ 89’’ W).
FIGURES 18–27. Elytra cuticle color: 18. E. bosqi; 19. E. clericalis; 20. E. grammica; 21. E. luteolineata; 22. E. excavata; 23. E. leopardina; 24. E. monachica; 25. E. semivittata; 26. E. rutilifrons; 27. E. missionum.
FIGURES 29–36. Spiculum gastral: 29. E. bosqi; 30. E. clericalis; 31. E. excavata; 32. E. grammica; 33. E. leopardina; 34. E. luteolineata; 35. E. monachica; 36. E. semivittata.
description: Published as part of Campos-Soldini, María Paula & Roig-Juñent, Sergio Alberto, 2011, Redefinition of the vittata species group of Epicauta Dejean (1834) (Coleoptera: Meloidae) and taxonomic revision of the species from southern South America, pp. 21-43 in Zootaxa 2824 on pages 27-31, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.203650