Mannophorus laetus LeConte, 1854

Mannophorus laetus LeConte, 1854 View in CoL

( Fig. 139–163 View Figures 139–151 View Figures 152–163 )

Mannophorus laetus LeConte 1854: 442 View in CoL ; LeConte 1858: 40 (dist.); Thomson 1864: 333; Gemminger and Harold 1872: 2940 (cat.); Bates 1880: 82; Leng 1886b: 83; Aurivillius 1912: 473 (cat.); Blackwelder 1946: 590 (cat.); Vogt 1949: 178 (biol.); Linsley 1962: 94 (biol.); Chemsak and Linsley 1974: 182 (syn.); Hovore and Giesbert 1976: 354 (biol.); Hovore et al. 1978: 99 (correction); Hovore et al. 1987: 296 (dist.); Chemsak et al. 1992: 84 (cat.); Monné and Giesbert 1994: 146 (cat.); Monné 1994: 32 (cat.); Noguera and Chemsak 1996: 402 (dist.); Linsley and Chemsak 1997: 394 (host); Monné 2001: 71 (host); Garcia Morales et al. 2014: 106 (dist.); Gutierrez and Noguera 2015: 145 (dist.).

Mannophorus ferreus Bates 1880: 82 View in CoL ; Lameere 1883a: 37 (cat.); Aurivillius 1912: 473 (cat.); Blackwelder 1946: 590 (cat.); Chemsak 1967: 77 (lect.).

Sphenothecus cribellatus Bates 1892 View in CoL (new synonymy); Sphenothecus cribellatus Bates 1892: 179 View in CoL ; Aurivillius 1912: 472 (cat.); Blackwelder 1946: 589 (cat.); Chemsak et al. 1992: 85 (cat.); Monné 1994: 63 (cat.); Monné and Giesbert 1994: 151 (cat.); Noguera and Chemsak 1996: 403 (dist.).

Ischnocnemis cribellatus Chemsak and Noguera 1998 View in CoL (new synonymy); Ischnocnemis cribellatus Chemsak and Noguera 1998: 12 View in CoL

Redescription. Male: Length 10–15 mm. Form small, moderately robust, stout; integument black, aenescent-black or metallic bluish black, pronotum red with anterior and posterior margins black, occasionally with black maculae or disc all black, abdomen black to dark reddish brown, scutellum and elytra black to black with metallic bluish cast; each elytron with two glabrous, narrow, elevated, yellowish costae; punctation coarse, dense; pubescence short, obscure, suberect. Head small; vertex coarsely, densely, confluently punctate occasionally with vague impunctate line at middle between eyes; front coarsely, subconfluently punctate; postclypeus coarsely, irregularly punctate; antennal tubercles with apices angulate; genae short, anterior margin of lower eye lobes separated from base of mandible, integument nitid, sparsely irregular punctate to impunctate, beneath coarsely punctate; labrum finely punctate; pubescence, long, erect on vertex around upper eye lobes, antennal tubercles, dorsal anterior margins of genae, and labrum; mandibles with sides arcuate, pubescence sparse, depressed; antennae slender, exceeding elytral apices by two antennomeres; scape conical densely, deeply, contiguously punctate, clothed with short, suberect setae; antennomeres II–VI coarsely, densely, deeply punctate, pubescence short, depressed, remaining antennomeres minutely, densely punctate, densely covered with minute appressed pubescence with few longer, depressed setae at apices; antennomeres from IV vaguely carinate on outer and inner surface; antennomere III longer than I; IV shorter than III; V longer than III; VI, VII, VIII, IX subequal to V; X shorter than IX subequal to III; XI longest, apical four-fifth vaguely appendiculate. Pronotum wider than long (L/W: 0.85–0.92), sides rounded; disc convex, coarsely, densely, confluently punctate with erect setae; apex narrowly constricted, margin collared; basal margin lobed in middle, lateral constriction about as wide as third antennomere; proepisternal area rugulose, coarsely, contiguously punctate to alveolate punctate; prosternum with apical half transversely plicate, basal half rugulose, coarsely, confluently punctate, thinly clothed with pale setae longer than those on pronotum; mesosternum coarsely, contiguously punctate on sides, integument in middle depressed and sparsely punctate, pubescence long, suberect; mesepimera and mesepisterna finely, densely punctate, pubescence short, dense, appressed; metasternum with integument nitid, punctures coarse, dense, moderately clothed with depressed and suberect setae, integument in middle sparsely punctate; metepisterna densely clothed with appressed pubescence. Scutellum nitid, sparsely punctate. Elytra 2.4–2.5 times as long as broad; each elytron with two raised, narrow glabrous costae, subsutural yellow costa not attaining apex, and submarginal yellow costa slightly shorter; integument between costae uniformly, coarsely, densely punctate over basal three-quarters, more finely punctate apically, punctures adjacent to suture finer than intervals between costae; pubescence sparse, short, suberect, setae denser, longer and depressed apically; apices separately rounded, occasionally truncate, suture minutely dentate or unarmed. Legs slender, femora slightly clavate, coarsely, densely punctate, dorsum sparsely clothed with short, depressed setae, inner surface clothed with pale, suberect setae; meso- and metafemora arcuate near base; metafemora falling far short of elytral apices; tibiae coarsely, deeply, contiguously punctate, clothed with short, depressed setae; protibiae with inner surface densely clothed with short, depressed, pale pubescence; metatarsomere I subequal to or slightly shorter than tarsomeres II and III combined. Abdomen finely, discretely punctate in middle, sparsely clothed with pale, depressed setae, sides more finely, densely, contiguously punctate, densely clothed with appressed setae; apex of last sternite narrowly truncate.

Female: Length 9–15 mm. Form slightly more robust than male, parallel-sided; color of integument same as in male, occasionally with pronotum reddish and elytra all black, or pronotum and elytra all black with metallic bluish cast (e.g., Mannophorus ferreus Bates ). Prosternum with basal half coarsely, contiguously, striate-punctate. Antennae shorter than body. Abdomen with apex of last sternite broadly truncate.

Materials examined. USA: Texas: Starr Co., 6–14 mi. E. El Sauz, 12 Oct. 1977, J.B. Wappes (1 male, BKEC) ; Duval Co. 3 m N. Freer, 24 Sept. 1995, Wappes, Morris (1 female, BKEC) ; Live Oak Co. 10 mi. S. George West, 10 Oct. 1971, B.A. Tilden (1 male, BKEC) . MEXICO: Nuevo León: 19 km W. Linares, Hwy 58, 19 Oct. 2004, B.K. Eya (1 males, BKEC), 22 Oct. 2004, B.K. Eya (1 males, 4 females, BKEC) ; 54 km W. Linares, Hwy 58, 19 Oct. 2004, B.K. Eya (1 female, BKEC) ; 5 mi. W. Dr. Arroyo , 23 Sept. 1976, 6200′, J.A. Chemsak, J. Powell, A. and M. Michelbacher (1 male, BKEC) ; 3 mi. E. Galeana Jct. 6000′, 15 Sept. 1976 J.A. Chemsak, J. Powell, A. and M. Michelbacher (2 males, 1 female, BKEC) ; 4 mi. W. Iturbide, 5500′, 22 Sept. 1975, J. Powell, J. Chemsak, T. Friedlander on Selloa glutinosa (1 female, BKEC) ; Carr. Linares-Iturbide , km 10–14, 4 Nov. 1982, J. Flores (2 females, EMEC) ; Carr. Linares-Iturbide, km 10–15, 4 Nov. 1982, J. Flores (1 male, 1 female, EMEC). Tamaulipas: 32 km NE. Juamave, Balcon de Chihue, 25 Oct. 2004, B.K. Eya (1 male, BKEC). Querétaro: 3–5 km E. La Sierra, 41 km E. Jalpan , 27 Oct. 2004, B.K. Eya (1 male, 1 female, BKEC) ; 41–48 km E. Jalpan, Hwy 120, La Sierra , 28 Oct. 2004, B.K. Eya (6 males, 7 females, BKEC). Hidalgo: 3 mi E. Zimapan , 6200′, 28 Sept. 1975, J. Powell, J. Chemsak, T. Friedlander on Zaluxania augusta (1 female, BKEC). Querétaro: km 8, Tilaco-Santa Inez Rd. , 13 Oct. 1998, Chemsak and Barrera (10 males, 8 females, EMEC) ; Rd. to Bucareli, S of Jalpan, 14 Oct. 1998, Chemsak and Barrera (1 female, EMEC). Hidalgo : 14 mi S Jacala, 6800′ 28 Sept. 1975, J. Powell, J. Chemsak, and Friedlander, cribellatus Bates , det. J.A. Chemsak (1 male, EMEC) ; 3 mi E Zimapan , 6200′, 28 Sept. 1975, J. Powell, J. Chemsak, and Friedlander, on Zaluzania augusta (1 male, EMEC) ; 14 mi S Jacala , 6800′, 28 Sept. 1975, J. Powell, J. Chemsak, and Friedlander (1 male, EMEC) .

Discussion. According to LeConte (1854: 442), Mannophorus laetus is characterized by the “very curious acute collar which surrounds the apex of the thorax, and which projects very conspicuously at the sides.” LeConte and Horn (1883: 299) and LeConte (1873: 314) further characterizes this species as having a front that is “short, declivous, and not abruptly defined on each side,” apex of “prothorax margined, mesosternum declivous,” and each elytron with “two ivory vittae.”

Ischnocnemis cribellatus ( Bates, 1892) or Sphenothecus cribellatus Bates is synonymous with M. laetus LeConte and is a color variant of M. laetus (new synonymy). Chemsak and Noguera (1998: 12) in their review of the genus Sphaenothecus provisionally moved S. cribellatus Bates along with S. luteicollis Bates (i.e., Lophaliamorpha luteicollis (Bates) , new combination) as new combinations to Ischnocnemis stating that further study will be needed “to determine the validity of the reassignment.” Examination of Ischnocnemis cribellatus from Hidalgo and Querétaro, Mexico, and M. laetus from Texas did not reveal any difference in their external morphology, except for the color of integument. Ischnocnemis cribellatus (Bates) has the same characteristics found in M. laetus , which include: pronotum with disc that is densely, contiguously punctate, and the anterior margin with acute collar-like lateral projection (Fig, 155, 159); front that is declivous with antennal tubercles divergent and moderately prominent; first metatarsomere that is subequal to or shorter than the following two tarsomeres; and antennae that are short, especially in females, which do not exceed the apices of elytra. The density of pubescence, especially on the antennae and ventral surfaces is variable in M. laetus .

According to Bates (1892: 179), S. cribellatus is dark blue, densely punctate, and densely pubescence with elongate, erect setae intermixed. Elytra on either side are two, elevated, yellowish, smooth vittae. The inner vittae with yellow margins are straight almost reaching the apices, and outer vittae are slightly shorter posteriorly. Head and base of antennae are densely, confluently punctate. Thorax is densely, subalveolate punctate, slightly rounded and dilated from base and narrowed to apex. Elytra are bright blue with interspace between costate densely but discretely, fairly, coarsely, evenly punctate, and apices are obtuse, flexuous-truncate with external angle rounded. The sternum is dark blue green, densely punctate and pubescent. Mesosternum is convex but not prominent. The antennae of female are much shorter than body. The length is 12 mm, based on single female example. Habitat reported by Bates is Mexico, Jalapa.

Mannophorus laetus ranges in distribution from USA, Texas down to southeastern Mexico, which include Nuevo León, Hidalgo, Querétaro, and further south to Tabasco (Jalapa). Specimens from Texas to Nuevo León are the typical “ M. laetus form” with dark margined red pronotum and elytra with two ivory vittae or elytra all black, or integument all aenescent-black as in female, i.e., “ M. ferreus form.” Further south into Hidalgo, Querétaro, Veracruz, and Tabasco the “ M. cribellatus form” with dark bluish integument, and elytra with two ivory vittae and yellowish apically margins are more prevalent. The etymology for the species name “ laetus ” is not provided by LeConte; however, in Latin “ laetus ” means “cheerful,” which may be referring to the bright red cheerful color of the pronotum as in the cheerful buttercup, Ranunculus laetus , with a bright yellow flowerhead.