Bondarius Rosado-Neto, 2006

Bondarius Rosado-Neto, 2006

Type species: Sternechus tuberculatus Boheman, 1836 View in CoL , by original designation Bondarius Rosado-Neto, 2006: 164 .

Diagnosis. Prothorax usually with three well-developed lateral tubercles; when tubercles are not developed, the prothorax is laterally crenate. Postocular vibrissae elongate. Elytra with well-defined apical connections between striae 3–6 and 7–8 or with stria 3 apparently joined with striae 6, 7 and 8. Setal fringe present at the base of each elytron. Forecoxae with three tubercles near posterior margin. Femora generally without teeth (unarmed), except for hind femur, often toothed. Tibiae with a ventral submedian tooth. Abdomen with elytro-tergal stridulatory apparatus. Spermathecal duct as long as bursa copulatrix.

Redescription. Total length 4.5 to 15.8 mm. Integument light to dark reddish-brown. Vestiture: generally, with dark, moderately elongate, thin to tick, sparse to dense, rusty yellow or scales lacteous. Rostrum variable in shape, short, thick, sometimes depressed ( Figs 1, 2 View Figures 1–6 ), long, straight or curved in lateral view in some species ( Figs 40, 41 View Figures 40–42 , 92, 93 View Figures 92–101 ), smooth or wrinkled, punctation and coverage variable, with or without an apical groove. Scrobes deep, latero-dorsal, partly visible in dorsal view, obliquely directed posteriorly, reaching lower anterior margin of eye; ventrally separated by strong basal tubercle ( Fig. 57 View Figures 53–59 ) or by elongate or obsolete carina. Antenna with scape claviform, shorter to longer than funicle; usually longer than funicular articles 1, 2 and 3 combined ( Fig. 75 View Figures 69–75 ); inserted medially or near apex of rostrum. Funicle with seven articles, 1 st article generally the longest, 2 nd article elongate or subtransverse, shorter than or subequal to 1 st article; articles 3–7 transverse, widening toward the clava, the latter with 4 articles, oval, short, apex acuminate, pubescent, sutures straight or nearly so ( Fig. 75 View Figures 69–75 ). Mouthparts: mandibles bi-toothed ( Fig. 17 View Figures 14–20 ), mandibles with inner margin sinuated and apical tooth weak ( Fig. 4 View Figures 1–6 ). Maxillae with palpifer, basal and subbasal articles of maxillary palps transverse, or longer than wide, 3 rd article conical. Long and short setae present on palpifer, stipes and palps. Mala generally perpendicular to the axis of the palp, with an external straight margin. Dorsally, with two areas: basal (lacinia) and apical (galea). Dorsal surface sometimes toothed, covered with setae that vary from thin to large, long to short; basal area with numerous long and small setae. Lacinia with strong and robust teeth, varying from short to long, narrow to wide, curved to straight, some species with apical teeth narrower than basal teeth; teeth from 5–8 ( Figs 6 View Figures 1–6 , 19 View Figures 14–20 ). Basal area ventrally with group of small and strong teeth, occasionally also present on apical portion ( Fig. 6 View Figures 1–6 ). Suture between stipes and lacinia conspicuous in most of the species. Labium with ligula and palpal articles strongly fused with each other and with the prementum ( Fig. 18 View Figures 14–20 ). Prementum rectangular, transverse, or as long as wide, sides straight or round, converging toward anterior margin; basal margin straight or slightly sinuous, apical margin clearly distinct, subtriangular to round, glabrous or bearing 1 or 2 pairs of short and long setae; labial palp separated, flattened, transverse or elongate, symmetrical or asymmetrical, glabrous or with two pairs of long latero-basal setae, ligula visible; apex straight or round ( Fig. 18 View Figures 14–20 ). Head globose, punctation sparse to dense, with a few anastomosing punctures particularly near the eyes, giving a wrinkled appearance; eyes subcontiguous on the forehead, acuminate or round on posterior margin, with anterior margin oblique or round. Prothorax subtrapezoidal or cylindrical, uniformly convex dorsally ( Fig. 16 View Figures 14–20 ). Anterior margin curved and ocular lobes absent or almost imperceptible; posterior margin bisinuate, with or without a rim, postocular vibrissae elongate ( Fig. 14 View Figures 14–20 ). Punctation consisting of shallow and small to moderately deeper and larger punctures ( Fig. 16 View Figures 14–20 ); punctures anastomosing laterally, giving a wrinkled appearance, or anastomosing over entire pronotum, forming transversal wrinkles ( Fig. 3 View Figures 1–6 ); disk with ( Fig. 16 View Figures 14–20 ) or without a smooth median longitudinal line. Laterally with 2–3 tubercles variously developed, more or less arranged in rows, or with obsolete tubercles ( Fig. 20 View Figures 14–20 ). Scutellar shield oval or heartshaped, small, glabrous or covered with sparse, short and fine setae ( Fig. 16 View Figures 14–20 ). Elytra generally convex, degree of convexity variable between species; wide or narrow, ascending on basal 1/3, slightly descending toward the apex ( Fig. 15 View Figures 14–20 ); junction between apexes round or slightly diverging; 1.07 to 1.46 times longer than its humeral width ( Fig. 16 View Figures 14–20 ). Anterior margin of elytra bisinuate, wider than prothorax; setae present on each elytron beside the scutellar shield. Humeri globose or flattened, variously developed, truncate at base ( Fig. 2 View Figures 1–6 ); infrahumeral tubercle strong, conical, perpendicular or not to the elytral surface, wide at base, with apex acute or round, sometimes slightly curved posteriorly ( Fig. 2 View Figures 1–6 ). Elytra with 10 striae, punctation variable in size and shape; punctures thin or thick, deep or shallow, close or wide apart, with or without marginal granules. Generally, deeper punctures up to the dorsal 1/2, becoming progressively shallow toward the apex. Striae joining apically in the following order: 1–10, 2–9, 3–8, 4–5, 6–7 ( Fig. 22 View Figures 21–29 ). Species with a developed apical callus have stria 3 apparently united with striae 6, 7 and 8. First, 2 nd and 4 th interstriae near the base, convex, forming an elongate tubercle; or transversely convex, giving a wrinkled aspect; or all flattened. Prosternal process a short triangle interrupted between coxae ( Fig. 56 View Figures 53–59 ). Three tubercles variously developed near the anterior margin, behind the forecoxae ( Fig. 21 View Figures 21–29 ). Mesepisternum and mesepimeron subtriangular, uniform and without significant variation. Mesoventrite wide or narrow, apex truncated or concave; mesoventral process between coxae narrow, in some species with a somewhat prominent ( Fig. 56 View Figures 53–59 ). Metasternum developed, anterior margin with a rim prominent following the curvature of the hindcoxae ( Fig. 56 View Figures 53–59 ). Metepisternum wide, elongate, with variable cover and punctation. Metepimeron small and concealed below margin of elytra. Abdomen with ventrites 1+2 as long as ventrites 3+4+5 combined; suture between ventrites 1 and 2 sinuous, sometimes conspicuous, sometimes not; suture between remaining ventrites straight and deep. Anterior margin of ventrite 1 with an edge following curvature of coxae; 3 rd and 4 th longer, subequal; 5 th always transverse, with apical margin round or truncated, median surface flat in both sexes. Presence of the stridulatory apparatus elytro-tergal. Legs: forecoxae globose, subcontiguous, slightly separated from each other by the prosternal process. Midcoxae globose, separated from each other by the mesosternal process. Hind coxae transverse. Trochanter small and transverse. Femora claviform or cylindrical; with oblique-transversal wrinkles, more conspicuous on the hind femora, highlighting the median longitudinal carina; ventrally unarmed or toothed, or with teeth only on the hind pair of legs ( Figs 60, 61 View Figures 60–68 ). Tibiae compressed to cylindrical, smooth or with strong longitudinal carinae on all faces, lateral or ventral carinae weak. Foretibiae slightly longer and curved, midtibiae and hind tibiae almost straight. Ventrally, all tibiae present variation in crenulation, strong to weak, and in the degree of development of the median tooth ( Fig. 60 View Figures 60–68 ). Apex of tibiae with mucro and premucro variously developed, sexually dimorphic: premucro obsolete in males, developed in females, dorsal carina obsolescent in corbel area. Tarsal claws simple, fused and short. Genitalia. Male: median lobe as long as or slightly shorter than apodemes; apex round, straight, or acuminate, curved ventrally or posteriorly, from a lateral view with ventral curvature ( Fig. 97 View Figures 92–101 ); apex wider or narrow- er than base, or widening toward the apex; basal apodemes uniform, with slight variation in thickness and degree of basal sinuosity ( Figs 23, 24 View Figures 21–29 ); internal sac with microvilosities, generally with two opercular plates near the falotreme. Falotreme and plates variable in shape, placed dorsally and apically ( Fig. 86 View Figures 83–91 ); flagellum sclerotized, tubular, short to long. Tegmen with dorsal lobes subequal and diverging from each other ( Fig. 9 View Figs 7–13 ). Sternite 8 with subtriangular and subtransverse plates joined through a membrane slightly pubescent at apex. Spiculum gastrale variable and curved at apex ( Fig. 10 View Figs 7–13 ). Abdominal tergite 8 uniform in all species. Female: Abdominal tergite 8 rectangular or trapezoidal, transverse, base wider than apex, with sides parallel or round starting at base or basal 1/3; apex truncated or round, with uniform to irregular crenulations ( Fig. 27 View Figures 21–29 ), with or without median notch ( Fig. 40 View Figures 40–42 ); covered with short and long setae on apex and dorsum, variable in number. Abdominal sternite 8: ventral spicule straight, with or without enlarged base; shorter than or as long as apical lobes; external margin straight, curved, or sinuous, apex covered with dense to sparse, short to elongate setae ( Fig. 28 View Figures 21–29 ). Coxites oval, large, with sclerotization and surface uniform and glabrous. Styles cylindrical, distinct, apex covered with short and elongate, sparse to dense setae ( Fig. 29 View Figures 21–29 ). Bursa copulatrix membranous, without sclerites, generally longer than the vagina. Spermatheca curved; ramus either more developed than or subequal to collum. Spermatecal gland membranous, larger than spermatheca; spermathecal duct thin, as long as bursa copulatrix, inserted below the common oviduct at the of base bursa copulatrix ( Fig. 29 View Figures 21–29 ).

Sexual dimorphism: Females with long and narrow rostrum, sometimes with apical portion curved (rostrum shorter, thicker, and straight in males); punctation of rostrum shallow and sparser (deep and denser in males); antennae inserted medially on the rostrum (inserted apically in males); foretibiae with premucro and mucro equally developed (premucro obsolete in males).

Geographic distribution. Central America ( Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama), North America ( Mexico, and Cuba), South America ( Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, Argentina).

Key for identification to the species of Bondarius Rosado-Neto, 2006

1. Femora unarmed............................................................ 2

1’. Femora (or at least hind femora) toothed ( Figs 60, 61 View Figures 60–68 ) .......................................................................................... 5

2. Pronotum with anastomosing punctures, forming transversal wrinkles ( Fig. 3 View Figures 1–6 ) ............................................ ................................................. B. subrufus ( Fiedler, 1936)

2’. Pronotum without anastomosing punctures, not forming transversal wrinkles ........................................ 3

3. Pronotum without anastomosing punctures with a smooth, median longitudinal line ( Fig. 16 View Figures 14–20 )................... ..................................... B. tuberculatus (Boheman, 1836) View in CoL

3’. Pronotum without a smooth a median longitudinal line ................................................................................... 4

4. Rostrum 1.6 times longer than its basal width; scrobes not separated ventrally by a strong basal tubercle; mesoventral process between coxae, wide and truncated.............. B. nitidus ( Champion, 1902) ( Figs 30–32 View Figures 30–39 )

4’. Rostrum 1.9 times longer than its basal width; scrobes separated ventrally by a strong basal tubercle ( Fig. 57 View Figures 53–59 ); mesoventral process between coxae tuberculiform .... ............................ B. breyeri ( Brèthes, 1910) ( Figs 43–45 View Figures 43–52 )

5. Elytra with maculae ( Fig. 55 View Figures 53–59 ) ........................................ 6

5’. Elytra without maculae ( Fig. 71 View Figures 69–75 ) .................................. 7

6. Dark, ring-shaped maculae with deep punctation medially on elytra elytra....................................................... ................ B. sublaevicollis ( Hustache, 1939) ( Fig. 53–55 View Figures 53–59 )

6’. Dark maculae with shallow punctation in longitudinal stripes.......................................................................... ............... B. fuscoaeneus . (Boheman, 1843) ( Figs 69–71 View Figures 69–75 )

7. Rostrum 2.0 times longer than its basal width ............. ........ Bondarius spinipes ( Champion, 1902) ( Figs 83, 84 View Figures 83–91 )

7’. Rostrum 3.5 times longer than its basal width ............. ........ Bondarius pectoralis ( Suffrian, 1872) ( Figs 92, 93 View Figures 92–101 ).