Campylocentrus nigris Funkhouser, 1930

Campylocentrus nigris Funkhouser View in CoL

Campylocentrus nigris Funkhouser, 1930: 410 View in CoL .

Description.

Adults: length of male 8.4 mm; of female, 9.1 mm. Fifth instar length 7.8 mm. Overall body. Chalazae sparse, almost absent on thorax and abdomen. Head. Without enlarged chalazae adjacent to central margin of eye. Prothorax. Suprahumeral horn buds present high on pronotum (Fig. 5 View Figures 5–7 ). Mesothorax. Forewing pad surface chalazae sparse with short, weakly paleate, needle-like setae; no lateral row of enlarged chalazae extending onto meso- or metathorax from abdomen. Legs. Chalazae of tibia on anterior and posterior lateral margins, absent or very few on dorsal surface (Fig. 5 View Figures 5–7 ); prothoracic tibia lateral margin extended; metathoracic first tarsomere longer than pro- and mesothoracic first tarsomeres, but less than half the length of metathoracic second tarsomere. Abdominal terga III – VIII. Lateral rows of enlarged chalazae not manifested; dorsal structures absent from all terga (Figs 5 View Figures 5–7 , 7 View Figures 5–7 ). Abdominal segment IX. Distal half in cross-section strongly vertically depressed; fused portion with strong lamellae laterally.

Previously reported records.

• Costa Rica. without mentioning a specific province, canton, or district. W. D. Funkhouser. Type, 1 ♂; paratype, 1 ♀ (Funkhouser Collection) from University of Kentucky .

Examined material.

New records, (Fig. 1 View Figure 1 ). Campylocentrus nigris . • Costa Rica. Alajuela, Poás, Sabana Redonda, La Altura . 1480 m. Peraza, A. 31-VII-2024. (3 adults) 2 ♂; 1 ♀; 1 nymph ( MIUCR) ; Puntarenas, Santa Elena, Monteverde . 1440 m. S. McKamey. 18-IV-1984. (10 adults) 6 ♂; 4 ♀; 1 nymph ( USNM) . Host at both locations: Sicyos edulis Jacq. ( Cucurbitaceae ). Panama (new country record) Darien Prov., 10 km S El Real, Rio Pirre . 7–18-VI-1984. S. McKamey (24 adults) 10 ♂, 14 ♀, 1 nymph ( USNM) . Note: The single observation of the species in iNaturalist, from Ecuador, is probably a misidentification.

Biological notes.

Host plants associated with this genus. Campylocentrus curvidens has been collected on Glycine spp. ( Fabaceae ); C. hamifer is associated with Coffea arabica L. ( Rubiaceae ), Petiveria alliacea L. ( Petiveriaceae ), Gonolobus edulis Hemsl. ( Apocynaceae ), Spondias mombin L. ( Anacardiaceae ), Sicyos edulis Jacq. ( Cucurbitaceae ), Iochroma arborescens (L.) J. M. H. Shaw ( Solanaceae ) and plants from the family Anacardiaceae ; C. nigris has been recorded on plants from the family Asteraceae , and C. pusillus on Chromolaena corymbosa (Aubl.) R. M. King & H. Rob. ( Asteraceae ), Ipomoea purga (Wender.) Hayne , Ipomoea tiliacea (Willd.) Choisy ( Convolvulaceae ), Medicago sativa L. ( Fabaceae ), Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché , Cucurbita pepo L. ( Cucurbitaceae ), Passiflora ligularis Juss. ( Passifloraceae ) and Zea mays L. ( Poaceae ) ( Ballou 1935, 1936, 1937; Godoy et al. 2006). Campylocentrus nigris (as Campylocentrus sp. ) has been recorded from Sicyos sp. (as Sechium sp. ) ( Godoy et al. 2006, Figs 8–10 View Figures 8–10 ).

Behavior.

In escape response to a stalking predator of Neotropical true hoppers ( Hemiptera suborder Auchenorrhyncha ) Galatowitsch and Mumme (2004) reported that the defense of Campylocentrus is structural, and its jumping response when approached by its predator was the most sensitive true hopper studied, with an average jump distance of 21.4 cm when approached by its predator.

In Costa Rica it is common to call “ chayotera ” the established cultivation of “ chayote ” or a plant spread in yard or vacant lots the specimens observed here fed on that (Figs 8–10 View Figures 8–10 ). The eggs are deposited and embedded in the stems, later the females cover the openings made with secretions, making a kind of suture (Figs 12 View Figures 11–16 , 13 View Figures 11–16 ). The nymphs observed were in groups; however, the last instars tended to separate and locate themselves in the nodes of the Cucurbitaceae stems. In addition, the resting position of the tibiae enhances their crypsis; the prothoracic tibia resting against the anterior margin of the pronotal postocular lobe (pol), the mesothoracic tibia resting against the truncate posterior margin of the pol, and the metathoracic tibia fitting into the emarginate notch of the wingpad. The result is that there is no space between the ventral contour of the nymph and the plant surface. The abdominal lamellae further obfuscate the insect’s outline. The crypsis they achieve by positioning themselves in this way is notable, it practically seems like just another knot (Fig. 15 View Figures 11–16 ). It was also observed that the last instars seek to position themselves under the stems or tendrils for the emergence of the adult (Fig. 16 View Figures 11–16 ). The nymphs were sometimes attended by ants (Fig. 14 View Figures 11–16 ) ( Formicidae - Myrmicinae). Adults were active in the morning hours from 7: 00 a. m. to 11: 00 a. m. and in the afternoon from 12: 00 p. m. to 2: 00 p. m., showing short but very fast flights. Adults most commonly were located on the stems and, rarely, on the undersides of leaves. During this period, both courtship and copulation occur (Fig. 11 View Figures 11–16 ).