Melittochlamys Monros 1948

Melittochlamys Monrós

(Figs. 1 I; 2 H; 3 H; 4 H; 5 H)

Melittochlamys Monrós, 1948: 192; Type species: Chlamys speculum Klug, 1824, by original designation; Fiebrig, 1910: 253 (larval description); Monrós, 1949: 617 (description of new species and generic concept broadened); Monrós, 1951: 451 (key and description of new species); Monrós, 1952: 666 (generic overview); Seeno and Wilcox, 1982: 43 (catalog).

Diagnosis. Length 3.60-5.20 mm, width 2.60-4.00 mm. General body shape subglobular. Antenna serrate beyond 3 rd antennomere, 3 rd antennomere only slightly dilated distally. Pronotum without median elevation, relatively smooth and continuous with rest of body, without well developed median longitudinal sulci. Pronotal base opposite mesoscutellum (posterior pronotal lobe) with or without notch. Prosternum not acutely narrowing posteriorly, prosternal process broad and parallel-sided. Anterior margin of metasternum broadly concave. Mesoscutellum quadrate. Metascutellum not exposed. Sutural serration of elytra completely absent or weakly developed. If sutural elytral serration present, well developed beyond middle of suture towards the apex. Elytral tubercules not well developed, frequently with velvety, discrete spots and microsculpture different from rest of body surface. Tibiae slightly curved, convex dorsally, with sharp edge dorsomedially. Fore- and midtibial apices without spine. Tarsal claw appendiculate.

Distribution. Central and South America (Monrós 1952).

Remarks. Some species of Chlamisus (e.g., Chlamisus achalay Monrós, 1952 and Chlamisus perforatus Monrós, 1952) also have velvety spots on the elytra while others have a broad prosternal process. Monrós (1949) broadened his own definition of the genus to include species that lack velvety spots on the elytra, have a broad, parallelsided prosternal process, and a globous, oval body shape with the pronotum dorsally smooth and continuous with rest of body. Melittochlamys can be separated from all other chlamisine genera by the nearly rectangular prosternal process; the process is more or less triangular in other chlamisines.

The genus consists of 13 species from the Neotropical Region. These include the first seven species Lacordaire (1848) listed in his division I under Chlamisus Rafinesque, one species described by Jacoby (1889), and four species described by Monrós (1948, 1949, 1951), most recently Bokermann (1964) described a species from Pará, Brazil.

Material examined .

Melittochlamys lamprosomoides (Lacordaire):

1) a. Santarem. Brazil. F. Knab/ b. collection F Knab/ c. Chlamys lampro-

somoides Lac./ d. Melittochlamys lamprosomoides (Lac.) F. Monrós det. 1949.

Melittochlamys nicki Monrós:

1) a. [Brazil] Jabaquara, San Paolo-Capital, Dr. Nick 14.12.43/ b. Paratipo/

c. Dibujado/ d. F. Monrós Collection, 1959/ e. Melittochlamys nicki mihi F.

Monrós det. 1949.

Melittochlamys specula (Klug):

1) a. Loreto Misiones, Rep. Argentina, Dr. A. Ogloblin/ b. Dibujado/ c. F. Mon-

rós Collection, 1959/ d. Melittochlamys specula (Klug) F. Monrós det. 1948.