Estola freyi Breuning, 1955

(Figs 12–15)

Estola freyi Breuning, 1955: 660; 1963: 509 (cat.); 1974: 101; Monné, 1994: 45 (cat.); Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 218 (checklist); Monné, 2005: 397 (cat.); Monné & Hovore, 2006: 245 (checklist); Monné, 2022: 667 (cat.).

Breuning (1955) described Estola freyi based on two specimens from Trinidad and Tobago as follows (translated): “Antennae slightly longer than the body, antennomere III shorter than the scape or antennomere V, much shorter than the antennomere IV. Lower eye lobes 4 times as long as the genae. Head and pronotum very dense and very finely punctate. Pronotal lateral spine very small, conically pointed. Elytra rounded apically, very dense and finely punctate. Red, reddish-brown tomentose, the elytra marbled on posterior half with light yellow. The two apical thirds of the antennomeres IV and VIII, antennomeres V, VI, VII, IX and XI, except at the base, and antennomere segment X, except on basal part, dark brown. Length: 4 mm. Width: 1 1/ 4 mm. Type from Trinidad, XII.1953, G. and Helga Frey leg. – 1 paratype same data as holotype.” Later, Breuning (1974) redescribed the species (translated): “Close to hirsuta DeG., but the antennomere III much shorter than the IV, the lower eye lobes 4 times longer than the genae, the head and pronotum very densely and very finely punctate, the lateral spine of the pronotum very small, the elytra very densely punctate and different general appearance. Red, covered with reddish-brown pubescence. The elytra vaguely mottled on the posterior half with pale yellow. The two apical thirds of the antennomeres IV and VIII, the antennomeres V, VI, VII, IX and XI, except at the extreme base, and the antennomere X, except at the base, dark brown. Length: 4 mm. Width: 1.25 mm.”

It is very difficult to recognize the species only with the description and redescription, without seeing a photograph of the holotype or paratype, especially because the general appearance is very similar to other species of the genus, as for example, Estola ignobilis Bates, 1872 (see photograph of a syntype on Bezark 2022). Furthermore, seeing photographs of the paratype, the general color and color of the pubescence do not agree well with those in the descriptions. Even the key provided by Breuning (1974) does not help because many features used in the couplets are questionable or even subjective. For example, E. ignobilis and E. freyi were separated in the alternative of couplet “51” (translated): “Elytra densely dotted with very small, fairly distinct whitish spots,” leading to E. ignobili s / “Elytra without such spots,” leading to E. freyi. The feature used is not easy to be recognized and, often, is variable intraspecifically.

Fortunately, Estola freyi differs from E. ignobilis, and also from nearly all species of the genus, by the large size of the eyes. It can be easily recognized by the large upper eye lobes (Fig. 15), which are also moderately near each other (it is not a sexual feature in the genus). In E. ignobilis (Fig. 16), the upper eye lobes are narrower and distant from each other. Estola freyi is illustrated for the first time here.