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Taxon Pages
Cephaloleia vagelineata Pic, 1926
Nomenclature
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Subfamily: CassidinaeGenus: Cephaloleia
Media
SUMMARY
EGG
The eggs are deposited individually in the internal surface of the base of the young rachis of the host palm. The eggs are yellow, flattened, ellipsoid and about 2 mm long (Sandino, 1972).
LARVA
The larvae are whitish, flattened, and ellipsoid. with the last instar nearly 6 mm long.Larvae are found in the young rachis of the host palm. The recently hatched larva feeds on the interior surface of the basal part of the young rachis of the palm. This damage has the appearance of superficial scrapings in the form of longitudinally lengthened spots. These spots are initially light (or clear) in color and darken with time. The adult beetles seek out the youngest leaves of the host palm, rasping the surface of the leaflets. This class of damage, which commonly is in the form of longitudinal bands or lines, can cause a yellowing and drying of the foliage, which can be afterwards be invaded by fungi (Sandino 1972).
PUPA
Pupae are found in the internal basal part of the rachises. The pupa is similar in form and size to the larva and is distinguished by being thicker and having a cream color, which changes to black, in its central part, as it matures (Sandino 1972).
ADULT
Narrow; elongate; depressed; shining; black; pronotum margined in red; elytra with broad Y-shaped yellow stripe on disc and lateral margins red. Head: depressed between eyes; densely punctate; medial sulcus present. Antenna: slender; reach to humerus; antennomeres 1-2 thicker than other; 2 longer than 3; 3 2x length of 2; 4-10 decreasing in length; 11 2x length of 10, acutely pointed at apex; 1-2 punctate; 3-11 setose. Pronotum: lateral margin straight and divergent for basal ¾ then rounded; anterior angle rounded, not produced; posterior angle acute; slightly convex; densely coarsely punctate laterally, disc finely punctate; basal impression absent. Scutellum: pentagonal; punctate. Elytron: lateral margin smooth, narrowly margined; exterior apical angle more broadly margined; truncate at apex; humerus rounded, not produced; strongly punctate-striate; interspace 5 elevated from humerus, decreasing to middle. Total length: 5.0 mm.
ADULT ECOLOGY
The adults are found in the youngest leaves of the palm and which are beginning to open. There they stay hidden among the leaflets. It is very rare to encounter the insect in old leaves or those that have already opened completely; possibly this is owing to their preference for humidity and protection from the effects of the sun, which are present on the leaves which they barely are beginning to separate their leaflet. The mechanical damage caused by the adults of C. vagelineata although apparently insignificant, is important when the insects are present in abundance, in those cases, the affected areas can coalesce resulting in the withering of much of the foliage (Sandino 1972).