Chelobasis perplexa

Oblong-elongate; yellowish or reddish; pronotal and elytral markings extremely variable. Head: medial sulcus  faint; frontal horn broad, scarcely narrows to apex, truncate or slightly rounded; vertex concave between eyes,  smooth; medial sulcus absent. Antennae: antennomere 1 robust, thickened, with projection on inner apical  margin, flattened ventrally, projection reaches to near apex of 2; 2 cylindrical, short, 1/4 length of 3; 3  cylindrical, longest, longer than 1 and 2 combined; 4–5 subequal in length, combined subequal in length to 3;  6–7 subequal in length, each shorter than 4; 8–10 decreasing in length, wider and shorter than preceding; 11  rounded at apex; 1–10 with scattered setae, 11 setose. Pronotum: transverse; lateral margin straight, nearly  parallel, converging at apex; anterior angle angulate; posterior angle acute; convex; disc impunctate; shallow  depression on each side; sides deeply, sparsely punctate; pronotal length 2.0–2.4 mm (n=20); pronotal width  3.0–3.4 mm. Scutellum: smooth. Elytron: convex; lateral margin straight until exterior apical angle, then  rounded; apical margin produced posteriorly to form short triangular reflexed process; suture angularly  notched; suture without tooth; with 10 puncture rows plus short scutellar row of slightly impressed punctures;  elytral length 7.6–11.1 mm; elytral width 4.4–5.3 mm. Venter: black. Total length: 10.0–13.7 mm.  Larva. (from Maulik 1932). Total length 12–19 mm. Width 6.5–9.0 mm. Very similar to Ch. bicolor. Finely  rugose dorsally, surface slightly shining.

Larval host plants. Heliconia imbricata and Calathea insignis Peterson. Adults collected  from Heliconia lathispatha; Heliconia pogonantha Cuford, Heliconia  irrasa, Heliconia mariae Hook.

Comparative notes. This species can be distinguished by the angulate elytral apices, by antennomere 3 being longer than 1 and 2 combined, and by antennomere 2 being cylindrical.

Distribution. Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panama.