Sulcogracilia, Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2022

Bezark, Larry G. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2022, A new genus and new species of Neotropical Cerambycinae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 5194 (4), pp. 585-594 : 586

Sulcogracilia gen. nov.

Type species: Sulcogracilia mexicana sp. nov., here designated.

Etymology. Sulcogracilia is a combination of “ sulco ” (from Latin “sulcus”), referring to the sulcate basal antennal segments and “ gracilia ” (Latin “gracilis,” meaning slender) referring to Gracilia Audinet-Serville, 1834 , the type genus of the tribe. Feminine gender.

Description. Male. Medium-sized; body slightly convex, slender. Head elongated behind eyes. Maxillary palpi almost as long as ventral distance between lower eye lobes. Antennae 11-segmented, longer than body, but shorter than twice body length; scape about as long as antennomere III; distal antennomeres not widened apically; antennomeres III–VI longitudinally sulcate dorsally; antennomere IV slightly longer than III. Lower eye lobes reaching inferior margin of head. Prothorax distinctly longer than wide; as wide anteriorly as posterior region of head; widened from middle, without lateral tubercles; procoxal cavities distinctly open laterally and posteriorly; prosternal process triangular-shaped; mesoventral process narrowed toward apex, without apical projections toward sides. Elytra longer than three times prothoracic length, almost entirely covering abdomen; with long, erect setae throughout. Protrochanters coplanar with profemora; metafemora not reaching apex of elytra.

Remarks. Sulcogracilia gen. nov. is similar to Caribbomerus Vitali, 2003 , but differs as follows: antennomeres III–VI longitudinally sulcate dorsally; maxillary palpi longer ( Fig. 5 ), about as long as ventral distance between lower eye lobes; antennomere III slightly shorter than IV; and elytra with distinct erect setae ( Fig. 6 ). In Caribbomerus , the antennomeres are not longitudinally sulcate dorsally, maxillary palpi proportionally short, shorter than ventral distance between lower eye lobes ( Figs 7–8 ), antennomere III is more distinctly shorter than IV, and the elytra have no erect setae ( Fig. 9 ). It differs from Hypexilis Horn, 1885 (see photographs on Bezark 2022a), by the same features of Caribbomerus , and by the protrochanter coplanar with the profemora (almost vertical in relation to the profemora in Hypexilis ). The new genus differs from Perigracilia Linsley, 1942 (see photographs on Bezark 2022a) by the antennae 11-segmented (12-segmented in Perigracilia ). It can be separated from Lianema Fall, 1907 (see photographs on Bezark 2022a) by the same features of Caribbomerus .

The features reported by Lianema by Fall (1907) do not allow separating this genus from Perigracilia . As antennomere XI is almost as long as VII–X together, it is possible that in fact the antennae are 12-segmented and, in this case, Perigracilia would be a junior synonym of Lianema . The type species of both genera are from Mexico (Baja California Sur).

Figures

FIGURES 1–9. 1–6) Sulcogracilia mexicana sp. nov., holotype male: 1) Dorsal habitus; 2) Ventral habitus; 3) Lateral habitus; 4) Head, frontal view; 5) Head, frontal view, palpi; 6) Elytral setae. 7) Caribbomerus elongatus (Fisher, 1932), male, head, ventral view, palpi. 8–9) Caribbomerus jaliscanus Heffern, Santos-Silva & Nascimento, 2021, holotype male: 8) head, ventral view, palpi; 9) Elytral setae.