Pseudomecas mourai, Ferreira & Ferreira & Bravo, 2023

Ferreira, Gabriel Dos Santos, Ferreira, André Da Silva & Bravo, Freddy, 2023, Annotated checklist of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea) from the Brazilian semi-arid region, with new species and new geographic records, Zootaxa 5235 (1), pp. 1-81 : 19-22

Pseudomecas mourai sp. nov.

( Fig. 8A–F )

Diagnosis. Femora, tibiae, and tarsi yellowish brown; coxae and trochanters reddish brown. Scape and pedicel black ( Fig. 8D ), antennomeres III–XI yellowish brown. Yellowish pubescence covering all integument, except antennae with white pubescence. Elytral suture with dense pubescence.

Description. Holotype female. Integument mostly dark brown; scape and pedicel black; antennomeres III–XI, labial and maxillary palpi, femora, tibiae, and tarsomeres yellowish brown; labrum, coxae, and trochanters reddish; clypeus bicolorous (posterior half dark brown and anterior half yellow) ( Fig. 8F ); mandible bicolorous (half reddish and half black). Yellowish pubescence covering all integument, except ventral region of head, two glabrous areas behind upper eye lobes, and antennae with white pubescence; antennae and legs with sparse and short pubescence; antennae with black setae on ventral region. Dense elytral pubescence not obscuring punctures; elytral suture with pubescence denser than remaining surface.

Maxillary palpus longer than labial palpus. Frons about as wide as twice diameter of the scape ( Fig. 8F ). Upper eye lobes well separated, distance between them more than 2x width of one upper lobe ( Fig. 8D ); upper eye lobe with five rows of ommatidia dorsally, four toward lower eye lobe. Antenna reaching elytral apex at antennomere IX ( Fig. 8A–B ).

Prothorax longer than wide, parallel-sided. Elytral apex with spine ( Fig. 8A ). Metafemur longer than pro- and mesofemur; apex of metafemur reaching basal margin of ventrite 2. Metatarsomere I longer than II–III combined. Tarsal claws with outer claw longer than inner claw. Ventrite 5 elongate; apical margin rounded.

Variation. In some paratypes, the clypeus is entirely dark brown; glabrous area on vertex with variable size; distance between upper eye lobes vary between 1.5–2x the width of one upper lobe; antennomeres III–XI vary in color: antennomeres III–VI yellowish brown and VII–XI dark brown.

Measurements, in mm. Holotype male. Total length: 12.7; prothorax length: 1.5; width prothorax: 1.2; elytral length: 9.3; humeral width: 1.9. Paratypes. Total length: 11.2–12.3; prothorax length: 1.2–1.5; width prothorax: 0.9- 1.4; elytral length: 7.7–8.7; humeral width: 1.7–1.8.

Etymology. The specific name is in honor to the colleague Daniel Moura Lima (Laboratório de Sistemática de Insetos, Departamento de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana), who collected the holotype, for his immense contribution in the collection of the material used in this study.

Type material. Holotype female, BRAZIL: “ BAHIA: Ipecaetá , Cavungê, Rancho Alto da Boa Vista; 12º14′55″ S, 39º20′17″ W, 189m, 06-15-29.IX.2018, Malaise trap Lima, D.M. leg.” ( MZFS) ( Fig. 8G ) . Paratypes: 2 females, “with the same location as the holotype” ( MZFS) ; 1 male, BRAZIL: “ BAHIA: Ipecaetá , Cavungê, Rancho Alto da Boa Vista; 12º14′55″ S, 39º20′17″ W, 189m, 29.ix-13.X. 2018, Malaise trap, Moura, G.K. & Lima, D.M. leg.” ( MZFS) .

Remarks. Pseudomecas mourai sp. nov. is morphologically similar to P. pallidicornis Aurivillius, 1923 . However, Pseudomecas mourai sp. nov. has the femora yellowish brown; elytral suture with pubescence denser than remaining surface; and frons about as wide as twice diameter of the scape. In P. pallidicornis , the femora are black and the elytra have uniform pubescence. According to Monné & Galileo (1998), P. pallidicornis presents narrow frons. Furthermore, P. mourai sp. nov. is recorded only for the type-locality, in municipality of Ipecaetá, Bahia, Brazil, while P. pallidicornis is recorded from Puerto Colombia (Atlántico), coastal region of Colombia.

Keys to species of Pseudomecas Aurivillius, 1920

(modified and translated from Martins & Galileo (1998))

1. Elytral suture and epipleura with pubescence denser than remaining surface; inner margin of basal antennomeres with long setae, length equal to 3x diameter of antennomeres. BRAZIL (Goiás and Distrito Federal)......................................................................................... Pseudomecas suturalis Martins & Galileo, 1985

- Elytra with uniform pubescence, rarely the elytral suture with pubescence denser than remaining surface; inner margin of basal antennomeres with short setae, maximum length equal to 2x diameter of antennomeres............................. 2

2(1’). Femora black. COLOMBIA......................................... Pseudomecas pallidicornis Aurivillius, 1923

- Femora reddish, reddish orange or yellowish brown, or pro- and mesofemora reddish and metafemora black............ 3

3(2’) Femora orangish red, reddish or yellowish brown........................................................... 4

- Pro- and mesofemora reddish and metafemora black......................................................... 6

4(3) Scape and pedicel black, antennomeres III–XI yellowish brown or antennomeres III–VI yellowish brown and VII–XI dark brown; tarsi yellowish brown. BRAZIL (Bahia)...................................... Pseudomecas mourai sp. nov.

- Antennae and tarsi unicolorous.......................................................................... 5

5(4’). Antennae and tarsi black; elytral pubescence compact, obscuring the integument; elytral apical spine short or absent. BRAZIL (Maranh„o, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe, and Bahia), BOLIVIA, PARAGUAY, and ARGENTINA.......................................................................... Pseudomecas femoralis Aurivillius, 1920

- Antennae and tarsi reddish; elytral pubescence sparse, not obscuring punctures; elytral apical spine well developed. BRAZIL (Minas Gerais)............................................. Pseudomecas elegantissima Martins & Galileo, 1998

6(3’). Antennomeres III–IV reddish, with black apex; tibiae reddish. BRAZIL (Maranh„o, Ceará, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Alagoas, Sergipe and Bahia)....................................................... Pseudomecas pickeli (Melzer, 1930)

- Antennae and tibiae black. BRAZIL (Bahia and Minas Gerais)......... Pseudomecas nigricornis Martins & Galileo, 1998

Figures

FIGURE 8. A–F, Pseudomecas mourai sp. nov., holotype female: A–C, Dorsal, lateral, and ventral views; D, Head and pronotum, dorsal view; E, Head, ventral view; F, Head, frontal view; G, Labels.