Paramelitta, Clarke, 2014

Clarke, Robin O. S., 2014, Bolivian Rhinotragini VIII: new genera and species related to Pseudophygopoda Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2007 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) 54 (24), pp. 341-362 : 354-356

Paramelitta gen. nov.

Figs. 6-7

Type species: Charis aglaia Newman, 1840 , here designated.

Etymology: the generic name is to remind us that this genus is different from, Para, the genus Epimelitta , in which its type species was originally placed. The genus is female.

Diagnosis: separation of this genus from Panamapoda , Paraphygopoda and Pseudophygopoda is set down un- der the descriptions of these genera.

One other character which will separate males of Paramelitta from males of the other genera is the wide mesofemoral claves (when viewed laterally), femur 2.7 times longer than width of clave (in all other genera femur 3.3-3.9 longer than width of clave).

Paramelitta is readily separated from Phygomelitta by the following characters: in Paramelitta metati- bia with dense brush (in Phygomelitta furnished with rather dense hairs, but falls short of being a true brush); in Paramelitta antennomere III 1.3-1.6 longer than scape (in Phygomelitta 1.1 longer than scape); in Paramelitta male prothorax widest just before middle (in Phygomelitta widest well before middle); in Paramelitta side of elytron strongly curved outwards (in Phygomelitta weakly curved outwards); in Paramelitta width of mesocoxal cavity about three times width of mesosternal process (in Phygomelitta less than twice width of mesosternal process); in Paramelitta male metafemoral clave 2.3 longer than peduncle (in Phygomelitta 2.8 longer than peduncle).

Description of the genus: total length 11.5-16.7 mm. Forebody (f) shorter than abdomen (a), f/a 0.76-0.89 (in P. aglaia ), or longer than abdomen (in P. wappesi ).

Head: rostrum rather short, width/length 2.80 (in male P. aglaia ), or rather long, width/length 2.13-2.36 (in P. wappesi , and in female P. aglaia ). Maxillary palps rather short, and galea moderately long (in P. aglaia ), both short (in P. wappesi ). Inferior lobes of eyes far from contiguous in males, width of one lobe/interocular distance 2.67-2.70; well separated in female, width of one lobe/interocular distance 0.93. Superior lobes of eyes lobate, laterally rather weakly narrowed (in males), or fusiform, and laterally narrowed by about one third their mesal width (in female); in males separated by 3.14 times the width of one lobe, in female separated by 3.78 times width of one lobe. Apex of antennae in males reaching from base of urosternite I to base of II; in female very short, only reaching metacoxae. Length of scape 0.6-0.7 mm; antennomere III 1.25-1.58 longer than scape; XI with moderately narrow apical cone (in P. aglaia ) or with short, broad cone (in P. wappesi ).

Prothorax in male quadrate (length/width 1.00-1.05), in female transverse (length/width 0.90); with rather rounded sides (in P. aglaia ), or slightly rounded sides (in P. wappesi ); in male widest before middle (prothoracic quotient 2.20-2.22), in female well before middle (prothoracic quotient 2.56); in female callus at midline very narrow, and almost complete (but before reaching level of basal constriction disintegrating and spreading into small patch of shining punctures), in male not as narrow and less complete (at middle, weakly raised, impunctate, somewhat widened). Prosternum weakly declivous across middle (in P. aglaia ), or flat (in P. wappesi ). Prosternal process almost flat (in P. aglaia ), or strongly arced (in P. wappesi ); 15-17 times narrower than width of procoxal cavity.

Elytra 2.0 longer than width of humeri, just reaching base of urosternite II (in P. aglaia ), or 1.7 longer than width of humeri, just reaching apex of urosternite I (in P. wappesi ); dehiscent (in P. aglaia ) or subfissate (in P. wappesi ), for about half their length (in female), for about two-thirds their length (in males); laterally strongly arced and divergent apically (in P. aglaia ), or less so (in P. wappesi ). Apical quarter of each elytron lobed, the latter with weakly rounded sides (in males), parallel sides (in female), and somewhat rounded at apical margin; each elytron with well-defined, broad translucent panel commencing well behind humeri.

Widths of mesocoxal cavity/base of process 2.8-3.0 (in males), 1.8 (in female). Lengths of mesosternum/metasternum 0.79-0.82 (in males), 0.70 (in female). Metathorax rounded from base to middle of metasternum; metasternum uniformly tumid, and disc slightly less prominent than mesocoxae in female.

Abdomen in male distinctly vespiform (in P. aglaia ), weakly so (in P. wappesi ); in female rather narrow, slightly less convex than in other genera; widest at urostenite IV (in male), widest at middle of III (in female). Urosternite I somewhat conical (more so in female); II-IV rectangular and transverse (in female, and male P. wappesi ), or subquadrate (in male P. aglaia ). In males urosternite V not strongly differentiated (in P. aglaia ), or very characteristic and somewhat irregularly trapezoidal (in P. wappesi , fig. 7C); apical margin with V-shaped excision, and surface of segment with weak V-shaped flattening (in P. aglaia ), or V-shaped incision robust-looking, occupying most of segments’ surface, and deeply excised (in P. wappesi ). In female urosternite V elongate; very characteristic, with soleate-like, oval depression occupying apical half of segment; and apical margin moderately emarginate. Abdominal process moderately inclined (30°) to abdomen (in female, and male P. wappesi ), or strongly inclined (70°) to abdomen (in male P. aglaia ).

Legs: ratio lengths front/middle/hind leg 1.0:1.3-1.4:2.5-2.8. Front and middle legs: body length/length of legs 2.5-3.0 and 2.0-2.2 respectively. Front leg: tibia shorter than femur (in males), or only slightly shorter (in female); slender, narrow at base, widened and parallel-sided for apical two-thirds. Middle leg: femur moderately long, especially in males, about 1.3 longer than length of tibia; femoral clave very broad in males (when viewed from side), length of femur/lateral width of clave 2.7, distinctly less broad in female, length of femur/lateral width of clave 3.8; tibia moderately robust, and gradually widened to apex. Hind leg: rather robust (in male P. aglaia ), distinctly less so (in male P. wappesi and female P. aglaia ); in both sexes body length/length of leg 1.0-1.2; metafemora subcylindrical, apex reaching middle of urosternite IV to apex of abdomen; clave long; peduncle moderately robust, weakly flattened, and variable in length (length clave/peduncle about 2.15-2.34). Metatibiae equal in length to metafemora (in males), slightly shorter (in female), robust and gradually widening to apex (in male P. aglaia ), or narrow at base, widened and parallel-sided for apical two-thirds (in P. wappesi ), or somewhat narrower at base and at apex (in female); apical two-thirds of tibia with brush. Metatarsus distinctly narrower than apex of metatibia (more so in P. wappesi ); metatarsomere I almost clylindrical, II pedicular and trapezoidal, III moderately long, the lobes hardly rounded at sides, and weakly divergent; in males tarsomere I 1.06 longer than II + III, in female 1.11 longer.

Genitalia ( Fig. 14 ): in P. aglaia with distinct differences compared to those of other genera, but still conforming to the general pattern. The tegmen with widely separated, very narrow, and strongly curved lateral lobes (with abrupt, large cordate apices). Length of lateral lobe 1.4 mm.

As the holotype is the only specimen of P. wappesi extraction of the gentalia is better left until further specimens become available with which to do so. The apices of the lateral lobes are just visible, and appear to be most like those of P. viridimicans , rather than those of P. aglaia .

Surface ornamentation: on dorsad rather glabrous (in P. wappesi ), or rather pubescent (in P. aglaia ); on pronotum somewhat uniformly clothed with long, somewhat recumbent, rufous hairs (in P. aglaia ); or pronotal pubescence less uniform (in P. wappesi ), as follows: restricted to apical constriction (with wide band of dense, untidy, recumbent, grey hairs) and disc and sides (with sparser more erect pubescence). Underside of head glabrous; sterna generally pubescent (with much denser and thicker, mostly rufous, hairs in P. aglaia ) as follows: prosternum and most of mesosternum with some scattered long hairs, or hairs denser and thicker (in P. aglaia ); on mesepimeron and metasternum almost entirely clothed with recumbent, glistening, white hairs, or both white and rufous hairs (in P. aglaia ); margins of metasternum, and all of metepisternum clothed with moderately dense, long, suberect, ashy or rufous coloured hairs. Abdomen almost uniformly clothed with moderately dense, short (longer in female P. aglaia ), recumbent, white hairs; these becoming longer and dense on apico-lateral margins of each segment. Scape almost glabrous; pedicel and antennomeres III and IV with moderately long black setae ventrally (at least at apex). Legs generally with rather sparse, semi-erect, rather short, white hairs (in P. wappesi ), or generally covered with rather dense, rufous hairs (in P. aglaia ), the hairs hardly longer on metafemora; lateral margins of protibia and mesal margins of mesotibia with dense long setae (in P. wappesi ); metatibia with wide, long-haired, sepia coloured brush; metatarsus moderately glabrous, and lacking eye-catching pubescence (in P. wappesi ), with few, but notable setae on each segment (in P. aglaia ).

Puncturation on dorsad generally dense on vertex of head, pronotum, and parts of elytra (at sides, and narrow band adjacent to base); the punctures alveolate to subalveolate (and generally more rugose in P. aglaia ), small to moderately small (mixed with large ones on parts of pronotum, and beveled ones on parts of elytra); and disc of elytra separated from front margin by characteristic band of vitrified punctures (in P. wappesi ). Underside puncturation generally alveo- late; with sparse (in P. wappesi ), dense (in P. aglaia ), large punctures on mentum-submentum; on rest of underside smaller, dense, and lying in matrix of micropunctures, as follows: on prosternum and middle of mesosternum (somewhat rugose in P. wappesi ), on metasternum (very dense, the punctures smaller towards base, larger and deeper towards apex, where surface becomes scabrous with many small tubercles), on metepisternum dense and rugose (in P. aglaia ), moderately dense, and mixed with simple punctures (in P. wappesi ). On abdomen punctures a dense mix (very dense in P. aglaia ) of very small to small, simple punctures, somewhat beveled and shallow away from sides.

Species included in this genus are Paramelitta aglaia ( Newman, 1840) comb. nov., and Paramelitta wappesi sp. nov.

Comment: whether or not these two species should be placed in the same genus is open to question; they share many characters which suggest they should be, but, undeniably, others suggest they should not (see the diagnosis under P. wappesi ).

Figures

FIGURES 6‑7: 6, Paramelitta aglaia (Newman, 1840): A, male; B, female; C, female ventral aspect. 7, Paramelitta wappesi sp. nov.: A, male holotype; B, male ventral aspect; C, male urosternites 3-5.

FIGURES 8‑14: 8, Phygomelitta triangularis (Fuchs, 1961): A, male; B, male ventral aspect; C, female. 9, Paraphygopoda longipennis (Zajciw, 1963) male holotype. Figs. 10-14: Genitalia, tegmen of the aedaegus (dorsal aspect): 10, Pseudophygopoda subvestita (White, 1855). 11, Paraphygopoda albitarsis (Klug, 1825). 12, Phygomelitta triangularis (Fuchs, 1961). 13, Paraphygopoda viridimicans (Fisher, 1952). 14, Paramelitta aglaia (Newman, 1840).