Ephippiotragus, Clarke, 2013

Clarke, Robin O. S., 2013, Bolivian Rhinotragini Vii: Provisional Report Of Higher Altitude Species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) With Descriptions Of New Taxa, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 53 (28), pp. 373-406 : 373-406

publication ID	https://doi.org/ 10.1590/S0031-10492013002800001
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/03B5879C-780C-D62D-E2A0-FD4EFCA0FE16
treatment provided by	Felipe
scientific name	Ephippiotragus
status	gen. nov.

Treatment

Ephippiotragus View in CoL gen. nov.

Figs. 4A, 5A View FIGURES 4‑6

Type species: Ephippiotragus wappesi sp. nov., here designated.

Diagnosis: The main diagnostic characters for the new genus Ephippiotragus are as follows: pronotum with large, glabrous, saddle-shaped area demarcated by dense pubescence; procoxal cavities open; eyes far from contiguous in both sexes; antennae entirely filiform in males, preapical segments wider (but not serrate) and yellowish in colour in females; elytra moderately long, subulate, lobed, and entirely punctate and pubescent (and lacking transparent panels); metepisternum almost rectangular; legs lacking specialised pubescence (i.e., simply setose); apex of protibia truncate; tegmen characteristic; puncturation non alveolate.

The open procoxal cavities eliminate Ephippiotragus from most of the larger genera ( Acyphoderes Audinet-Serville, 1833 , Odontocera Audinet-Serville, 1833 , Ischasia Thomson, 1864 , Isthmiade Thomson, 1864 , Ommata White, 1855 (except 2-3 species) and its previous subgenera, and related genera of Phespia Bates, 1873 , Phygopoda Thomson, 1864 (but see Neophygopoda Melzer, 1933 ), Rhinotragus Germar, 1824 and Tomopterus Audinet-Serville, 1833 .

Martins & Santos-Silva (2010) list 16 Rhinotragini genera with open coxal cavities; all small genera, except for Epimelitta Bates, 1870 (with short cuneate elytra); which cannot receive Ephippiotragus (with its longer, subulate, lobed elytra).

For the reasons given in parenthesis Ephippiotragus can be eliminated for inclusion in the fifteen remaining genera: Acorethra Bates, 1873 and Neophygopoda (elytra short and cuneate); Pseudophygopoda Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2007 (elytra short, cuneate, with short, narrow extension); Apostropha Bates, 1873 (long cuneate elytra); Catorthontus Waterhouse, 1880 (elytra short and fissate); Corallancyla Tippmann, 1960 , Cylindrommata Tippmann, 1960 , Mimommata Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003 , Oxylymma Pascoe, 1859 , Stenochariergus Giesbert & Hovore, 1989 , Stenopseustes Bates, 1873 , Sulcommata Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003 (all with elytra entire, not subulate); Thouvenotiana Peñaherrera-Leiva & Tavakilian, 2003 (pronotum with broad crest at midline, elytra short, abdomen much longer than forebody); Xenocrasis Bates, 1873 and Xenocrasoides Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2003 (elytra with well demarcated transparent panels, inferior lobes of eyes contiguous in males, and/or with metatibial brush).

And, one last genus, Laedorcari Santos-Silva, Clarke & Martins, 2011 , split off from Xenocrasis , would not be suitable for placement of Ephippiotragus as inferior lobes of eyes in males are contiguous, and elytra entire.

Although eliminated from all genera which share open procoxal cavities with it, Ephippiotragus is not an isolated genus with unique characters when compared to those with closed procoxal cavities. It shares a common habitus with both, Ecliptophanes Melzer, 1934 (without the abrupt, wide antennal club shared by the species of this genus), and the Ommata -like genera, with which it shares some specific characters (somewhat generalised here): antennae filiform, long, in females widening to apex (but not at all serrate), with antennomeres (7)8 and 9 whitish; rostrum short; prothorax subcylindrical, longer than wide; elytra narrowed towards apex, not covering apical abdominal segments, punctate and pubescent, rounded at apex, and narrowly lobed (as in some species of Ommata - like genera); abdomen cylindrical to weakly fusiform; abdominal process not strongly inclined; legs long, hind legs much longer than others; pedunculate-clavate (claves fusiform and not abrupt); apex of protibia hardly widened, truncate (outer margin not toothed, nor obliquely excised); metatarsomeres rather narrow, I longer than II + III.

Among the Ommata -like genera, Ephippiotragus probably comes closest to Acatinga Santos-Silva, Martins & Clarke, 2010 , with which it shares simply setose metatibiae, slightly shorter antennae; and moderately lobed elytra (in some species of Acatinga ).

Description of genus: Moderately sexually dimorphic; small (6.80-10.80 mm); body subcylindrical, narrow in male, broader in female; forebody 1.0-1.2 length of abdomen; elytra moderately short and lobed; antennae moderately long; legs long. Body almost entirely pubescent (but pronotum with characteristic glabrous, saddle-shaped area); and closely punctured (the punctures non-alveolate); elytra punctate, pubescent, and semi-translucent (but lacking vitreous panels). Head with eyes narrower than pronotum; rostrum short (3.5-5.3 wider than long); frontal suture evanescent in both sexes. Mentum-submentum completely lacking carinas, submentum separated from neck by transverse declivity. Mandibles acute at apex (blunter in female). Palps short, apical palpomeres subcylindrical, obliquely truncate at apex (sides and apex more rounded in female). Eyes finely faceted, relatively small; inferior lobes somewhat obliquely placed in male (less so in female), in both sexes well separated (the distance between them 0.7-1.0 width of one inferior lobe); distal margin just lying on frons in male (just on gena in female), proximal margins moderately oblique; superior lobes somewhat unusual, considerably wider and curved mesally. Antennal tubercles not prominent; apices rounded, and separat- ed by twice width of antennal scape. Antennae long, passing apex of elytra, in males just reaching base of urosternite IV (in females longer or shorter than in male); not serrate; pedicel and antennomeres III-VI finely setose (but scape completely lacking setae); entirely filiform in male, more robust towards apex in female; but antennal formula almost the same in both sexes: scape subpyriform, distinctly shorter than antennomere III; III distinctly the longest; IV shorter than V, equal to XI (except in female E. thomasi ); V and VII equal to subequal in length, shorter than VI; VI the second longest; VIII and IX equal in length (as long as or shorter than V and VII); X is the shortest (but as long as XI in female E. thomasi ); XI ending with small acuminate cone. Prothorax subcylindrical (or urn-shaped in female E. wappesi ); elongate (about 1.1-1.5 longer than wide); sides almost regularly and weakly rounded (but see female E. wappesi ), widest at, or behind, middle. Pronotum strongly (in female E. wappesi ) to moderately convex, basal two-thirds occupied by characteristic, glabrous, saddle-shaped area; surface uneven, with paired calli to either side of weakly raised midline. Prosternum with apical third moderately, to abruptly, declivous with basal two-thirds; the latter inclined to base of prosternal process; prosternal process arched (more so towards apex), base rather long and laminate; apex almost vertical (but see female E. thomasi ), small, hidden by pubescence, but seems to be narrowly trapezoidal and declivous at midline (viewed from directly below looks bilobed); and without raised sides. Procoxal cavities closed at sides and moderately open behind.

Mesosternum (partially hidden by pubescence): in male mesosternal declivity weak, slightly inclined to its process (rendering the underside flat-looking, somewhat like the Rhopalophorini ); base of mesosternal process relatively wide (ca. 0.23 mm, half width of coxal cavity); apex wider and bilobed (the lobes divergent and separated by deep, V-shaped excavation); mesocoxal cavity rather widely open to mesepimeron; the latter narrow and slightly widening mesally. Scutellum probably scutiform (but dense pubescence hides details). Elytra subulate, moderately short (2.8-3.1 longer than width of humeri), reaching urosternite II or III); rather narrow (only slightly wider than prothorax), contracted from humeri (hiding sides of mesosternum, but leaving much of metepisternum visible); surface uneven: basal third convex (but bisected by longitudinal depression), apical two thirds flat (except lobes which are tumid at midline); hardly dehiscent (suture straight to lobes, but lobes diverging); lacking humero-apical costa; humeri square (prominent, but not projecting). Elytron regularly narrowed to apical lobes; the lobes hardly wider, and parallel-sided, separated from rest of elytra by slight transverse declivity, with apices weakly acuminate, or rounded-truncate. Metasternum convex, more so anteriorly, but not tumid (mesocoxae distinctly more prominent); sides weakly rounded, hind margin weakly oblique; longitudinal suture well defined, reaching basal third of sternum; wider and deeper posteriorly; metepisternum rectangular, narrow, base hardly wider than pre-apex, apex only modestly acuminate. Male abdomen apiform (convex, moderately narrow and subcylindrical); urosternites incrementally shorter to apex; broadest at urosternite I or II, tapering to apex; sides of individual urosternites straight and more or less parallel-sided. Female abdomen weakly fusiform; somewhat wider and more robust than in male; urosternites transverse, II and III slightly wider than rest, sides of individual urosternites straight or rounded. Male urosternite V trapezoidal, moderately narrower to apex, apical half tumid to either side of midline, with silvery pubescence on apical margin (the pubescence longer at centre, giving the impression margin is tridentate). Female urosternite V hardly down-turned; subtrapezoidal, the surface undifferentiated, apical margin rounded. Male abdominal process moderately inclined to abdomen (ca. 20°); base triangular with narrow, acuminate apex deeply inserted between metacoxae. Female abdominal process shorter, wider, and blunter at apex, the latter not intimately inserted between metacoxae.

Apical tergite in male trapezoidal, in female subconical, apex truncate in males, more rounded in females; surpassing apex of urosternite V in both sexes. Legs long and slender; ratio of front leg to hind leg 1.0:1.5-1.7:2.2-2.5. Length of body/length of hind leg 1.0-1.3. Pedunculate-clavate; claves fusiform (when viewed from above) and subacuminate at apex; pro- and mesofemoral claves wide (when viewed from the side) and strongly flattened laterally; metafemoral clave subcylindrical. Meso- and metafemoral peduncles narrow and flattened; those of metafemora about as long as claves. Tibiae usually slightly short- er than femora, straight; protibia narrow, widening gradually to apex, apex truncate (not toothed, nor excised laterally). Metatibia nearly as long, or longer, than metafemora; cylindrical for basal two-thirds, discretely flattened for apical third; almost regularly, and moderately densely setose. Metatarsus rather slender; tarsomeres elongate and not wider than apices of tibia (including III, as lobes narrow and hardly divergent); rather sparsely setose, the setae fine; metatarsomere I cylindrical, longer than II + III, II cylindrical, III small and deeply bilobed; onychium long and slender.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 11A, 11B View FIGURES 7‑12 ): tegmen characteristic, weakly sclerotised, rather small. Lateral lobes hardly divergent; short (ca. 0.50 mm), but broad (ca. 0.20 mm); slightly widening to rounded apex; apex finely setose, sides glabrous. Basal piece long and Y-shaped, the sclerites widely separated at base, converging at middle and contiguous to apex (typically, the basal piece is V-shaped, the sclerites coming together near apex). Median lobe weakly sclerotised; rather small; weakly arced; in lateral aspect narrow and acuminate; in dorsal aspect moderately broad, narrowing towards apex, apex with small acuminate tip.

Surface ornamentation: body (including abdomen) almost entirely pubescent (the primary pubescence short, white and recumbent), and closely punctured (the punctures non alveolate), or micropunctate.

Glabrous areas are: apical third of prosternum, and saddle on pronotum; and subglabrous areas: mentum-submentum and elytra both with pubescence uniformly distributed, but short and rather indistinct (except on apical third of elytra, adjacent to suture, the hairs whitish, glistening, subrecumbent; and denser). Primary pubescence clothing the following: pubescence surrounding pronotal saddle; basal half of prosternum; all of mesosterna and metasternum; sides of metepisternum; and completely covering abdomen in males (in females limited to latero-basal area on each urosternite).

Species included: Ephippiotragus wappesi sp. nov. and Ephippiotragus thomasi sp. nov.

Etymology: Referring to the saddle-shaped area on the pronotum; combination of ephippium (Latin for “saddle”) and tragus from (Rhino)tragini; gender masculine.