Stenopseustes lingafelteri, 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

Stenopseustes lingafelteri sp. nov.

Fig. 8A

Holotype male: 10.5 mm. Deposited at MNKM.

Diagnosis: Stenopseustes lingafelteri is similar in appearance to Stenopseustes sericinus Bates, 1880 ; both species sharing semivitreous elytra, and pronotum not narrowed anteriorly); in Stenopseustes aeger Bates, 1873 and Stenopseustes gibbicollis Fisher, 1947 elytra opaque, and pronotum narrowed anteriorly.

Stenopseustes lingafelteri (from Bolivia) is readily separated from S. sericinus (from Mexico) by the following: in S. lingafelteri apex of elytra somewhat lobed (in S. sericinus not at all lobed).

In addition, S. lingafelteri has a number of other characters somewhat unusual for the Rhinotragini (i.e., not seen by the author in many other species, and rarely referred to by other authors), among which: very small labrum and inclined clypeus (both shared by S. aeger and maybe others of the genus); base of antennomere III with inconspicuous keel mesally (not detectable in one example); hind angles of pronotum rounded (shared by S. aeger and maybe others of the genus); centre of mesosternum convex, planar with its process, the latter short, wide and blunt at apex (shared by S. aeger and maybe others of the genus); inner side of humeri declivous; shape of abdomen characteristic, narrowing from base to apex of III, then widening to apex of V (but regularly cylindrical in S. aeger ).

Description of holotype: General colour translucent fulvous; submentum, prosternum, centre of mesosternum (including its process), abdomen, and base of antennae, pale chestnut; mouthparts and legs (including coxae) entirely testaceous; tip of mandible black; elytra transparent (not vitreous), less so towards sides, and apices translucent, creamy yellow (the dusky wings make the elytra appear darker).

General pubescence: Semi-recumbent, short and white; dense on entire prothorax, sides of mesothorax (including epimeron), scutellum, metathorax and sides of abdomen; less dense on head (inconspicuous), submentum, centre and basal urosternite of abdomen, and base of elytra (concentrated on basal third adjacent to suture); sparse, longer, yellowier, more erect hairs scattered on apical two-thirds (denser on lobes) of elytra and most of abdomen. Antennomeres II-VI densely setose below, VII and VIII less so. Legs without specialised pubescence; but pro- and mesotibiae, and apex of metatibiae with denser, recumbent, yellow pubescence mesally; metatibiae increasingly setose from base to apex.

Surface ornamentation: Inconspicuous, fine to microscopic, and very dense on prothorax; surfaces usually micro-carinate where punctures less dense. Vertex with very small, contiguous, raised punctures. Scape with one or two rows of larger isolated punctures; pedicel, antennomeres II + IV, and base of V smooth with sparse punctures; VI-XI densely micro-punctate.

Structure: Head with eyes (1.70 mm) narrower than width of prothorax; rostrum 2.4 wider (1.30) mm than long (0.55 mm); labrum small (0.35 mm wide, 0.20 mm long); clypeus wide (0.75 mm), distinctly inclined from declivous apical margin of frons. Eyes small, inferior lobes convex laterally, about as long as wide (0.50 mm), separated by 1.5 their own width, their proximal margin lying on frons, distal margins transverse; superior lobes with 7-8 rows of fine ommatidia, narrow (0.15 mm), separated by about 4.3 their own width. Antennal tubercles slightly wider apart than width of scape (0.40 mm), apices prominent posteriorly. Antennae moderately long, reaching apical third of urosternite II; scape pyriform (with shallow longitudinal depression), pedicel subpyriform (apex oblique), III-VII filiform (base of pedicel and antennomere III weakly keeled mesally, and III thickened at apex), VIII-X slightly and regularly thickened and not serrate ( IX slightly curved), XI longer (0.65 mm) and narrower than X, without apical cone. Scape (0.85 mm), pedicel (0.40 mm), antennomere III (1.15 mm), IV (0.60 mm), V (0.90 mm), VI (0.85 mm), VII (0.90 mm), VIII + IX (0.65 mm), X (0.55 mm). Prothorax: slightly elongate (2.00 mm), widest (1.85 mm) near apex (width of apex 1.80 mm); sides almost subparallel to middle, rounded and contracted to base (1.40 mm wide); apical constriction weak, basal constriction narrow, hind angles absent (and well separated from base of elytra). Pronotum strongly convex, obtusely prominent at midline, extreme base obliquely declivous; front margin narrowly bordered, raised above vertex of head (which, itself, may be strongly convex, but is not visible); hind margin with prominent, narrow border. Prosternum slightly depressed across apical third, rising to middle of prosternal process, the latter upturned for apical half, with narrow subparallel base (depressed at midline), and lacking apical dilation, leaving procoxal cavities widely (0.60 mm) open behind; sides of latter open, with V-shaped notch. Mesosternum not declivous, the surface convex, inclined downwards from its base to apex of mesosternal process, and separated from sides of mesosternum by distinct suture; mesosternal process with convex base, but lacking apical dilation; base moderately broad (0.30 mm); mesocoxal cavities ovate-elongate (0.50 mm wide), oblique, and widely open to mesepimeron; the latter very narrow (about 0.10 mm), almost parallel-sided, and just touching mesal angle at base of metasternum. Scutellum small, rounded, slightly depressed towards midline. Elytra almost flat, depressed to inside of humeri, and apical sixth tumid; elongate, reaching apex of urosternite IV, 3.6 longer than width of humeri; humeri moderately prominent (finely and dense punctured on summit), narrowed by abrupt declivity internally, projecting, outer angle somewhat rounded. Elytra almost regularly, and rather weakly narrowed from humeri to middle (hardly hiding sides of metepisterna), almost parallel-sided to apex; apex slightly turned outwards, laving the obliquely rounded tips separated, and suture slightly gaping; epipleur steeply inclined for basal third, flattened to apex, where its border unites with that of suture; humero-apical costa absent. Metathorax: not large, and only slightly wider (1.00 mm) than prothorax. Metasternum convex, more so behind, and apical margin oblique towards sides. Metepisternum not wide, widest at base, moderately narrowing to apex. Abdomen: apiform, widest at base of urosternite I and base of V (both 1.30 mm wide), narrowing from base to apex of III (1.00 mm wide); I quadrate, II-IV transverse, IV shorter than II + III; sides of segments not rounded, those of II + III converging to apex; V shortest segment, trapezoidal, with flat, horseshoe-shaped area occupying midline, the latter delimited by slightly raised sides laterally, the apices of which project beyond apical margin, leaving the latter broadly V-shaped. Apical tergite short and trapezoidal, not overlapping apex of urosternite V.

Legs: Slender; ratio of length front to hind leg 1.0:1.5:2.6; all legs strongly pedunculate-clavate (profemoral clave and all peduncles flattened latero-mesally, and claves abrupt). Front leg short (2.00 mm); peduncle one third length of clave; tibia as long as femur, curved, and apex obliquely excised laterally. Middle leg moderately long (6.10 mm); peduncle curved, as long as clave; tibia straight, slightly thickened at apex. Hind leg (10.30 mm) almost as long as body; peduncle 1.5 longer than clave, clave slightly more slender than others; tibia bisinuate, as long as femur, gradually doubling in width to apex. Protarsus (1.00 mm) and mesotarsi (1.50 mm) rather short; metatarsus moderately long (1.90 mm), metatarsomere I (0.90 mm) 1.5 longer than II + III.

Genitalia: Have not been extracted, but tegmen examined in situ appear to be similar to that of Laedorcari fulvicollis (Lacordaire, 1868) , as figured by Santos-Silva et al. (2011).

Measurements (mm): 3 males: total length 10.50-14.50; length of pronotum 2.00-2.75; width of pronotum 1.85-2.45; length of elytra 7.10-9.50; width at humeri 2.00-2.65.

Type material: Holotype male, BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, Prov. Ichilo, Hotel Flora & Fauna, 5 km SSE of Buena Vista , 17°29’96”S/ 63°39’13”W, 430 m, 21.XI.2003, Nearns, Morris & Wappes col. ( MNKM).

Paratypes: Prov. Florida, above Achira, road to Floripondio, 1900 m, 1 male, 10.XII.2011, Bonaso , Morris & Wappes col. ( ACMT); above Achira , Bicoquin area , road to Amboró , 18°07’S / 63°48’W, 2000 m, 1 male, 19.XII.2011, N. Woodley col. ( USNM) .

Comments: This new species shares a number of characters found in the genera Xenocrasis Bates, 1873 , Laedorcari Santos-Silva, Clarke & Martins, 2011 and Stenopseustes Bates, 1873 ; these are: antennae rather short and subfiliform; frons often carinate; sides of pronotum may be dilated anteriorly; pronotum usually tumid along midline and densely pubescent and micropunctate; elytra pubescent, may gape (but not dehiscent), and apex often weakly lobed; apex of prosternal process narrow (but not in Laedorcari ), leaving procoxal cavities open; sides of urosternite V elevated and projecting posteriorly.

However, as diagnosed by Santos-Silva et al. (2011) this new species cannot be placed in Laedorcari (since the elytra are opaque and glabrous); in this new species semi-vitreous and pubescent; nor in Xenocrasis (since the inferior lobes of eyes in males are subcontiguous), in males of this new species widely separated.

It would seem that Stenopseustes lingafelteri sp. nov. is best placed in Stenopseustes .

Etymology: This species is dedicated to Steven W. Lingafelter ( NMNH) in recognition of his work on the Elaphidiini .

Figures

FIGURES 7‑12: 7, Ecliptoides pseudovicinus sp. nov.: A = male holotype, B = female paratype. 8, Stenopseustes lingafelteri sp. nov.: A = male holotype. 9, Tomopterchasia sullivanorum sp. nov.: A = male holotype. 10, Tomopterchasia cuneiformis (Fisher, 1952) comb. nov., A = female. 11, Tegmen of aedeagus: A = Ephippiotragus wappesi sp. nov., B = Ephippiotragus thomasi sp. nov., C = Amborotragus vestigiepimeron sp. nov. 12, Tegmen of aedeagus: A = Isthmiade mariahelenae sp. nov., B = Isthmiade ichneumoniformis Bates, 1870.