Pteridotelus laticornis White, 1855

Santos-Silva, Antonio & Nascimento, Francisco E. De L., 2018, Synonymies, transferences, redescriptions and new species in Lamiinae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 4462 (2), pp. 192-210 : 195-198

Pteridotelus laticornis White, 1855

( Figs 6–14 )

Pteridotelus laticornis White, 1855: 356 ; Thomson, 1861: 382; 1864: 20; Rojas, 1866: 245; Lacordaire, 1872: 752; Gemminger, 1873: 3145 (cat.); Aurivillius, 1923: 383 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1946: 610 (checklist); Beebe, 1951: 261; Gilmour, 1965: 611 (cat.); Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 237 (checklist); Monné, 1994b: 53 (cat.); 2005: 215 (cat.); Monné & Hovore, 2006: 211 (checklist); Monné, 2018: 297 (cat.); Bezark, 2018: 242 (checklist).

Acanthoderes (Pteridotelus) hematopus Lameere, 1884: 109 ; Cools, 1993: 94 (type). Syn. nov.

Pteridotelus hematopus ; Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 237 (checklist); Monné, 1994b: 53 (cat.); 2005: 215 (cat.); Monné & Hovore, 2006: 211 (checklist); Monné, 2018: 297 (cat.); Bezark, 2018: 242 (checklist).

Pteridotelus haematopus ; Aurivillius, 1923: 383 (cat.); Blackwelder, 1946: 610 (checklist).

Redescription. Female ( Figs 6–10 ). Integument mostly black; anteclypeus yellowish brown; posterior area of scape, pedicel, about anterior half of antennomeres III–VI dark reddish brown, and remaining surface dark brown; antennomeres VII–X with dark reddish-brown narrow anterior ring, and remaining surface dark brown; antennomere XI dark brown; posterior area of elytra dark reddish brown; anterior and central area of tibiae dark reddish brown.

Head. Frons minutely, abundantly punctate; with yellowish-white pubescence (more whitish depending on angle of light source) nearly obscuring integument, interspersed with some long, erect dark setae (longer close to eyes). Vertex minutely, moderately sparsely punctate; with yellowish-white pubescence obscuring integument close to eyes, less so toward center, interspersed with yellowish-brown pubescence. Area behind eyes with light yellowish-brown pubescence obscuring integument except glabrous area close to prothorax behind lower eye lobes; with long, erect, sparse dark setae close to eye. Genae with light yellowish-brown pubescence nearly obscuring integument. Antennal tubercles minutely, abundantly punctate except smooth distal area; with yellowish-white (more whitish depending on angle of light source) pubescence nearly obscuring integument basally, glabrous on apex. Median groove distinct from clypeus to area between upper eye lobes. Postclypeus with bristly yellowish-white (more whitish depending on angle of light source) pubescence on wide central area, glabrous laterally; with long, erect, sparse dark setae directed forward. Labrum with pubescence and setae as of postclypeus. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous close to prothorax, depressed, with yellowish-white pubescence toward mentum. Lower eye lobes 0.6 times genal length; distance between upper eye lobes 0.72 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.97 times length of scape. Antennae slightly longer than elytra, almost reaching posterior quarter of elytra; scape gradually widened toward apex, especially from basal third, with yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument, with long, erect, sparse golden setae ventrally; pedicel and anterior area of antennomeres III–XI with yellowish-white pubescence (more whitish depending on angle of light source), covering about anterior half on antennomeres III–VI, forming narrow anterior ring on remaining antennomeres; antennomeres VII–X distinctly widened toward apex; antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape = 0.97; pedicel = 0.25; IV = 0.77; V = 0.52; VI = 0.73; VII = 0.28; VIII = 0.27; IX = 0.22; X = 0.21; XI = 0.18.

Thorax. Prothorax 1.75 times wider than long (including lateral tubercles); lateral tubercle placed at middle, conical, large. Pronotum with large, elevated tubercle with blunt apex at each side, from about middle to anterior third; with moderately wide longitudinal gibbosity centrally, from near anterior area to near posterior area, narrowed along middle length; with transverse row of coarse punctures anteriorly and posteriorly, nearly absent centrally, and coarsely, sparsely punctate on remaining surface except on smooth tubercles and central gibbosity; with yellowish-white (more yellowish-brown on some areas) pubescence obscuring integument laterally, slightly sparser centrally except glabrous central gibbosity and top of tubercles; with a few long, erect, dark setae on sides of posterior half. Sides of prothorax with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument except transverse yellowish-brown pubescent band close to prosternum. Prosternum with yellowish-brown pubescence laterally, gradually grayish-white, sparser toward center. Prosternal process about as wide as a procoxal cavity. Ventral sides of meso- and metathorax with dense yellow pubescence laterally, sparser, grayish-white toward center. Distal area of mesoventral process wider than a mesocoxal cavity. Scutellum with longitudinal grayish-white pubescent band centrally, shorter, sparser, yellowish-brown laterally. Elytra. With distinct carina from anterior area between humerus and scutellum to outer apex, wider, more elevated, slightly granulated at anterior fifth; coarsely, sparsely punctate (punctures nearly absent on distal half); humerus granulated; apex slightly concave, with outer and sutural angles somewhat projected; pubescence dense, mostly grayish-white except: yellow pubescent band near suture on anterior quarter, starting near apex of scutellum; irregular, transverse pubescent band after middle, not reaching inclined side; with subcircular spot with dark-brown pubescence on anterior third, between carina and inclined side, partially surrounded with yellow pubescence; two irregular spots with dark-brown pubescence close to transverse yellow pubescent band, partially fused (not fuse in syntype figured in the original description), and partially surrounded with yellow pubescence; some small, subcircular spots with dark-brown pubescence between carina and suture, partially surrounded with yellow pubescence; with nearly triangular macula with dark-brown pubescence on inclined area, one before, another after middle (the latter partially surrounded with yellowish-brown pubescence; irregular macula with dark-brown pubescence near apex of inclined area, partially surrounded with yellowish-brown pubescence. Legs. Femora with grayish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument, distinctly bristly on ventral side of peduncle, especially on meso- and metafemora. Tibiae with grayish-white pubescence except two wide rings with shorter, sparse brownish pubescence, one at anterior half, another near apex. Tarsomeres I and V mostly with grayish-white pubescence; remaining tarsomeres with dark-brown pubescence interspersed with grayish-white pubescence.

Abdomen. Sides of ventrites with dense yellow pubescence, grayish-white, sparser toward center, especially sparser on V; ventrite V longitudinally sulcate on center of basal 2/3; apex of ventrite V truncate.

Dimensions (mm), 1 female. Total length, 10.90; prothoracic length, 2.10; posterior prothoracic width, 3.00; anterior prothoracic width, 2.55; widest prothoracic width, 3.65; humeral width, 4.85; elytral length, 7.50.

Material examined. VENEZUELA, Distrito Federal : Bajo Seco (1900 m), 29.V.1988, C. J. Rosales col. ( MZSP) .

Remarks. White (1855) described Pteridotelus for his new species P. laticornis from Venezuela. Pteridotelus laticornis was described based on at least two specimens, but the sex of the specimens was not indicated. The figure in White (1855) appears to be a female. The original description did not comment on the yellowish pubescence, which is evident dorsally and ventrally in the specimen examined, and also in a syntype ( Fig. 14 ). The general pubescence in one of the syntypes ( Fig. 14 ) is mostly yellowish-brown interspersed with whitish pubescence. According to White (1855): “Elytra delicately varied with grey and white, and with a few black dots; on each are six larger black spots, three of them on the margin, the other three surrounded with brown hairs.”

Lameere (1884) described Acanthoderes (Pteridotelus) hematopus based on a single male also from Venezuela, and did not compare it with any species of the genus. Examining photographs of the holotype ( Figs 11– 13 ) and reading the original description, it is possible to see that it is a male of P. laticornis . Although the general pubescence is heavily damaged in the holotype, we can see that it is the same as in P. laticornis , especially the position of the dark pubescent spots. Accordingly, we consider P. hematopus as a junior synonym of P. laticornis .

Rojas (1866) was the only worker who commented on P. laticornis after the original description (translated): “Cold climates; it flies during the day around recently felled trees. He has the same habits as the previous ones [ Acrocinus longimanus (Linnaeus, 1758) ; Tapeina erectifrons Thomson, 1857 ; Steirastoma depressa (Fabricius, 1781) = Steirastoma breve (Sulzer, 1776) ; Acanthocinus pupillatus Chevrolat [unknown species]; Acanthoderes nigricans Lameere, 1884 = Psapharochrus nigricans ] and lives in the same places in May, June and July.”

Figures

FIGURES 6–14. Pteridotelus laticornis White, 1855. 6–10, female: 6, Dorsal habitus; 7, Ventral habitus; 8, Lateral habitus; 9, Head, frontal view; 10, Head and pronotum, dorsal habitus. 11–13, Holotype male of P. hematopus (Lameere, 1884): 11, Dorsal habitus; 12, Lateral habitus; 13, Labels. 14, Dorsal habitus, syntype of P. laticornis.