Oncideres olanchana, Heffern & Nearns & Santos-Silva, 2025

Heffern, Daniel, Nearns, Eugenio H. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2025, Description of two new species and new geographical records from the Neotropical region (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 5728 (1), pp. 173-186 : 177-180

Oncideres olanchana sp. nov.

( Figs 9–12 )

Description. Male holotype. Integument mostly dark brown; ventral mouthparts mostly brown, with apex of palpomeres light brown; anteclypeus and labrum light brown.

Head. Frons densely, finely punctate, except smooth area close to median groove; with longitudinal carina close to upper eye lobes, reaching postclypeus; sides with dense yellowish-brown pubescence close to longitudinal carina; remaining surface with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, except glabrous area close to median groove. Vertex with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence slightly darker than on frons between upper eye lobes, except mostly glabrous central area between antennal tubercles. Area between antennal tubercles and lower eye lobes with short, erect dark-brown setae. Antennal tubercles abundantly, finely punctate, punctures finer than on frons; with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except sparse pubescence on wide central region. Area behind eyes with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, except glabrous area close to prothorax behind lower eye lobe. Genae 0.35 times length of lower eye lobe in frontal view; somewhat rugose-punctate, except smooth apex; frontally with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, except glabrous apex, laterally with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not partially obscuring integument, except glabrous subtriangular area close eye. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, except sparse yellowish-brown pubescence on intermaxillary process. Wide central area of postclypeus with dense yellowish-brown pubescence laterally, darker and slightly sparser close to anteclypeus, glabrous centrally, except somewhat abundant yellowish-brown pubescence close to frons; with long, erect dark yellowish-brown setae interspersed laterally close to anteclypeus. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum with sparse, decumbent yellowish-brown setae, dense fringe of yellowish-brown setae on anterior margin, and thick, erect dark-brown setae laterally about middle. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.30 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.54 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 2.2 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at basal third of antennomere VII. Scape, pedicel, and antennomere III with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence slightly sparser dorsally on scape; antennomeres IV–V with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument on basal 2/3 and abundant dark yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument on apical third, except apex with yellowish pubescence; antennomeres VI–XI with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument on basal half and abundant dark yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument on apical half, except yellowish pubescence on apex; antennomere XI with abundant, both yellowish and brownish pubescence not obscuring integument; pedicel and antennomeres III–IX with a few long, erect dark-brown setae interspersed ventrally; scape lacking apical projection. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.03; pedicel = 0.14; IV = 0.88; V = 0.83; VI = 0.83; VII = 0.75; VIII = 0.75; IX = 0.73; X = 0.73; XI = 0.90.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; sides slightly widened and rounded from anterior constriction to lateral tubercles, subparallel-sided toward posterolateral angles; lateral tubercle small, conical, located just after middle. Pronotum with five smooth, glabrous gibbosities about middle, outermost ones slightly elevated; with transverse sulcus on posterior quarter, not reaching sides, and another reaching sides, located near posterior margin; sparsely, finely punctate, except smooth areas close to anterior and posterior margins; with dense orangish-brown pubescence laterally between anterior constriction and posterior quarter, and centrally surrounding anterior region of gibbosities; area close to anterior margin glabrous; central area behind gibbosities with moderately abundant orangish pubescence not obscuring integument, except yellowish-white pubescence close to central gibbosity; remaining anterior third and posterior quarter with abundant, both orangish and yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence more abundant laterally and partially absent centrally on posterior quarter; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae near lateral tubercles of prothorax. Sides of prothorax with dense orangish-brown pubescence on posterior 2/3, except glabrous lateral tubercle, and abundant, both orangish and yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on anterior third. Prosternum and prosternal process with abundant orangishyellow pubescence not obscuring integument; narrowest area of prosternal process 0.25 times procoxal width. Mesoventrite with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument anteriorly, pubescence slightly denser on center of this area, almost glabrous laterally. Mesanepisterna with a few bristly, both whitish and dark setae close to mesoventrite, and dense orangish-brown pubescence close to elytron; mesepimera with dense orangish-brown pubescence. Mesoventral process with abundant, both orangish and yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; narrowest area 0.42 times mesocoxal width. Metanepisterna abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument. Metaventrite with dense pale-yellow pubescence laterally and abundant, both orangish and yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface. Scutellum with sparse orangish pubescence on anterior half and sides, glabrous on remaining surface. Elytra. Parallel-sided on anterior 2/3, gradually narrowed toward apex on posterior third; humeri tumid, smooth, glabrous; anterior third with abundant, somewhat large, elevated, glabrous tubercles with rounded apex; central third with abundant, very slightly elevated, glabrous tubercles; apical third with abundant, glabrous circular spots; remaining surface with dense orangish-brown pubescence, except whitish pubescence surrounding tubercles and glabrous spots, and mostly brownish pubescence close to suture. Legs. Coxae with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument; procoxae not uncate. Trochanters with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, except dense, bristly pubescence ventrally. Femora with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, denser on some areas, sparser on others. Tibiae with moderately abundant, both yellowish and dark yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except dense, bristly dark yellowish-brown pubescence ventrally, especially on apical third, and dorsal sulcus on mesotibiae with dense, short, erect, both pale-yellow and yellowish-brown setae; with a few long, dark setae, erect and more abundant on protibiae. Tarsomeres with moderately abundant, both brown and yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; metatarsomere I slightly longer than II.

Abdomen. Ventrites 1–4 with abundant, both yellowish-brown and pale-yellow pubescence not obscuring integument, pale-yellow pubescence more abundant centrally; ventrite 5 mostly with abundant pale-yellow pubescence partially obscuring integument, with long yellowish-brown setae directed backward on apical third; apex of ventrite 5 slightly concave.

Dimensions in mm (male holotype /male paratype). Total length, 9.70/10.35; prothoracic length, 1.65/1.85; anterior prothoracic width, 2.20/2.30; posterior prothoracic width, 2.10/2.30; maximum prothoracic width, 2.40/2.55; humeral width, 3.20/3.50; elytral length, 6.75/7.20.

Type material. Male holotype from HONDURAS, Olancho: E. Dulce, “nombre de Culmi,” Finca las Brisas , 15.2947°N 85.3172°W, VIII.16–17.2022, E. van den Berghe leg. ( TAMU, formerly DHCO). Male paratype, same data as holotype ( DHCO) .

Etymology. Named for the department of Olancho in Honduras, where the holotype was collected.

Remarks. Oncideres olanchana sp. nov. is similar to O. aliciae Nearns & Tavakilian, 2015 , but differs as follows: metanepisterna with dense pale-yellow pubescence; and general pubescence orangish-brown. In O. aliciae , the metanepisterna do not have dense pale-yellow pubescence contrasting to that of the remaining general pubescence color, and the general pubescence is ferrugineus. Further comparison between these two species is not possible, as the new species is known only from males and the latter from a single female. Even so, the color of the pubescence on the metanepisterna clearly distinguishes them. As this feature does not vary in any other species of the genus, it is reasonable to assume that no variation occurs in O. aliciae either. This new species is also very similar to O. manauara Martins & Galileo, 1995 ( Figs 13–14 ), and it is almost impossible to separate them, except for the antennae distinctly shorter in males of O. olanchana , while they are much longer in males of O. manauara . This demonstrates the fragility of identifications based on photographs, especially when only one sex of the species involved is known.

It differs from O. alicei Lane, 1977 , O. bondari Melzer, 1923 , O. cumdisci Noguera, 1993 , O. modesta Dillon & Dillon, 1946 , and O. poecila Bates, 1880 , but differs from all especially by the absence of large whitish pubescent area on the center of the elytra (present in five species); from O. amo Galileo & Martins, 2008 , by the body proportionally stouter and the elytra shorter; from O. birai Nearns & Tavakilian, 2015 , and O. jatai Bondar, 1956 , by the longer lower eye lobes and elytral tubercles and glabrous spots surrounded by whitish pubescence; from O. chagasi Martins, 1981 , by the elytral tubercles distinctly larger; from O. fisheri Dillon & Dillon, 1946 , and O. glebulenta Martins, 1981 , by the elytral tubercles and glabrous spots distinctly larger; from O. mirim Martins & Galileo, 1996 , by the scape rounded ventrally (distinctly flattened in the holotype of O. mirim which is a feature not mentioned in the original description) and the elytral tubercles smaller and more abundant and elevated, especially on anterior quarter; from O. ophthalmalis Dillon & Dillon, 1946 , by the elytra without large whitish pubescence area centrally, and elytral tubercles and glabrous spots larger; from O. poeta Dillon & Dillon, 1949 , by the larger elytral tubercles, and parts of the mesanepisterna and mesepimera do not bear the same color of pubescence as the sides of the metaventrite (both white in O. poeta ); from O. schreiteri Bruch, 1941 , by the elytral tubercles distinctly larger and fewer in number; and from O. tuberculata Thomson, 1868 , by the elytral tubercles smaller and more abundant.

For comparison with the species mentioned above, see photographs on Bezark (2025) and/or the original descriptions of some of them.

Figures

FIGURES 9–12. Oncideres olanchana sp. nov., male holotype: 9) Dorsal habitus; 10) Ventral habitus; 11) Lateral habitus; 12) Head, frontal view.

FIGURES 13–14. Oncideres manauara Martins & Galileo, 1995, male from Bolivia: 13) Dorsal habitus; 14) Ventral habitus.