Nealcidion obliquum, Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2022

Vlasak, Josef & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2022, Five new species of Nealcidion Monné, 1997 from Ecuador (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), Zootaxa 5209 (5), pp. 535-554 : 536-539

Nealcidion obliquum sp. nov.

( Figs 1–6 )

Description. Holotype male ( Figs 1–4 ). Integument mostly dark brown; anterior region of anteclypeus and labrum dark yellowish brown; mandibles and palpomeres black; scape brown, slightly darker on some irregular areas; pedicel orangish; antennomeres III–IV orangish basally, gradually reddish brown toward dark brown apical quarter; antennomeres V–XI reddish brown, darker on apex of V. Central area of metaventrite black and sides dark reddish brown. Elytra blackish on humeral area, dark brown on remaining anterior surface, gradually brown on posterior half. Trochanters and base of femora orangish; meso- and metatibiae reddish brown on wide central area; tarsomeres I orangish brown, except dark-brown apex; tarsomeres II partially reddish brown basally. Central area of ventrites black, except reddish-brown apex.

Head. Frons abundantly, finely punctate; with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence darker toward vertex; with one long, erect brown seta on each side close to eyes. Area between antennal tubercles and posterior margins of upper eye lobes abundantly, finely punctate, except smooth median groove; with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument between antennal tubercles, denser pubescence obscuring integument between eyes, except glabrous median groove; remaining surface of vertex with abundant pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence yellowish white close to median groove, absent close to prothorax, yellowish close to yellowish-white pubescence, and dark yellowish brown on remaining surface; with one long, erect brown seta on each side close to eyes. Area behind upper eye lobes with narrow yellow pubescent band close to eye, and abundant light yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface, pubescence darker centrally toward vertex; area behind connection of eye lobes with dense yellow pubescence; area behind lower eye lobes with narrow pubescent band close to eye, and abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface, pubescence slightly sparser than behind upper eye lobes. Genae with abundant yellowish-white pubescence, and somewhat long, erect and arched dark setae interspersed toward ventral surface. Wide central area of postclypeus with somewhat abundant pale yellowish-brown setae, absent centrally, and yellow pubescence near sides close to frons; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae interspersed. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum with yellowish pubescence and long, erect dark setae interspersed close to anteclypeus, glabrous on remaining surface, except dense fringe of yellowish-brown setae on anterior margin. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.32 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.64 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.8 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere VII. Scape and pedicel with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; pedicel with a few long, erect brown setae ventrally. Antennomeres III–IV with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument on anterior light area, sparser and yellowish white on dark apical area; with sparse, short, erect, thick black setae ventrally, more abundant apically; antennomere IV with sparse, short, thick black setae directed backward on remaining apex. Antennomeres V–XI with somewhat abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; antennomeres V–X with sparse, short, tick black setae directed backward; antennomere XI with abundant, short yellowish-white setae directed backward. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.05; pedicel = 0.12; IV = 0.75; V = 0.60; VI = 0.47; VII = 0.45; VIII = 0.37; IX = 0.37; X = 0.32; XI = 0.34.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; anterior constriction narrow, well-marked; sides with large, rounded projection centrally. Pronotum with large, slightly elevated gibbosity on each side, more elevated about middle of pronotum; densely, minutely punctate, except smooth longitudinal central area; with a few coarse punctures on each side near anterior margin and on each side of middle, and arched row of coarse punctures on posterior sixth; smooth longitudinal central area glabrous; with somewhat narrow pale-yellow pubescent band close to glabrous central area, pubescence paler from middle and widened, sparser close to posterior margin; with wide, longitudinal dark yellowish-brown pubescent band, from anterior to posterior margin on each side of pale-yellow pubescent band, pubescence slightly more brownish on posterior third; with abundant pale-yellow pubescence laterally partially obscuring integument, from anterior constriction to posterior third, not reaching lateral margin and gradually narrowed and more yellowish white from middle; and dense yellow pubescence on remaining surface, except dark pubescence on sides of posterior half close to sides of prothorax. Sides of prothorax with abundant dark yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, dark pubescence posteriorly close to pronotum and yellowish-white pubescence close to anterior margin. Prosternum with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument laterally, and abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument centrally, except glabrous margins close to procoxal cavities. Prosternal process glabrous on lateral margins, with abundant yellowish pubescence on remaining surface, except yellower pubescence close to glabrous margins and on posterior third; narrowest area 0.4 times procoxal width. Mesoventrite with sparse yellowish pubescence centrally, pubescence gradually denser and yellower toward sides. Mesanepisternum with dense light yellowish-brown pubescence close to mesoventrite, and dense dark-brown pubescence close to elytra; mesepimeron with dense light yellowish-brown pubescence. Mesoventral process with sides convergent toward sinuous apex; with abundant yellowish pubescence laterally and centrally, except glabrous margins, and abundant whitish pubescence on remaining surface; apex 0.6 times mesocoxal width. Metanepisternum with dense pale-yellow pubescence on anterior 2/3 and apex, and slightly sparser yellowish-white pubescence on remaining posterior third. Metaventrite densely, minutely punctate, except smooth metathoracic discrimen, with sparse, shallow punctures interspersed laterally; with dense pale-yellow pubescence laterally and anteriorly, except glabrous areas surrounding lateral punctures; central region of posterior half with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous metathoracic discrimen, and remaining surface with abundant grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Scutellum with sparse brownish pubescence, except somewhat sparse yellowish-brown pubescence on posterior third.

Elytra. Distinctly oblique between humerus and centrobasal crest; centrobasal crest elevated, with apex obliquely inclined toward its apex; apex strongly oblique, making outer angle triangularly projected; with distinct longitudinal carina from apex of centrobasal crest to apex of outer angle; abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior half, punctures denser close to longitudinal carina, gradually finer and sparser on posterior half, punctures forming longitudinal row between dorsal carina and suture; with large, slightly oblique brown pubescent band on middle, reaching superior region of sides and reaching dorsal carina; with somewhat small, strongly oblique brownish macula close to dorsal carina on posterior quarter; with large, semicircular brownish pubescent macula on sides of posterior third; with irregular brownish pubescent macula on sides of posterior sixth; with two rows of brownish pubescent spots, innermost from anterior sixth to strongly oblique brownish pubescent macula close to carina, and outermost on sides of dorsal surface, from humerus to wide brown pubescent band; area between apex of centrobasal crests with arched yellowish-brown pubescent band; superior area of large brown pubescent band with dense yellow pubescence on outer side; central region between carina and suture with dense yellow pubescence, and remaining surface between carina and suture with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; remaining surface of anterior half mostly with yellowishwhite pubescence, obscuring integument on some areas, except distinctly white pubescent spots between brownish spots; remaining surface of posterior half mostly with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument; epipleural margin with a few short, erect, thick dark-brown setae. Legs. Femora sparsely, coarsely, shallowly punctate; with abundant whitish pubescence on basal third of sides and ventral surface, and abundant yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface, except glabrous areas surrounding punctures. Protibiae with abundant yellowish pubescence on anterior half not obscuring integument, yellowish-brown on posterior half, except ventral surface of posterior half with dense, bristly dark yellowish-brown pubescence. Mesotibiae with abundant yellowish pubescence about anterior half, pubescence sparser on sides of remaining surface, dense, bristly dark yellowish-brown on posterior quarter of ventral surface, and abundant, short, erect, both dark yellowish-brown and black setae on remaining dorsal surface; with sparse, short, erect dark setae interspersed on anterior half. Metatibiae with yellowish-white pubescence on anterior third, dense pale-yellow pubescence centrally, sparse, decumbent, thick dark yellowish-brown setae on posterior third, except bristly yellowish-brown pubescence on posterior third of ventral surface; with sparse, short, erect dark setae interspersed, more abundant on dorsal surface of posterior third. Metatarsomere I longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with dense pale-yellow pubescence laterally, except fringe of yellow pubescence on apex of ventrites 1–4, sparse yellowish-white pubescence on central region of ventrites 1–4, except glabrous apex of ventrites 2 and 4, and sparse yellowish pubescence on center of ventrite 5; apex of ventrite 5 concave, apices spiniform.

Female ( Figs 5–6 ). Similar to male, differing by the stouter body and antennae shorter, 1.5 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at about middle of antennomere IX.

Dimensions (mm) (Holotype male/ paratype male/ paratype female). Total length, 7.50/8.75/9.40; prothoracic length, 1.35/1.55/1.50; anterior prothoracic width, 1.45/1.60/1.75; posterior prothoracic width, 1.70/1.80/2.00; maximum prothoracic width, 2.00/2.25/2.35; humeral width, 2.90/3.20/3.65; elytral length, 5.70/6.45/7.05.

Type material. Holotype male from ECUADOR, Napo: Papallacta , 3300 m, 16.VI.2021, J. Vlasak leg. ( MZSP) . Paratype male, same data as holotype ( JVCO) . Paratype female, same data as holotype, except 3400 m, 28.IX.2021 ( JVCO) .

Etymology. The specific epithet “obliquum” (from Latin, meaning “sloping” or “slanted”) refers to the oblique dark elytral band.

Remarks. Nealcidion obliquum sp. nov. belongs to the group of species with a distinct dorsal elytral carina. The pronotal and elytral pubescent pattern clearly distinguishes N. obliquum sp. nov. from other known species of the genus (see photographs on Bezark 2022).

Figures

FIGURES 1–6. Nealcidion obliquum sp. nov. 1–4) Holotype male: 1) Dorsal habitus; 2) Ventral habitus; 3) Lateral habitus; 4) Head and pronotum. 5–6) Paratype female: 5) Dorsal habitus; 6) Ventral habitus.