Pseudastylopsis morrisi, Santos-Silva & Bezark, 2024

Santos-Silva, Antonio & Bezark, Larry G., 2024, New species, notes and record of New World Acanthocinini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), Zootaxa 5551 (1), pp. 167-185 : 174-177

Pseudastylopsis morrisi sp. nov.

(Figs 17–21)

Description. Holotype female. Head capsule black except gulamentum partially brown; mentum and ligula light brown; palpomeres dark brown, except yellowish apex of maxillary palpomeres I–III and labial palpomeres I–II; anterior half of anteclypeus yellowish brown; labrum dark brown; scape black; pedicel, antennomeres III–IV, and XI dark brown; antennomeres V–X with wide reddish-brown ring between base and apex. Pronotum and sides of prothorax black; ventral surface of pro-, meso-, and metathorax dark brown. Scutellum, elytra, and legs black. Abdominal ventrites dark brown, except dark reddish-brown apex of ventrites 2–4, less so on ventrite 3.

Head. Frons densely, finely punctate, punctures slightly sparser close to eyes; with brown pubescence not obscuring integument, with short, decumbent white setae interspersed, except pale-yellow pubescence close to median groove superiorly, and pale-yellow pubescent macula close to eyes; with one long, erect dark brown seta close to eyes. Area between antennal tubercles with dense pale-yellow pubescence centrally, except glabrous median groove, and sparse yellowish-white pubescence laterally. Remaining surface of vertex with dense pale-yellow pubescence except two triangular subglabrous areas close to prothorax; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae close to eyes. Area behind upper eye lobes with sparse yellowish-white pubescence. Area behind lower eye lobes with sparse yellowish-white pubescence close to eye, glabrous on remaining surface. Genae 1.1 times length of lower eye lobe; with moderately sparse yellowish-white pubescence, except glabrous apex. Antennal tubercles with abundant yellowish pubescence with white pubescence interspersed. Wide central area of postclypeus with abundant, bristly yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, with long white setae interspersed; sides with one long, erect dark brown seta. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Base of anteclypeus with sparse, moderately long yellowish-white setae forming tufts, setae yellower laterally. Labrum with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser laterally, except glabrous central area of anterior third; with long, erect dark-brown setae interspersed on pubescent area; anterior margin with fringe of golden setae. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, except sparse whitish pubescence on intermaxillary process. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.23 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.57 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.65 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere VIII. Scape with dense, irregular pubescent ring on posterior half, pubescence dense, pale-yellow dorsally and laterally, sparser, whitish ventrally, and sparse, thick, decumbent yellowish-white setae throughout, setae whiter ventrally. Pedicel with brown pubescence not obscuring integument and a few short, decumbent white setae interspersed. Dorsal surface of antennomeres III–IV with dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, irregular yellowish pubescent macula on basal 5/6 of III and basal 4/5 of IV, and sparse, thick, decumbent white setae interspersed, except on apical area; sides and ventral surface mostly with abundant whitish pubescence partially obscuring integument, except apical sixth of III and apical fifth of IV with dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Reddish-brown area of antennomeres V–X with dense yellowish-white pubescence, whiter laterally and ventrally, and dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface; antennomere XI with dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, and short, bristly whitish setae interspersed. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.87; pedicel = 0.10; IV = 0.77; V = 0.53; VI = 0.43; VII = 0.39; VIII = 0.36; IX = 0.33; X = 0.30; XI = 0.28.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; anterior constriction narrow, well marked; sides with large, rounded protuberance about middle. Pronotum with five gibbosities, one subcircular, loctated on each side of anterior third, one oblique, elongated, located on each side of posterior third, another elongated, longitudinal, located on center of posterior half; sparsely, coarsely punctate, punctures denser centrally on posterior 2/3, forming transverse row on posterior quarter, except smooth central gibbosity; with dense yellowish-white pubescence, pubescence yellower on some irregular areas, except sparse brown pubescence with short, decumbent white setae interspersed on sides of anterior quarter, one subtriangular short macula on each side of central area close to anterior margin with dark brown pubescence not obscuring integument, and a few short, thick white setae interspersed, and wide, longitudinal, sinuous black pubescent band on each side of middle close to posterior margin, most glabrous, longitudinal, sinuous area centrally on posterior half, and small, irregular glabrous areas on remaining central area; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae on posterior half. Sides of prothorax sparsely, coarsely punctate; with dense yellowish pubescence centrally close to pronotum, irregular areas with moderately abundant yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument, with irregular glabrous areas interspersed, except posterior area close to pronotum with large comma-shaped area with sparse dark-brown pubescence and short, decumbent white setae interspersed, and glabrous anterior sulcus. Prosternum and prosternal process with abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous anterior sulcus; narrowest area of prosternal process 0.45 times procoxal width. Sides of ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, absent or almost absent on some areas; central area with abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence sparser on center of mesoventrite and denser on mesoventral process; sides of mesoventral process convergent from base to apical fifth, then distinctly widened; narrowest area of mesoventral process 0.72 times mesocoxal width; apex of mesoventral process almost as wide as one mesocoxa. Scutellum with sparse brownish pubescence and short, thick, decumbent yellowish-white setae interspersed. Elytra. Subparallel-sided on anterior half, slightly constricted on center of this area, then gradually narrowed toward apex, more distinctly on posterior quarter; apex slightly obliquely truncate; centrobasal crest moderately elevated, elongated, irregularly tuberculate dorsally; moderately abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior half, punctures slightly finer and sparser toward apex on posterior half; with small, moderately abundant tubercles throughout, nearly all tubercle with short blackish seta on apex; with dense yellowish-white pubescence, irregularly yellowish on some areas, except: humeri subglabrous, with short, thick, decumbent whitish setae; sides of basal half with abundant brownish pubescence not obscuring integument, and short, decumbent, thick white setae interspersed; some tubercles with dense, bristly pale-yellow pubescence; sides of posterior half with dense yellowish-white pubescence, pubescence yellower on irregular areas, and subglabrous areas with short, decumbent, thick white setae interspersed; circum-scutellar area with rectangular area with minute dark brown pubescence not obscuring integument and a few short, decumbent, thick white setae interspersed; wide, longitudinal band on dorsal surface of anterior third with minute dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, fused with circum-scutellar area; large, irregular area laterally before middle of dorsal surface with minute dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument; longitudinal, wide band with minute dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, fused to anterior longitudinal band and irregular lateral areas with similar pubescence, tubercles on this band with yellowish pubescence; narrow band with minute dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument close to suture, from scutellum to middle, then distinctly widened, J-shaped just after middle of elytra, apical side of this area acutely, slightly projected forward, area before apical expansion with short, triangular projections, and tubercles on expanded apical area with dense yellowish pubescence; apical quarter of dorsal surface with irregular, wide, transverse band with minute dark pubescence not obscuring integument, arc-shaped considering both elytra; irregular, arc-shaped band with sparse, short, thick, decumbent yellowish-white setae on side of posterior quarter, subfused to the previous band, and fused with the area with the same setae close to epipleural margin; another macula with sparse, short, thick, decumbent yellowish-white setae on side near apex, fused with the area with the same setae close to epipleural margin. Legs. Femoral peduncles with areas with abundant white pubescence and areas with sparse white pubescence, and short, thick, decumbent white setae interspersed throughout; femoral clubs with dense pale-yellow pubescence on part of dorsal surface and inner surface, remaining surface mostly with sparse white pubescence, and with short, thick, decumbent white setae throughout. Protibiae with two dense pale-yellow pubescent arc covering dorsal and lateral surfaces, one basally, another wider located about central third; remaining dorsal and lateral surfaces on basal half with sparse, thick, decumbent pale-yellow setae; ventral surface on basal half with moderately abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; apical third of dorsal and lateral surfaces with sparse dark-brown pubescence and short, thick, decumbent yellowish setae interspersed; apical half of ventral surface with abundant, bristly, brown pubescence. Meso- and metatibiae with dense pale-yellow pubescent arc basally covering dorsal and lateral surfaces; with dense pale-yellow pubescent ring about central third; remaining surface of basal third with sparse whitish pubescence and short, thick, decumbent yellowish setae interspersed; apical third with abundant dark-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, denser and bristly ventrally, and short, thick, decumbent yellowish setae interspersed dorsally and laterally; dorsal surface of mesotibiae with short, erect, thick dark-brown setae. Dorsal surface of tarsi with dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument and short, thick, decumbent yellowish-white setae interspersed on some tarsomeres; metatarsomere I slightly shorter than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument, sparser on center of ventrites 1–2 and posterior half of ventrite 5, absent on apex of ventrites 1–4. Apex of ventrite 5 slightly concave.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 11.15; prothoracic length, 2.10; anterior prothoracic width, 2.15; posterior prothoracic width, 2.70; maximum prothoracic width, 2.90; humeral width, 4.30; elytral length, 7.85.

Type material. Holotype female from HONDURAS, Yoro: Pico Pijol, Nat. [National] Park 17.VI.2004, D.T. Homas & D. Robacker leg. ( FSCA, formerly RFMC).

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Roy F. Morris II for his friendship, constant sending of specimens for study, and the donation of the holotype to the FSCA collection.

Remarks. Pseudastylopsis morrisi sp. nov. is similar to P. alba Pérez-Flores & Santos-Silva, 2021 (see photographs on Bezark 2024 and original description), but differs as follows: pubescence on frons not obscuring integument; scape with short area with dense light pubescence; scape, femora, and tibiae with abundant, short, and tick yellowish-white setae throughout; circum-scutellar area and areas on center of the dorsal surface without dense light pubescence; and narrowest area of mesoventral process about 0.7 times mesocoxal width. In P. alba the pubescence on frons partially obscuring the integument, scape has large areas with dense light pubescence, scape, femora, and tibia do not have abundant, short, and tick yellowish-white setae, circum-scutellar area and the entire center of the dorsal surface with dense light pubescence, and the narrowest area of the mesoventral process about 0.5 times the mesocoxal width.