Psyrassa lisitskyi Santos-Silva, Nascimento, Drumont & Kozlov

Santos-Silva, Antonio, Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto de Lima, Drumont, Alain & Kozlov, Anton Olegovich, 2019, Descriptions, notes and new records in south american Cerambycidae (Coleoptera), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 59, pp. 1-13 : 2-4

Psyrassa lisitskyi Santos-Silva, Nascimento, Drumont & Kozlov , sp. nov.

(Figs. 1-4)

Description: Male. Color. Head blackish, slightly reddish on some areas depending on light intensity; antennae black; pronotum dark reddish brown (more dark‑brown depending on light intensity) except black, narrow anterior and posterior areas close to margins; remaining surface of prothorax mostly black with irregular dark reddish‑brown areas (slightly distinct depending on light intensity); ventral side of meso‑ and metathorax black (somewhat dark reddish brown on some areas, depending on light intensity); elytra black centrally from base to near apex (this area narrowed toward apex),dark reddish brown on remaining surface; legs black, slightly reddish on tarsi; abdominal ventrites dark reddish brown, more blackish centrally.

Head: Frontal plate rugose; sides of frons depressed, moderately coarsely, densely punctate laterally; central area moderately coarsely, abundant punctate (punctures smoother than on sides); with minute, sparse yellowish‑white setae (more whitish depending on light intensity). Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes moderately finely, smoothly, abundantly punctate except nearly smooth area close to eyes; with minute, sparse yellowish‑white setae (more whitish depending on light intensity). Remaining surface of vertex finely, sparsely punctate (denser on central area close to prothoracic margin); with minute, sparse yellowish‑white setae (more whitish depending on light intensity), distinctly sparser than on area between antennal tubercles and eyes. Area behind eyes moderately finely, abundantly punctate (less so close to eyes); glabrous except a few minute yellowish‑white setae close to inferior side of lower eye lobes. Genae very small (anterior margin of lower eye lobes touching distal margin dorsally), nearly glabrous, rounded apically. Antennal tubercles moderately finely, sparsely punctate except smooth distal area;with minute, sparse yellowish‑white setae (more whitish depending on light intensity). Last segment of maxillary and labial palpi slightly widened at basal third, subparallel‑sided on remaining surface, with apex obliquely truncate. Median groove distinct from frontal plate to area between upper eye lobes. Postclypeus smooth, distinctly narrow on wide central area; with minute, sparse yellowish‑white setae (more whitish depending on light intensity); with one long,erect,translucent yellowish seta on each side of wide central area. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus on posterior third, inclined on anterior ⅔; nearly glabrous close to anteclypeus, with short golden setae on remaining surface. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous between prothoracic margin and posterior margin of lower eye lobes; moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate, with both, short and long yellowish‑white setae (more whitish depending on light intensity) between eye lobes. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.51 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.80 times length of scape. Antennae (missing antennomeres V‑XI of left antennae; missing antennomeres VIII‑XI of right antennae – antennomeres V‑VII glued on a card) almost reaching posterior third of elytra.Scape moderately coarsely,abundantly punctate dorsally and laterally (punctures denser basally) except smooth posterior area, sparsely punctate ventrally; with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish‑white setae dorsally and laterally, sparser, interspersed with a few long, erect setae of same color ventrally. Pedicel with short, sparse yellowish setae, interspersed with long, erect setae of same color ventrally. Antennomere III longitudinally carinate dorsally (carina becoming slightly conspicuous toward apex); moderately finely, shallowly punctate on basal third, opaque, finely rugose on distal ⅔; inner apex with straight spine, acute at apex, 0.55 times as long as widest width of segment;basal third with sparse yellowish‑white pubescence, more abundant on distal third except smooth, glabrous apex; ventral side with long, erect, sparse yellowish setae. Antennomere IV opaque, finely rugose throughout; slightly carinate dorsally; with yellowish‑white pubescence not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect, sparse yellowish setae ventrally; inner apex with minute spine; antennomeres V‑VII with sculpturing and pubescence as on IV, with inner apex unarmed. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III (excluding spine): scape = 0.65; pedicel = 0.19; IV = 0.94; V = 0.93;VI = 0.85;VII = 0.82.

Thorax: Prothorax 1.15 times longer than wide; posterior constriction well‑marked; anterior constriction slightly distinct; sides nearly parallel‑sided between constrictions, slightly widened toward posterior constriction. Pronotum coarsely, moderately sparsely punctate (punctures slightly denser toward sides); with minute yellowish‑white setae emerging from some punctures. Sides of prothorax moderately coarsely and abundantly punctate between anterior and posterior constrictions, transversely striate from margins to constrictions (more so anteriorly); with a few long, erect yellowish setae anteriorly. Prosternum rugose‑punctate on about posterior ⅔, transversely striate on anterior third (interspersed with a few punctures); with sparse yellowish‑white pubescence on rugose‑punctate area, interspersed with a few long whitish setae; with short, decumbent, very sparse whitish setae on anterior third, interspersed with a few long, erect setae of same color. Procoxal cavities distinctly open posteriorly. Ventral side of mesothorax with yellowish‑white pubescence (more grayish‑white depending on light intensity), distinctly denser than on prosternum. Mesoventral process centrally emarginate at apex, with apical sides projected under mesocoxal cavities. Metanepisternum and narrow lateral area of metaventrite with yellowish‑white pubescence not obscuring integument; remaining surface of metaventrite with moderately long, decumbent, sparse yellowish‑white setae; metaventrite moderately finely, sparsely punctate throughout (punctures slightly more abundant laterally). Scutellum with abundant yellowish‑white pubescence not obscuring integument.

Elytra: Coarsely, abundantly punctate (punctures slightly finer and sparser on distal third); with minute,yellowish‑white setae emerging from nearly all punctures, and a few long, erect yellowish setae emerging from some punctures; apex obliquely truncate emarginate, with apex of outer angle rounded, and apex of sutural angle acute.

Legs: Femora moderately sparsely punctate (punctures denser posteriorly); with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish‑white setae dorsally and laterally, interspersed with a few long, erect setae of same color; with long yellowish setae ventrally, bristly, more abundant on basal third. Tibiae with short, sparse yellowish setae dorsally, interspersed with a few long, erect setae of same color; with moderately abundant, bristly yellowish setae ventrally, gradually denser toward apex, interspersed with long, erect setae of same color. Metatarsomere I about as long as II‑III together.

Abdomen: Ventrites moderately finely and sparsely punctate; with both short and long, decumbent yellowish setae distinctly not obscuring integument; apex of ventrite V slightly concave.

Dimensions in mm (holotype male): Total length,12.95; prothoracic length, 2.10; anterior prothoracic width, 1.55; posterior prothoracic width, 1.70; widest prothoracic width, 1.85; humeral width, 2.65; elytral length, 8.75.

Type material: Holotype male from PERU, La Libertad: Sánchez Carrión (Road PE10C, km 109, near Chagual , 1,300 m, 07°53.17’S, 77°37.25’W), 21.XII.2016, V. Sinyaev col. ( MZSP, former AKPC).

Etymology: The new species is named to honor Victor Nikitovich Lisitsky, a retired Soviet gymnast, who competed in all artistic gymnastics events in the 1964 and 1968 Summer Olympics, and won five silver medals, three individual in 1964 and two with the Soviet team, in 1964 and 1968. He is a personal friend of the fourth author, who chose the name of the species.

Remarks: Currently, six species of Psyrassa Pascoe, 1866 are known from South America ( Monné, 2018a), none of them occurring in Peru: P. ludmilakozlovae Santos‑Silva et al., 2017; P. meridionalis Martins, 2005 ; P. rufescens Nonfried, 1894 ; P. subglabra Linsley, 1935 ; P. testacea Linsley, 1935 ; and P. unisucre Santos‑Silva et al., 2017 . Psyrassa lisitskyi sp. nov., differs from P. ludmilakozlovae by the spine of inner apex of the antennomere III straight and distinctly shorter than maximum width of the antennomere, antennomere IV with minute spine at inner apex, antennomeres V‑VII unarmed at inner apex,procoxal cavities open posteriorly, and outer elytral apex without spine. In P.ludmilakozlovae , the spine of inner apex of the antennomere III is curved and distinctly longer than maximum width of the antennomere, antennomere IV has long spine at inner apex, antennomeres V‑VII have distinct spine at inner apex, procoxal cavities are closed posteriorly, and the outer elytral apex has distinct spine. It differs from P.meridionalis by the spine of antennomere III distinctly shorter (longer than maximum width of the antennomere in P. meridionalis ), apex of antennomere IV with spicule (with distinct spine in P.meridionalis ),and procoxal cavities open posteriorly (closed in P. meridionalis ). According to Martins (2005), Toledo (2005), and Santos‑Silva et al. (2017), P. rufescens evidently does not belong to Psyrassa , especially by the prothorax “obtuse spinosis” laterally, and “quinquegibbosus” dorsally. Unfortunately, the holotype may be lost forever ( Martins, 2005). Psyrassa lisitskyi differs from P. subglabra by the color of the pronotum not notably contrasting to that of the elytra (contrasting in P. subglabra ), antennomere IV with spicule at apex (with distinct spine in P.subglabra ), and elytral apex without spine (with long outer spine in P.subglabra ). The new species differs from P.testacea by the spine of antennomere III distinctly shorter than maximum width of the antennomere (distinctly longer in P. testacea ), antennomere IV with spicule at apex (with distinct spine in P. testacea ), antennomere V unarmed at apex (with spine in P.testacea ), pronotum without long and erect setae (present in P. testacea ), and procoxal cavities open posteriorly (closed in P.testacea ). Psyrassa lisitskyi differs from P.unisucre by the spine of antennomere III distinctly shorter than maximum width of the antennomere (noticeably longer in P. unisucre ), antennomere IV with spicule at apex (with long spine in P.unisucre ), antennomeres V‑VII unarmed at apex (with distinct spine in P. unisucre ), procoxal cavities open posteriorly (closed in P. unisucre ), and elytral apex not bispinose (bispinose in P. unisucre ).

Psyrassa lisitskyi can be included in the alternative of couplet“19” from Toledo (2005) (translated):

19’(18). Elytra not pubescent.Peru..................................... P.lisitskyi sp.nov.

— Elytra distinctly pubescent ...........................................................19

19(19’). Integument of the body from dark brown to black, femora reddish. El Salvador................................................... P.ebenina Linsley,1935

— Integument of the body from dark to black, prothorax and femora reddish.Mexico ...................... P.levicollis Chemsak & Noguera,1993