Erythropterus Melzer, 1934

Napp, Dilma Solange & Monné, Miguel A., 2005, Synopsis of the genus Erythropterus Melzer, 1934 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae, Heteropsini), Zootaxa 1088, pp. 55-59 : 56

Erythropterus Melzer, 1934

Erythropterus Melzer, 1934: 76 ; Monné, 2005: 292 (cat.).

Type species: Erythropterus amabilis Melzer, 1934 (monotypy and original designation).

Redescription. Head opaque, finely, densely reticulate, pilosity inconspicuous. Frons declivous, broader than long. Clypeal suture not visible. Antennal tubercles rounded, not prominent. Genae less than one half as long as lower eye lobes. Eyes finely granulate, feebly emarginate; lower lobes well developed, prominent, extending onto ventral side of head, connected to upper lobes by a strip as wide as one upper lobe; upper lobes with 6­7 rows of ommatidea, the distance between each other equal to the width of the frons. Mandibles slender, not angulate, apex acuminate. Apical segment of maxillary and labial palps longer than the two preceding segments combined, narrowed at base then somewhat enlarged to the truncate apex.

Antennae 11­segmented, unarmed. Scape cylindrical, shorter than segment 3. Segments 3 to 5 sulcate and bicarinate, 6 to10 somewhat expanded laterally at apex.

Prothorax almost as long as broad, without lateral or dorsal gibbosities, widest behind middle, more attenuate to anterior margin. Pronotum and sides of prothorax opaque, densely alveolate, pilosity inconspicuous. Males without sexual punctation. Intercoxal process of prosternum very narrow between procoxae, slightly expanded at apex. Anterior coxal cavities rounded at sides, open behind. Intercoxal process of mesosternum plane, as wide as mesocoxa, barely convergent at sides, apex emarginate to fit metasternum. Intermediate coxal cavities closed to epimera. Pro­ and mesocoxae rounded, not prominent. Mesosternum, metasternum and urosternites densely clothed with whitish pubescence. Fifth urosternite, in both sexes, gradually convergent to rounded apex.

Scutelum small, quadrangular. Elytra narrow, elongate, feebly attenuate apically, dorsally flattened. Humeri anteriorly projected. Apices obliquely truncate, angulate or with minute spines at outer and sutural angles.

Femora alveolate. Meso­ and metafemora slender, pedunculate and clavate, bidentate at apex; with a short apical carina on both sides. Tibiae slender, cylindrical, laterally impressed, carinate. Tibial spurs short, inner spur longer. First segment of hind tarsi as long as or longer than the following combined.

Remarks. Erythropterus is similar to Eriphosoma Melzer, 1922 , differing by: 1) antennae with segments 3 to 5 sulcate and carinate; segment 4 as long as scape and conspicuously shorter than 5; antennae of females shorter than body; 2) prothorax widest behind middle, more attenuate to anterior margin; 3) femora slender, moderately clavate, carinated at apex; 4) elytra obliquely truncate at apex; 4) apical segments of maxillary and labial palps weakly expanded to apex, narrowed at base. In Eriphosoma , the antennal segments are neither sulcate nor carinate, segment 4 is conspicuously longer than scape and slightly shorter than segment 5, and the antennae of females are, at least, as long as the body; the prothorax is rounded at sides, widest at middle; the femora are cylindrical and not carinate; the elytra are emarginated, bispinose or bidentate at outer side of apex, in addition to the sutural projection; and the apical segments of palps are securiform not narrowed at base.