Nesozineus morrisi Wappes and Santos-Silva, 2020

Wappes, James E. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2020, Taxonomic contributions to Neotropical Lamiinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) including a new genus, five new species and a new synonym, Insecta Mundi 2020 (769), pp. 1-21 : 4-5

Nesozineus morrisi Wappes and Santos-Silva , new species

( Fig. 5–8 )

Description. Male. Frons light-brown centrally, orangish-brown laterally; antennal tubercles orangishbrown, narrowly brown on apex; vertex, area behind eyes, and genae reddish-brown; gulamentum mostly orangish-brown; mouthparts reddish-brown, slightly more yellowish-brown in some areas; postclypeus dark reddish-brown; anteclypeus and labrum orangish-brown; scape and pedicel orangish-brown, narrowly darkened on apex (scape irregularly slightly darkened in some areas); antennomeres III–IV orange, slightly darkened posteriorly; antennomere V light orange basally, gradually brown toward apex; remaining antennomeres light reddish-brown basally, gradually brown toward apex. Pronotum brown in wide central area, light orange anterocentrally, orangish-brown in posterior quarter. Sides of prothorax close to pronotum mostly brown, gradually orangish toward prosternum. Prosternum orange, slightly lighter toward prosternal process. Ventral surface of mesothorax reddish-brown, except light orange mesoventral process. Ventral surface of metathorax dark reddish-brown laterally, gradually light orange toward center. Elytra brown, slightly, irregularly darker in some areas, slightly, irregularly more orangish on others. Coxae and trochanters orange, darkened in posterior area of metacoxae; femoral peduncles pale-yellow basally, gradually orange on remaining surface; femoral clubs reddishbrown basally, gradually brown toward apex. Protibiae orange basally, gradually darker toward apex, especially ventrally; meso- and metatibiae orange basally including most of ventral surface, dark brown, irregularly maculated with orangish areas dorsally and laterally. Tarsi mostly dark brown. Abdominal ventrites I–IV orange in basal 3/4, dark brown in distal quarter; abdominal ventrite V orange brown, slightly darkened laterally and apically.

Head. Frons finely, densely, shallowly punctate; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integu- ment but distinctly denser close to eyes; with one long, erect brownish seta close to eye on each side. Vertex finely, sparsely punctate; with short, thick, abundant yellowish-white setae not obscuring integu- ment, narrowly denser close to upper eye lobes. Area behind eyes finely, sparsely punctate, more so close to prothorax behind lower eye lobes; with yellowish-brown pubescence close to eye, glabrous close to prothorax behind lower eye lobe. Genae 0.55 times length of lower eye lobe; finely, transversely striate, smooth near apex; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence, except glabrous apical area. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous in wide posterior area, slightly transversely striate in narrow anterior area, with sparse yellowish-white setae close to anterior margin. Postclypeus with bristly white pubescence in wide central area, glabrous laterally; with one long, erect dark seta on each side of wide central area. Labrum with long white setae in posterior area, nearly glabrous anteriorly; with long, erect, sparse dark setae close to inclined anterior area; with fringe of yellowish setae on anterior margin. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.23 times length of scape (0.21 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.53 times length of scape (0.48 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 2.8 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at basal quarter of antennomere VI. Scape gradually widened toward apex, but inner basal margin noticeably abrupt; with white pubescence not obscuring integument; pedicel and antennomeres with white pubescence not obscuring integument; antennomere III with a few short, erect brownish setae ventrally. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.88; pedicel = 0.17; IV = 1.32; V = 1.18; VI = 1.00; VII = 0.95; VIII = 0.94; IX = 0.88; X = 0.85; XI = 0.85.

Thorax. Prothoracic sides distinctly widened close to anterolateral angles, gradually divergent to lateral tubercle, then abruptly narrowed toward posterolateral angles; lateral tubercle large, placed after middle, with nearly acute apex. Pronotum coarsely, abundantly punctate, punctures separated by more than puncture diameter, slightly closer to each other on sides of anterior third; with large, oblique gibbosity on each side of central area, starting about apex of anterior third, ending near lateral tubercle; another longitudinal gibbosity in center of posterior half, slightly less elevated than lateral ones; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, nearly absent on central gibbosity, forming slightly distinct longitudinal band centrally, from anterior to posterior margin, centrally surrounding central gibbosity; with one long, erect dark seta laterally behind lateral tubercle. Sides of prothorax coarsely, abundantly punctate (punctures coarser than on pronotum); with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument. Prosternum minutely, densely punctate; with white pubescence partially obscuring integument, absent on narrow area on sides close to anterior constriction. Prosternal process with pubescence as on prosternum, bristling on posterior margin; narrowest area 0.26 times width of procoxal cavity. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with white pubescence not obscur- ing integument, distinctly sparser in center of mesoventrite; sides of mesoventral process convergent toward its posterior third, then abruptly widened forming distinct sideward projected tabs under mesocoxae, with posterior margin distinctly emarginated. Scutellum with short, sparse yellowish-white pubescence, absent centrally. Elytra. With oblique, slightly distinct wide carina from near humerus to suture in anterior fifth, together forming a triangular, slightly depressed area between them; another wide, oblique carina from humerus to posterior quarter, not reaching suture, becoming indistinct in its anterior third; coarsely, abundantly punctate in anterior half, gradually finer, sparser in posterior half (punctures separated by more than their diameter); with short yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, slightly whiter in some irregular areas; apices individually rounded. Legs. Femora pedunculate-clavate; with white pubescence not obscuring integument. Tibiae somewhat abruptly widened in inner basal area, then nearly parallel-sided toward apex; protibiae with sparse white pubescence, except ventral surface with dense, nearly erect, thick dark-brown setae; mesotibiae with sparse white pubescence anteriorly, with abundant, short, thick, erect setae dorsally in posterior third, and ventrally in posterior 3/4 (setae gradually denser toward apex); metatibiae with sparse white pubescence basally, gradually more brownish toward apex, except ventral posterior 3/4 with short, erect, thick dark setae (gradually denser toward apex).

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant white pubescence not obscuring integument; apex of ventrite V truncate.

Dimensions in mm. Total length 7.15; prothoracic length 1.25; anterior prothoracic width 1.55; poste- rior prothoracic width 1.60; widest prothoracic width (between apices of lateral tubercles) 2.10; humeral width 2.40; elytral length 5.15.

Type material. Holotype male from BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz: Refugio Los Volcanes , 3363′, 18-24.X.2014, Morris & Wappes col. ( FSCA, formerly RFMC).

Etymology. Named for Roy Morris, a good friend and the collector of the holotype.

Remarks. The male holotype of Nesozineus morrisi n. sp. is similar to N. apharus Galileo & Martins, 1996 ( Fig. 9–10 ), but differs as follows: pronotal and elytral punctures distinctly sparser ( Fig. 5 ); metatibiae in male with distinct thick, erect setae ventrally ( Fig. 6 ). In N. apharus , the pronotal and elytral punctures are distinctly denser ( Fig. 9 ), and the metatibiae in male lack thick, erect setae ventrally ( Fig. 10 ).

Nesozineus morrisi can be included in the alternative of couplet “4” of Galileo and Martins (1996) (translated; modified):

4(3). Elytral pubescence more compact in four narrow, longitudinal bands on dorsal surface of basal two-thirds. Brazil (Rondônia, Alagoas, Sergipe, Bahia, Mato Grosso do Sul), Paraguay................................ N. lineolatus Galileo and Martins, 1996

— Elytral pubescence uniformly distributed........................................... 4′

4′(4). Pronotal and elytral punctures somewhat sparse ( Fig. 5 ); metatibiae in male with thick, erect setae ventrally ( Fig. 6 ). Bolivia............................. N. morrisi new species

— Pronotal and elytral punctures dense ( Fig. 9 ); metatibiae in male lacking thick and erect setae ventrally ( Fig. 10 ). Venezuela (Táchira), Bolivia (Santa Cruz), Brazil (Maranhão, Piauí).................................... N. apharus Galileo and Martins, 1996

Note on N. apharus: According to Galileo and Martins (1996) (translated): “ 2 paratype females, 22.V.1974, H. and A. Howden col. (MZSP, CMNH).” However, the paratype in the MZSP collection is a male.

Figures

Figures 5–10. Nesozineus spp. 5–8) Nesozineus morrisi, holotype male. 5) Dorsal habitus. 6) Ventral habitus. 7) Lateral habitus. 8) Head, frontal view. 9–10) Nesozineus apharus, paratype male. 9) Dorsal habitus. 10) Ventral habitus.