Cirrhicera vandenberghei, Heffern & Santos-Silva, 2024

Heffern, Daniel & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2024, American Lamiinae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae): new species of Acanthocinini and Hemilophini and a new synonymy in Cirrhicera Thomson, Zootaxa 5418 (3), pp. 201-222 : 214-215

Cirrhicera vandenberghei sp. nov.

( Figs 31–38 )

Description. Holotype male ( Figs 31–34 ). Integument mostly black; ventral mouthparts light brown, except yellowish-brown apex of palpomeres; anteclypeus dark yellowish brown; sides of labrum dark yellowish-brown; apical sides of prosternal process orangish brown; posterior third of mesoventral process dark orangish brown, except blackish sides and inverted U-shaped black macula centrally; sides of metaventral process orangish brown; area close to sides of abdominal intercoxal process orangish brown; trochanters yellowish brown basally, brown on remaining surface; apical half of tarsomeres V brownish; tarsal claws reddish brown basally, dark brown on remaining surface; area close to apex of abdominal ventrites 1–4 brownish; abdominal ventrite 5 dark orangish brown with irregular dark-brown areas interspersed.

Head. Frons abundantly, finely punctate; with abundant yellow pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser, with whitish pubescence interspersed close to eyes; with a few long, erect yellowish-brown setae close to eyes, and sparse, moderately short, erect setae of same color interspersed on superior half. Area between antennal tubercles, between upper eye lobes, and behind and close to eyes densely, minutely punctate with coarse punctures interspersed; with dense pale-yellow pubescence, except glabrous median groove, and posterior region of this area on vertex and close to interior area of lower eye lobes with sparser pubescence; with long, erect pale-yellow setae close to upper eye lobes. Area close to prothorax on vertex and area behind eyes smooth, glabrous. Genae 0.61 times as long as lower eye lobe; somewhat abundantly, minutely punctate, with coarse punctures interspersed, except smooth apex; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence frontally, pubescence denser toward ventral surface, except glabrous smooth area; with a few long, erect yellowish setae interspersed. Antennal tubercles with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument frontally; remaining surface with moderately abundant dark brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Wide central area of postclypeus with dense yellow pubescence partially obscuring integument; with sparse, long, erect brownish setae interspersed. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum with moderately sparse yellowish-white pubescence on posterior third, glabrous on anterior 2/3; with moderately abundant, long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed on pubescent area. Basal half of outer surface of mandibles with dense yellowish-white pubescence and sparse, long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed; remaining surface glabrous. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.17 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in ventral view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.58 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 2.15 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex slightly before middle of antennomere VI. Scape with abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous apex; ventral surface with moderately sparse, erect dark-brown setae. Pedicel almost glabrous basally, with abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface; with moderately abundant, long, erect dark-brown setae ventrally. Antennomeres III–VI with abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument; III–IV with moderately sparse, erect dark-brown setae ventrally; V with moderately sparse, erect dark-brown setae on basal half of ventral surface, and dense fringe of long, erect black setae on apical half; VI with dense fringe of long, erect black setae on basal 2/3 and moderately sparse, long, erect dark-brown setae on apical third; III–VI with one long, erect dark-brown seta on apex of dorsal surface. Antennomeres VII–XI with abundant pale yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser on basal third; VII–VIII with a few long, erect setae ventrally; VII–IX with one long, erect dark-brown seta on dorsal apex. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.65; pedicel = 0.13; IV = 0.72; V = 0.42; VI = 0.40; VII = 0.35; VIII = 0.30; IX = 0.28; X = 0.25; XI = 0.32.

Thorax. Prothorax about as long as wide. Pronotum abundantly, coarsely punctate, pubescence obscuring most of punctures. Sides with dense white pubescent band, bands subparallel-sided on anterior 4/5, divergent on posterior fifth; central area with abundant blackish pubescence partially obscuring integument, except brown pubescence close to anterior margin, and dark-brown pubescence centrally close to posterior margin; with sparse, long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed. Sides of prothorax with dense white pubescence, except sparser, both brownish and whitish pubescence close to prosternum, most of anterior margin, and postcoxal process. Prosternum with abundant dark pubescence not obscuring integument, except whitish pubescence on superior region of sides and close to procoxal cavities. Prosternal process with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument centrally and sparse whitish pubescence on apical sides; narrowest area 0.15 times procoxal width. Mesoventrite with abundant dark grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, except apex of sides with whitish pubescence not obscuring integument. Mesanepisterna, mesepimera, metanepisterna, and sides of metaventrite with dense white pubescence; remaining surface of metaventrite with moderately abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument. Mesoventral process with sides concave on anterior 2/3, roundly expanded on posterior third; apical margin notched centrally; with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; narrowest area 0.51 times mesocoxal width. Scutellum with abundant brownish pubescence not obscuring integument. Elytra. Humeri slightly projected forward; humeral carina well marked from humerus to posterior quarter; dorsal surface with oblique, slightly elevated carina from anterior seventh to posterior fifth; area between humeral carina and epipleural margin with two longitudinal, slightly elevated carina located near humeral carina; densely, minutely punctate with moderately sparse, coarse punctures interspersed on anterior half, coarse punctures more abundant between dorsal and humeral carinae, absent on posterior half; apex truncate, briefly, triangularly projected on outer angle; with dense blackish pubescence partially obscuring integument, except glabrous base of humeral carina and dense, large white pubescent macula dorsally close to suture, from posterior margin of scutellum to posterior quarter, subelliptical on its anterior half, dentate on outer margin, widened, rounded on its posterior third, distinctly narrowed between middle and posterior third, and obliquely truncate on its apex, and yellowish pubescence on elytral apex. Legs. Femora with abundant yellowish-white pubescence, denser, bristly ventrally; with sparse, long, erect yellowish setae interspersed ventrally. Tibiae with moderately abundant yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, except ventral surface of protibiae with dense, bristly dark yellowish-brown pubescence, and ventral surface of meso- and metatibia abundant bristly yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument on basal 2/3, and abundant, somewhat thick, bristly dark setae on apical third; outer side of protibiae with long, erect, thick blackish setae; apical half of mesotibiae with fringe of short, erect dark-brown setae. Dorsal surface of tarsi with abundant dark-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, and long dark setae directed interspersed on tarsomeres I–III and apical third of V.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (appearing to be mostly darker due to oiliness), except glabrous apex of ventrites 1–4, small white pubescent spot on sides of ventrite 1, and large, subtriangular white pubescent macula on sides of ventrite 2; with a few long, erect yellowish setae interspersed. Apex of ventrite 5 concave centrally.

Female ( Figs 35–38 ). Similar to male. Chromatic differences: palpomeres blackish with yellowish-brown apex; apical third of prosternal process reddish brown on sides, dark brown on remaining surface; margins of posterior half of mesoventral process brownish; trochanters light yellowish brown; tarsomeres V brownish only close to apex; sides of abdominal intercoxal process almost entirely dark brown; apex of abdominal ventrites 1–3 narrowly orangish brown; ventrite 5 dark brown with irregular areas slightly lighter interspersed. Frons, vertex, and area behind eyes with sparser, shorter, lighter pubescence. Eyes more finely faceted; lower eye lobes shorter, slightly longer than genae. Antennae slightly shorter, 2.0 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere VI. Elytral white pubescence similar to that in male, but forming two isolated maculae, narrow central area absent. Abdominal ventrites 1 and 2 without white pubescent spot or macula.

Note: it is expected that the chromatic differences, including intermediate colors, as well as the variation in the elytral pubescent pattern occur in both sexes.

Dimensions (mm) (Holotype male/ paratype female). Total length, 11.50/14.05; prothoracic length, 2.30/2.80; anterior prothoracic width, 2.30/3.00; posterior prothoracic width, 2.35/3.20; maximum prothoracic width, 2.40/3.20; humeral width, 3.45/4.35; elytral length, 8.20/9.60.

Type material. Holotype male from GUATEMALA, Alta Verapaz: Sacmoc , 13º32’16.32”N 90º30’56.10”W, 16.VII.2022, E. van den Berghe leg. (MZSP, formerly DHCO) . Paratype female, same data as holotype ( DHCO) .

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Dr. Eric van den Berghe, friend of the first author and collector of the holotype.

Remarks. Cirrhicera vandenberghei sp. nov. differs from the other species of the genus especially by the shape and distribution of the white pubescent macula/maculae. Although the pubescent maculae are somewhat variable at least in some species of the genus, none of the species has a similar pattern of elytral pubescence. Females of C. leuconota (Laporte, 1840) and C. sallei Thomson, 1857 have the antennae not black.

Figures

FIGURES 31–38. Cirrhicera vandenberghei sp. nov. 31–34) Holotype male: 31) Dorsal habitus; 32) Ventral habitus; 33) Lateral habitus; 34) Head, frontal view. 35–38) Paratype female: 35) Head, frontal view; 36) Dorsal habitus; 37) Ventral habitus; 38) Lateral habitus.