Pygmaeopsis apicalis, Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2019

Bezark, Larry G. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2019, Synonymies and seven new species in Lamiinae from the Neotropical Region (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 4648 (1), pp. 92-110 : 105-106

Pygmaeopsis apicalis sp. nov.

( Figures 36–39 )

Description. Male. Frons and vertex black; antennal tubercles and most of genae dark reddish-brown; ventral surface of head brown; mouthparts reddish-brown, except pale yellow apex of last palpomeres; dorsal surface and basal third of sides and ventral surface of scape orangish-brown, and remaining surface dark brown; pedicel basal area of antennomeres III–X orangish-brown (roughly basal half on anterior antennomeres, gradually shorter toward X), and remaining surface of antennomeres dark brown (lighter ventrally on anterior antennomeres); antennomere XI orangish-brown; pronotum mostly brown, except dark-brown V-shaped central macula, and dark reddish-brown anterior area; sides of prothorax and sides of prosternum dark-brown, central area of prosternum dark reddish-brown, except black area surrounding procoxal cavities and prosternal process; ventral surface of meso- and metathorax nearly entirely black; elytra mostly black, with oblique, irregular orangish-brown macula laterally on anterior third, narrow orangish-brown band along suture, from about apex of anterior third to posterior seventh, and posterior seventh light yellowish-brown; femora orangish-brown anteriorly and posteriorly, blackish on wide central area; tibiae mostly dark reddish-brown, with irregular dark brown areas on distal region; tarsi mostly orangish-brown; abdominal ventrites dark brown (slightly lighter toward distal segments), except yellowish-brown distal area of I–IV.

Head. Frons finely, moderately abundantly punctate; with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity), denser laterally. Vertex and area behind upper eye lobes finely, moderately sparsely punctate; with yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, less so centrally, and brownish pubescence centrally from area between upper eye lobes to prothoracic margin. Area behind lower eye lobes coarsely, abundantly punctate, except smooth area close to prothorax; with narrow yellowish-brown pubescence band close to eye, sparse, yellowish-white on remaining punctate area, glabrous close to prothorax. Antennal tubercles with sculpturing and pubescence as on sides of frons, except nearly smooth apex. Genae finely, sparsely punctate, except smooth apex; with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence (whiter depending on light intensity), except glabrous apex. Postclypeus coarsely, sparsely punctate on wide central area, smooth laterally; with sparse, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence (whiter depending on light intensity). Labrum with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, with long yellowish-brown setae directed forward on transverse central area, and fringe of yellow setae anteriorly. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, except a few short yellowish-white setae anteriorly. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.6 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes equal to length of scape. Antennae 1.6 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex near apex of antennomere IX. Scape, pedicel, and light area of antennomeres with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; dark area of antennomeres with sparse reddish-brown pubescence; ventral surface of pedicel and antennomeres III–X with long, erect, dark setae ventrally (sparser toward X). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.96; pedicel = 0.32; IV = 1.5; V = 0.79; VI = 0.77; VII = 0.73; VIII = 0.67; IX = 0.65; X = 0.54; XI = 0.50.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; lateral tubercles moderately large, acute at apex. Pronotum coarsely, abundantly punctate; with yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument, more so laterally, except yellowish-brown pubescence on sides of anterior and posterior areas (posteriorly projected forward on sides of central area), and nearly smooth V-shaped central area. Sides of prothorax coarsely, abundantly punctate, with light yellow- ish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument. Prosternum coarsely, moderately shallowly punctate; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax coarsely, densely punctate; with yellowishwhite pubescence not obscuring integument. Scutellum dense pale yellow pubescent, slightly yellower laterally.

Elytra. Parallel-sided from humeri to distal sixth, then gradually, rounded narrowed toward sutural angle; coarsely, moderately abundantly punctate; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, except large, irregular areas with slightly conspicuous brownish pubescence. Legs. With light yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, except ventral surface of posterior 2/3 of protibiae with brown pubescence, and posterodorsal surface of mesotibiae with dark brown setae.

Abdomen. Ventrites coarsely, abundantly punctate (punctures slightly finer toward ventrite V); with yellowishwhite pubescence not obscuring integument, slightly denser laterally. Apex of ventrite V slightly rounded.

Dimensions (mm), holotype male/ paratype male. Total length, 4.40/2.75; prothoracic length, 0.95/0.80; anterior prothoracic width, 1.00/0.85; posterior prothoracic width, 1.00/0.90; maximum prothoracic width, 1.25/1.20; humeral width, 1.50/1.35; elytral length, 3.15/2.80.

Type material. Holotype male from MEXICO, Chiapas: P.N. Cañón del Sumidero, Mirador rd. 7-9 km, E Park Entrance, 18.VII.2007, J. & F. Rifkind & P. Gum col. ( LGBC, deposited in CASC) . Paratype male, same data as holotype ( LGBC) .

Remarks. Pygmaeopsis apicalis sp. nov. differs from P. viticola Schaeffer, 1908 (see photographs of types at Bezark 2019) by the elytra being mostly black, with the elytral apex entirely light (in P. viticola , mostly orangish, with irregular, moderately small dark areas interspersed, with the apical area not contrasting with the remaining surface), and the central area of the dorsal surface of the elytra without a narrow, longitudinal, fragmented pubescent band (present in P. viticola ), and by the antennomeres proportionally thicker.

Etymology. Pygmaeopsis apicalis is named for the light-colored apical portion of the elytra which contrasts with the remainder.

Figures

FIGURES 36–39. Pygmaeopsis apicalis, holotype male: 36) Dorsal habitus; 37) Ventral habitus; 38) Lateral habitus; 39) Head, frontal view.