Polyrhaphis skillmani, Wappes & Santos-Silva, 2013

Wappes, James E. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2013, A Synopsis of Bolivian Polyrhaphis Audinet-Serville (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae) with description of a new species, Insecta Mundi 2013 (322), pp. 1-11 : 2-4

Polyrhaphis skillmani sp. nov.

( Fig. 1-4 )

Holotype male ( Fig. 1-4 ). Body dorsoventrally depressed. Head 0.85 times length of prothorax; slightly elongate behind eyes. Area between lower ocular lobes flat; punctation fine, distinct only laterally in a line starting about middle of eyes and ending near clypeus; pubescence reddish-brown, short, laterally more abundant; area close to eyes with five long setae arranged in a line. Area between and on antennal tubercles with pubescence similar to that between lower ocular lobes. Area around upper ocular lobes and prothorax with pubescence brownish-yellow, denser than between ocular lobes and on antennal tubercles, forming a wide band; area between eyes with a small, glabrous, elongate oval area. Area behind upper ocular lobes with pubescence distinctly finer, brownish, intermixed with coarse, short, brownish-yellow setae. Area around lower ocular lobes with a narrow band of brownish-yellow pubescence, ending near genal apex; a wide band of brownish-yellow pubescence between genal base and prothorax, sparser close to the eyes. Distance between upper ocular lobes equal to 0.8 times pedicel length. Distance between lower ocular lobes equal to 1.7 times pedicel length. Genae about as long as 0.9 times width of lower ocular lobe; with short, sparse brownish-yellow setae, becoming rust-red towards apex. Dorsal surface of clypeus elevated, laterally with short, brownish-yellow setae, distinctly sparser medially, and with long setae present; frontal surface with long, moderately abundant setae (shorter than on dorsal surface). Anteclypeus translucent, shining, glabrous brown. Basal two-thirds of labrum darker, strongly emarginate centrally, pubescence sparser towards anteclypeus, with long setae towards apex; distal third as in anteclypeus, but with long, abundant setae on distal edge. Median groove narrow, distinct from clypeus to prothorax. Ventral surface of head shining, with fine, transverse, shallow sulcus; glabrous, except near mentum which is transversely covered with white setae. Mentum narrow, black, centrally glabrous, laterally with short, coarse, white setae with long, fine, brownish setae intermixed. Maxillary and labial palpi black, except a small reddish area at apex, with short setae and sparse longer setae intermixed. Mandibles about half as long as head at eye level; densely microsculptured, with moderately coarse, shallow punctures on dorsal and lateral surfaces, except on distal fourth, which is shining and glabrous; basal half with short, moderately dense brownish-red pubescence, distinctly sparser on distal half. Antennae about twice as long as elytral length, with short, fine, dense brownish-red pubescence; scape 0.6 times as long as antennomere III; pedicel 0.2 times as long as antennomere III; antennomere IV slightly shorter than III; V 0.8 times as long as IV; VI 0.9 times as long as V; VII and VIII slightly shorter than VI, and IX slightly shorter than VIII; X 0.9 times as long as IX; XI about twice as long as X.

Lateral spines of prothorax large, about 0.45 times as long as pronotal length; abundantly pubescent on dorsal surface, sparser and coarser on ventral surface; ventral surface with coarse, sparse punctures around base. Conical tubercles of pronotum protuberant, pubescent on basal half (mainly on inner surface), glabrous on distal half. Middle area between base and conical tubercles with a distinct, rounded tubercle, glabrous centrally. Pronotum with dense brownish-red pubescence, yellower in some irregular areas, sparser around outer and posterior sides of conical tubercles; transverse basal sulcus with coarse, deep punctures, somewhat smaller on anterior third. Prosternum covered with white pubescence, not obscuring the surface. Prosternal process narrow, sulcate centrally between procoxae, distinctly enlarged and widened towards apex; narrow area with short, whitish pubescence on sides of sulcus; wider area towards apex with long, abundant, dark red setae. Mesosternum with pubescence as on prosternum, but denser and longer. Greatest width of mesosternal process 0.75 times width of mesocoxa; 0.45 times at its least width; laterally elevated and with a wide carina centrally; vestiture composed of long setae intermixed with white pubescence. Metasternum densely white pubescent centrally, except on glabrous sulcus, slightly sparser white pubescence laterally. Metepisterna similarly pubescent laterally as metasternum. Scutellum densely brownish-yellow pubescent, except for a small triangular area at base. Elytra with basal three-fourths subparallel; apex with a distinct spine at outer angle, and a short spine at sutural angle; basal gibbosities elevated, widely carinate laterally, forming a wide, moderately deep depression between carina. Elytral pubescence: reddish-brown on basal half (slightly longer and more abundant on basal one-sixth); forming a wide transverse lighter band on basal fourth of elytron; an oblique darker band along distal edge of the lighter band, that does not reach the suture, and is curved forward centrally after the distal elytral callosity; areas between the anterior dark band and the last lighter band with intermixed brown and white pubescence followed by irregular less pubescent areas with light brown to yellow pubescence. Elytra with glabrous shining tubercles: moderately large and abundant on gibbosities; distinctly smaller laterally; larger on the oblique carina starting at apex of gibbosities and ending on base of distal third, nearly all tubercles rounded at apex. Elytral punctation coarse, deep, and abundant on vertical lateral area, especially on basal half and around base of gibbosities; sparser on base of shining tubercles, on gibbosities and the discal area between them; slightly smaller on distal third. Humeral margin nearly forming a right angle. Ventrites whitish-yellow pubescent. Tibiae with a band of whitish-yellow pubescence near middle. Tarsomeres dorsally white pubescent, except distal two-fifths of tarsomere V; ventral pad bright rust-red.

Dimensions in mm. Total length (including mandibles), 23.1; prothoracic length, 3.7; anterior prothoracic width, 4.9; posterior prothoracic width, 4.9; between apex of prothoracic lateral spines, 7.3; width at humeri, 8.3; elytral length, 17.0.

Type material. Described from a single male holotype from BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz: Florida, 4 km N Bermejo, Refugio los Volcanes (18º06’S, 63º36’W; 1000-1200 meters) ; 12.XII.2012, Skillman & Wappes col. ( MNKM) .

Diagnosis. Polyrhaphis skillmani ( Fig. 1-4 ) is one of three Bolivian species having sub parallel elytra laterally (the others are P. angustata and P. gracilis ). It differs from the other two by having much larger elytral tubercles and punctures that are clearly evident from the base to the apices (although the size and number are reduced on apical one-fourth), by having a pair of large glabrous tubercles on the pronotal disc and by its dark legs and antennae which lack annulation. Both P. angustata and P. gracilis have smaller elytral tubercles and punctures, greatly reduced in number apically, almost disappearing in P. angustata and completely lacking on apical one-fourth in P. gracilis . Both also lack the glabrous pronotal tubercles, having more of a raised but flattened disk, and with P. angustata having rust-red annulations on the legs and antennae.

Among South American species, Polyrhaphis skillmani is most similar to P. confusa Lane, 1978 , (recorded from SE Brazil). It differs by the low, only slightly elevated elytral gibbosities, with abundant tubercles on middle third, and apical fourth of elytra with distinct coarse punctures along the suture. In P. confusa ( Fig. 10 and 11 ) the elytral gibbosities are strongly elevated, the elytral tubercles on middle third much less abundant, and the apical fourth with at most sparse punctures, and occasionally not sculptured at all.

Etymology. We name this species for Frederick W. Skillman, Jr., the collector of the holotype and an ardent participant in the “ Bolivia Cerambycidae Project (BCP) ” with whom the first author has shared many enjoyable days and nights collecting in Bolivia.

Species excluded from Bolivian fauna

Polyrhaphis papulosa was recorded for Bolivia by Monné and Giesbert (1994) based on a specimen Edmund Giesbert collected in Bolivia and determined as Polyrhaphis paraensis Bates (now a junior synonym of P. papulosa ). This determination and subsequent recording of the species was followed by Wappes et al. (2006). Santos-Silva et al. (2010) commented (translation): “The record to Bolivia (Monné and Giesbert 1994; Wappes et al. (2006) is doubtful.” With the availability of the Santos-Silva et al. (2010) review the specimen was re-examined and determined to be Polyrhaphis argentina Lane. Wappes et al. (2011) , in their section: “Previously recorded species to be removed from the Checklist of Bolivian Cerambycidae ” listed “ Polyrhaphis paraensis Bates (replaced by P. argentina Lane, 1978 )” thus, formally removing it from the Bolivian fauna.

Figures

Figures 1-4. Polyrhaphis skillmani sp. nov., holotype male. 1) Dorsal habitus. 2) Ventral habitus. 3) Lateral habitus. 4) Head, frontal.

Figures 5-11. Polyrhaphis sp. 5) Polyrhaphis pilosa, paratype male, dorsal habitus. 6) P. angustata, male, dorsal habitus. 7) P. argentina, male, dorsal habitus. 8) P. gracilis, male, dorsal habitus. 9) P. spinosa, male, dorsal habitus. 10-11) P. confusa, male: 10) Dorsal habitus; 11) Lateral habitus.