Neoma corrosa ( Bates, 1879 )

Santos-Silva, Antonio, Thomas, Michael C. & Wappes, James E., 2011, A new genus of Prioninae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Insecta Mundi 2011 (175), pp. 1-8 : 3-7

Neoma corrosa ( Bates, 1879)

( Fig. 1-13 )

Mallodonopsis corrosus Bates, 1879: 7 ; 1884: 234, pl. 16, fig. 10; Damoiseau and Cools 1987: 32 (paratypes); Monné and Giesbert 1994: 5 (checklist); Monné 1995: 6 (cat.); Monné and Hovore 2005: 14 (checklist); 2006: 13 (checklist); Monné 2006: 53 (cat.); Hovore 2006: 371 (distribution); Swift et al. 2010: 8 (checklist).

Mallodonopsis corrosa ; Lameere 1883: 10 (checklist); Casey 1912: 229; Lameere 1913: 11 (cat.); 1919: 28; Blackwelder 1946: 552 (checklist); Chemsak et al. 1992: 14 (checklist); Noguera and Chemsak 1996: 396 (checklist).

Basitoxus (Mallodonopsis) corrosus ; Lameere 1903: 219.

Description. Integument brown to dark-brown.

Male ( Fig. 1 ). Head (without mandibles) just shorter than prothorax, wider than long; dorsal surface coarsely, confluently, abundantly, deeply punctate, usually sparser and just smaller between the eyes; area between the ocular carina and the central sulcus without depression. Upper ocular lobe just narrower than lower ocular lobe; distance between upper ocular lobes about 1.4 times the width of a lobe; distance between lower ocular lobes about 0.7 times the width of the apex of genae. Ocular carina low and narrow; punctuation coarse, somewhat abundant and confluent on base, gradually sparser and finer towards apex, with the area closer to the scape finely and abundantly punctate. Epistoma centrally distinctly lower than the area between the upper ocular lobes, separated from it by two deep, oblique sulcus, united in the central area; anterior margin emarginated centrally. Hypostomal area slightly depressed, rugose-punctate; pilosity moderately long and abundant. Inner margin of mandibles with a single, large tooth; apex wide, bifid, distinctly separated from the outer surface by a constriction; punctation abundant, coarse and partially anastomosed, mainly on outer side. Antennae just surpassing the middle of elytra; scape approximately as long as antennomeres III-IV together, punctation on dorsal surface coarse, abundant, confluent on basal third, gradually smaller and sparser towards apex; antennomeres III-XI distinctly narrower than apex of scape.

Lateral angles of the prothorax adjacent to the posterior angles, longer than them; posterior angles acute. Disc of the pronotum shining, finely, sparsely punctate, with a transverse, coarsely punctate furrow on each side of basal fourth; pilosity on disc very short and somewhat sparse, except on the transverse furrow, where the hairs are distinctly longer and more abundant; pilosity on sides moderately long and abundant. Prosternum finely, abundantly punctate laterally in a large band on each side that does not reach the anterior and posterior margins; pilosity moderately short and abundant, intermixed by long hairs. Pilosity of the prosternal process long and somewhat sparse, closer towards apex; margins with fringe of hairs. Pilosity of the metepisterna long and abundant. Pilosity of metasternum moderately short, abundant, intermixed with long hairs, except on the central triangular area, which is almost glabrous. Elytral punctation moderately fine and moderately abundant; apex rounded, with small spine at suture; each elytron with three carinae. Urosternites I-IV centrally almost flat, and laterally somewhat chagrined and with some small granules; pilosity very short and sparse centrally, laterally distinctly longer and more abundant. Tarsomere V approximately as long as I-II together.

Female ( Fig. 2 ). Scape not reaching the posterior margin of eyes. Anterior angles of the prothorax frequently projected forwards more than in males. Prosternum coarsely, abundantly punctate laterally. Proepimera and proepisterna coarsely rugose-punctate. Pilosity of the metasternum and metepisterna, long and abundant, except on the central triangular area, where it is long and distinctly sparser. Elytral punctation as in males.

Variability. The body can be proportionally wide ( Fig. 1, 2, 4 ) or narrow ( Fig. 3, 5 ), mainly in females.

Males. area between the ocular carina and the central sulcus with shallow or deep depression; ocular carina sometimes almost indistinct; antennae distinctly surpassing the middle of the elytra; scape surpassing the posterior edge of eyes, ending from slightly short of to slightly past the apex of the anterior angles of prothorax ( Fig. 4, 6-9 ); largest width of the scape proportionally narrow ( Fig. 7 ) or wide ( Fig. 8 ); length of the antennomere III from 0.40 to 0.48 times the length of the scape; antennomere III proportionally short and thick (largest width equal to about 0.42 times the length) ( Fig. 6 ) or long and narrow (largest width equal to about 0.32 times the length) ( Fig. 7-8 ); hypostomal area anastomosedly punctate; anterior angles of the prothorax vary from distinctly projected forward to slightly projected; lateral margins of the prothorax with spines varying from abundant and of uniform size ( Fig. 7 ) to sparse and with variable size ( Fig. 6 ); disc of the pronotum with punctation moderately abundant or sparser; disc of the pronotum almost glabrous; scutellum proportionally short or long; granules on ventral face of the protibiae from present and moderately abundant to absent.

Females. scape reaches or surpasses the ocular posterior edge; largest width of the scape variable as in males ( Fig. 10-13 ); length and shape of the antennomere III as variable as in males ( Fig. 10-13 ); anterior angles of the prothorax variable in shape and projection forward ( Fig. 10-13 ); lateral margins of the prothorax with spines variable in shape, concentration and arrangement ( Fig. 2, 5 ); disc of the pronotum with punctuation variable in shape (fine or moderately coarse), concentration (abundant or sparse), and arrangement (sometimes absent or almost so centrally); scutellum variable as in males; elytral punctation very abundant and distinct; apical spine of the elytra distinct or just indicated.

Dimensions in mm (male/female). Total length (including mandibles), 28.8-35.3/28.9-41.8; length of prothorax, 4.4-5.4/4.2-5.6; larger width of prothorax, 7.0-9.5/7.3-9.9; humeral width, 8.0-9.4/7.6-11.0; elytral length, 19.0-22.8/19.5-28.0.

Material examined. GUATEMALA, Baja Verapaz: 19-24 km N Salama (4500’), female, 25-31.V.1989, J. E. Wappes col. ( ACMT) . HONDURAS, Olancho: Parque Nacional La Muralla , male, 24-27.V.1995, J. E. Wappes col. ( ACMT) . NICARAGUA, Jinotega: Cerro Diablo vic. (1300 m), female, 9-10.IV.2005, E. van den Berghe col. ( DHCO) ; El Diablo - Datanli La Esmeralda , 2 females, IV.2005, J.M. Maes col. ( MELN) . COSTA RICA, Puntarenas: Monteverde , 3 females, 22-23.V.1974, E. Giesbert col. ( FSCA) ; male, female, 1-3.VI.1978, E. Giesbert col. ( FSCA) ; male, 12-16.VI.1978, E. Giesbert col. ( FSCA) ; female, 4-6.VI.1980, E. Giesbert col. ( FSCA) ; 2 females, 4-6.VI.1980, J. E. Wappes col. ( ACMT) ; male, 23.IV.1981, E. Giesbert col. ( MZSP) ; 4 females, 23.IV.1981, E. Giesbert col. ( FSCA) ; 2 males, 4 females, 24.IV.1981, E. Giesbert col. ( FSCA) ; male, 25.IV.1981, E. Giesbert col. ( FSCA) ; female, 19-26.IV.1988, E. Giesbert col. ( MZSP) ; 4 females, 19-26.IV.1988, E. Giesbert col. ( FSCA) .

Geographical distribution (between parentheses is the author who first cited the country). Mexico ( Blackwelder 1946), Guatemala ( Bates 1879), Belize ( Bates 1879), Panama ( Casey 1912), Mexico to Panama ( Chemsak et al. 1992).

Types. Bates (1879) did not record how many specimens or the sex of the specimens examined when he described the species, but he had males [specimens deposited in the BMNH and MCZN, whose photos were examined] and females [“lateribus denticulis acutissimis 8-10”]: “Long. 1 poll. 2 lin. usque 1 poll. 6 lin. [male and female symbol]” ; “Hab. GUATEMALA (Salvin), Capetillo (Champion); BRITISH HONDURAS, R. Sarstoon (Blancaneau)” .

Damoiseau and Cools (1987) wrote: “ corrosus BATES, 1879 , Biol. Centr. Amer. 5: 7, Mallodonopsis . (*) 6 paratypes, (6), Guatemala: Capetillo, G. C. Champion”. Bates (1879) did not choose a holotype. Thus, the specimens deposited in the ISNB are syntypes and not paratypes.

Additionally, there is at least one specimen (male) deposited in MCZN (ex. Godman and Salvin Collection), figured at http://insects.oeb.harvard.edu/mcz/ ( Fig. 4 ).

Traditionally the specimens described by Bates in the Biologia Centrali-Americana are deposited in the BMNH, hence we here designate as LECTOTYPE the specimen male ( Fig. 3 ) deposited in that Collection, that has the following labels:

1. Circular red edged: BM Type label;

2. White rectangular handwritten label: Guatemala (Bates handwritten)

3. sp. figured (printed) 4;

4. B.C.A., Col.,V. / Mallodonopsis / corrosus;

5. White handwritten det. label: Mallodonopsis /corrosus/Bates (Bates handwritten);

6. Rectangular red label: LECTOTYPE (printed).

Remarks. Jenis (2010: 47) figured a female specimen from Mexico (Durango) as Archodontes corrosus . That specimen, apparently, is a female of Physopleurus maillei (Audinet-Serville, 1832) , a species that

occurs in Brazil (Alagoas, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Santa Catarina), Paraguay, and Argentina (Tucumán, Misiones).

Figures

Figure 1-13. Neoma corrosa (Bates, 1879). 1-5) Dorsal habitus - 1) Male; 2) Female; 3) Lectotype male (BMNH); 4) Paralectotype male (MCZN - http://insects.oeb.harvard.edu/MCZ/index.htm). 5) Female. 6-13) Scape, antennomere III, anterior angle of the prothorax - 6-9) Male; 10-13) Female.