Sphaenothecus vandenberghei Wappes and Santos-Silva, 2020

Wappes, James E. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2020, New species of Trachyderini from Mexico and Central America (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), Insecta Mundi 2020 (822), pp. 1-11 : 8-11

Sphaenothecus vandenberghei Wappes and Santos-Silva , new species

( Fig. 17–22 )

Description. Holotype male. Head, most of ventral surface of thorax, inferior region of sides of prothorax dark brown; parts of mouthparts reddish-brown; posterior area of gulamentum gradually reddish-brown toward prothorax; antennae black; pronotum and superior area of sides of prothorax brown, slightly dark reddish-brown toward center of pronotum; elytra with longitudinal yellowish-brown band dorsally, from base to near apex, gradually narrowed toward its apex, and another laterally from anterior eighth to near posterior quarter; with reddish-brown band adjacent to the yellowish-brown dorsal band (between suture and yellowish-brown band), from near base to just before middle; femora dark reddish-brown, slightly darker on posterior region of metafemora; protibiae light reddish-brown; meso- and metatibiae dark reddish-brown, with apex of metatibiae blackish; tarsi black; abdominal ventrites I–III black; abdominal ventrite IV mostly black, with central area slightly lighter; abdominal ventrite V mostly brown, with anterocentral region orangish-brown.

Head. Frons finely, abundantly, partially confluently punctate, except central plate close to clypeus with punctures slightly finer and sparser; with bristly yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument, more abundant and with lighter setae laterally, with long, erect, abundant dark setae interspersed. Vertex coarsely and sparsely punctate, punctures slightly more abundant between antennal tubercles and base of upper eye lobes; with short, bristly yellowish-brown setae between antennal tubercles and base of upper eye lobes, and long, erect brown setae interspersed; with narrow yellowish-white pubescent band laterally, from slightly before upper eye lobes to prothorax, yellower near prothorax; remaining surface of vertex with long, erect, abundant brown setae. Area behind upper eye lobes nearly smooth, glabrous; area behind lower eye lobes smooth on narrow area close to eye, followed by narrow finely punctate area, another narrow smooth area, and wide finely striate area close to prothorax; punctate area with both short and long, erect pale setae, and remaining surface glabrous. Genae finely, sparsely punctate, except smooth apex; with pale setae toward inferior region, more yellowish-brown toward clypeus, both denser close to eye, and long, erect pale setae interspersed, except glabrous smooth area. Area between antennal tubercles and lower eye lobes with thick, erect dark brown setae. Median groove distinct from clypeus to area between antennal tubercles. Antennal tubercles finely, abundantly punctate, except smooth narrow apex; with long, erect, thick dark brown setae on punctate area. Postclypeus transversely carinate on center of wide central area; finely, abundantly punctate; with bristly, yellowish-white setae on wide central area close to frons, and long, erect brown setae on wide central area close to anteclypeus; sides smooth and glabrous. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus on about posterior third, oblique on remaining surface; finely, abundantly punctate on apical region of coplanar area, with a long, erect pale seta emerging from each puncture, longer laterally; remaining surface nearly glabrous, except small tuft of golden setae on central area of anterior margin. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous on posterior 2/3, slightly depressed, coarsely, abundantly punctate, with long, erect, pale yellow setae on anterior third. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.57 times length of scape (0.40 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.92 times length of scape (0.64 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 12-segmented, 2.6 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at posterior quarter of antennomere VII. Scape coarsely, abundantly punctate, except smooth dorsal apex; with short, abundant dark setae, longer, distinctly more abundant on distal area of ventral surface; with a few long, erect, pale yellow setae interspersed. Pedicel and antennomere III finely, densely punctate; pedicel with long dark setae throughout; antennomere III with abundant, more bristly dark pubescence, ventrally, especially toward apex, and a few long, erect dark setae interspersed ventrally. Remaining antennomeres with abundant dark pubescence, slightly longer and bristly apically; antennomeres IV–V with a few long, erect dark setae ventrally. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.62; pedicel = 0.14; IV = 0.97; V = 1.00; VI = 1.05; VII = 0.97; VIII = 0.93; IX = 0.93; X = 0.83; XI = 0.83; XII = 1.00.

Thorax. Pronotum coarsely striate-punctate on sides of anterior half, coarsely, sparsely punctate on remaining surface, punctures sparser, slightly finer toward center of posterior half, and absent on posterocentral area; with wide, dense shining, pale yellow pubescent band on each side (whiter depending on light intensity), from base to apex; with short setae emerging from punctures, yellowish anteriorly, whiter posteriorly. Sides of prothorax coarsely, abundantly punctate (punctures distinctly coarser than on pronotum, especially superiorly); with both short and long pale setae, distinctly denser close to prosternum. Prosternum coarsely, abundantly punctate on posterior 2/3, transversely striate on anterior third; with erect, abundant pale setae, especially on punctate area. Prosternal process somewhat finely punctate basally, gradually smooth toward apex; with long, erect pale setae laterally, short, and sparse centrally; narrowest area 0.6 times width of procoxal cavity. Mesoventrite with shining, pale yellow pubescence not obscuring integument. Mesanepisternum and mesepimeron with dense, shining pale yellow pubescence obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity and viewing angle), and long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Mesoventral process ( Fig. 22 ) about as wide as mesocoxal cavity; with silvery pubescence laterally, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed, nearly glabrous centrally. Metanepisternum and sides of metaventrite with silvery pubescence obscuring integument (anteriorly and posteriorly projected toward central area on metaventrite), and long, erect setae of same color interspersed, remaining surface with long, erect, sparse silvery setae. Scutellum distinctly longer than wide; with a few short yellowishwhite setae. Elytra. Dorsal yellowish-brown band carinate; surface coarsely, abundantly punctate, except smooth dorsal yellowish-brown band, and central area of lateral yellowish-brown band; apex sinuous, with short spine at outer and sutural angles; area between dorsal carina and suture with yellowish-white pubescence (whiter depending on light intensity), gradually denser toward apex; area close to outer surface of dorsal carina with sparse yellowish-white pubescence (whiter depending on light intensity), distinctly sparser and narrowed toward apex; remaining surface with short, bristly, somewhat thick dark setae, longer on apex. Legs. Profemora subfusiform, finely, sparsely punctate; meso- and metafemora subpedunculate, arched on basal third (more so in metafemora), coarsely, abundantly punctate; pro- and mesofemora with sparse yellowish-white setae, denser and longer ventrally, especially on basal 2/3; metafemora with sparse yellowish-white setae, longer and denser ventrally on basal third, and dark setae on posterior 2/3 of dorsal surface; metafemora reaching about apex of abdominal ventrite IV. Protibiae with sparse, both short and long yellowish-white setae dorsally and laterally, and dense, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence ventrally, gradually longer toward apex. Mesotibiae with both short and long yellowish-white setae throughout, except apex of ventral surface with dense, long yellowish-brown setae. Metatibiae with long, erect dark setae throughout, denser on apex of ventral surface, and a few long, erect yellowish-white setae interspersed. Metatarsomere I about as long as II+III; metatarsomere II 0.43 times length of I; metatarsomere V about as long as I.

Abdomen. Ventral surface with dense silvery pubescent band laterally, gradually narrowed toward apex of ventrite V, and long, erect setae of same color interspersed; remaining surface of ventrites with short, very sparse silvery setae, and a few long, erect setae close to lateral pubescent band; apex of ventrite V with somewhat abundant dark setae. Ratio of ventrites, based on V: I (including abdominal process), 3.33; II = 1.50; III = 1.33; IV = 1.25.

Dimensions in mm (holotype male). Total length, 10.50; prothoracic length, 2.20; anterior prothoracic width, 1.70; posterior prothoracic width, 2.20; maximum prothoracic width, 2.35; humeral width, 2.80; elytral length, 7.10.

Type material. Holotype male from NICARAGUA, Nueva Segovia: Cerro Jesus , 1,300 m, 13.V.2012, E. van den Berghe col. ( FSCA, formerly ACMT).

Etymology. Named for Eric van den Berghe (Zamarano, Honduras), the collector of the holotype, who so kindly provided the specimen to the authors.

Remarks. Sphaenothecus vandenberghei new species is similar to E. bilineatus (Gory, 1831) ( Fig. 23–25 ), but differs as follows: antennae in male distinctly shorter ( Fig. 17 ); metafemora not reaching elytral apex ( Fig. 18–19 ). In E. bilineatus , the antennae ( Fig. 24–25 ) are much longer, and the metafemora reach or slightly surpass elytral apex. It is also similar to S. maccartyi Chemsak and Noguera, 1998 (see photograph on Bezark 2020), but differs by the antennae distinctly shorter than twice the body length.

Sphaenothecus vandenberghei can be included in the alternative of couplet “5” from Chemsak and Noguera (1998) (modified):

5(4). Antennae 11-segmented; elytral apices with angles unarmed; mesoventral process narrowly rounded at apex; Mexico (Chiapas, Oaxaca), Honduras, Costa Rica... S. toledoi Chemsak and Noguera, 1998

— Antennae 12-segmented; elytral apex strongly dentate at outer angles; mesoventral process broadly rounded at apex...................................................................... 5 ′

5′(5). Antennae in male longer than twice body length; Mexico (Jalisco, Sinaloa, Chiapas)............................................................... S. maccartyi Chemsak and Noguera, 1998

— Antennae in male distinctly shorter than twice body length; Nicaragua............................................................... S. vandenberghei Wappes and Santos-Silva , new species

Figures

Figures 17–25. Sphaenothecus spp. 17–22) Sphaenothecus vandenberghei, holotype male. 17) Dorsal habitus. 18) Ventral habitus. 19) Lateral habitus. 20) Antennomere III. 21) Head, frontal view. 22) Mesoventral process. 23– 25) Sphaenothecus bilineatus, male. 23) Antennomere III. 24) Dorsal habitus. 25) Lateral habitus.