Psyrassa wappesi García and Santos-Silva, 2022

García, Kimberly & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2022, The multiform genus Psyrassa Pascoe (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Elaphidiini): new species, new records, synonyms and transfers, Insecta Mundi 2022 (953), pp. 1-26 : 6-8

Psyrassa wappesi García and Santos-Silva , new species

( Fig. 58–64 )

Description. Holotype male. Head capsule, mandibles and prothorax black; posterocentral region of ventral surface of head brown; anteclypeus dark brown close to postclypeus, brownish on wide area close to labrum; labrum testaceous laterally, black centrally close to anteclypeus, reddish-brown anterocentrally; ventral mouthparts brown with dark brown areas interspersed posteriorly, yellowish-brown anteriorly, except palpi reddish with yellowish apex; antennae black basally, gradually light reddish-brown toward apex. Ventral surface of meso-and metathorax dark brown with blackish margins, and brown posterior area of mesoventrite and central area of metaventrite. Elytra mostly black, with sutural and epipleural regions more dark reddish-brown. Femora reddishbrown, except darker apical sides, base of mesofemora dark brown, and peduncle of metafemora dark brown basally, gradually reddish-brown toward club; tibiae blackish on basal half, gradually reddish-brown toward apex; tarsi mostly brown, darker on pro- and mesotarsi. Ventral surface of abdomen mostly dark reddish-brown with irregular blackish areas interspersed.

Head. Frontal plate smooth, glabrous; remaining surface of frons nearly smooth centrally, coarsely punctate laterally; nearly all punctures with a short white seta. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes finely, sparsely punctate, each puncture with a short whitish seta, and a few long, erect yellowish-brown setae close to eyes; dorsal area close to prothorax coarsely, abundantly punctate, punctures mostly transverse, with a few short yellowish-white seta. Antennal tubercles smooth, glabrous frontally and on apex, finely, sparsely punctate on remaining surface; each puncture with short white seta. Area behind eyes smooth on narrow area close to eye, coarsely, densely punctate on remaining surface behind upper eye lobe, transversely striate behind lower eye lobes, with a few fine punctures interspersed; area behind upper eye lobes with sparse, short, decumbent yellowish-brown setae, and a few long, erect setae of same color interspersed close to eye; area behind lower eye lobes glabrous, except a few short yellowish-white setae inferiorly. Genae short, with the anterior margin of lower eye lobe almost touching distal margin at middle; finely, sparsely punctate, with a few short, decumbent yellowishwhite setae, except smooth and glabrous apex. Maxillary palpomere IV and labial palpomere III securiform. Median groove distinct from clypeus to area between upper eye lobes. Wide central area of postclypeus coarsely, abundantly, shallowly punctate; with short, decumbent white setae, and one long, erect yellowish-brown seta on each side. Sides of postclypeus smooth, glabrous. Labrum finely, densely punctate on central area of posterior and anterior thirds, smooth on remaining surface; posterior punctate area with short white setae not obscuring integument, and a few long, erect yellowish-brown setae laterally; anterior punctate area with abundant, somewhat long, bristly yellowish-brown setae; remaining surface glabrous. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous on posterior third, somewhat transversely striate, glabrous on central third, transversely striate punctate, with sparse, both white and short, long and erect brownish setae on anterior third. Outer side of mandibles coarsely, densely punctate, except smooth apex, with decumbent, sparse yellowish-white setae and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed on punctate area, glabrous on smooth area. Upper eye lobes with four rows of ommatidia (three only at apex); distance between upper eye lobes 0.38 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.51 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 1.6 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at posterior quarter of antennomere X. Scape coarsely, abundantly punctate, except smooth apex of dorsal surface and upper region of the outer margin (this area projected toward anterior third laterally); nearly all punctures with short yellowish seta, and a few punctures with long, erect seta of the same color (erect setae more abundant ventrally). Pedicel and antennomeres III–XI with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, denser from IV; pedicel and antennomeres III–VII with long, erect, sparse yellow setae ventrally, gradually sparser toward VII; apex of antennomeres III–X with long, erect, sparse setae on dorsal apex; antennomere III weakly longitudinally carinate dorsally; antennomere IV weakly longitudinally carinate dorsally; remaining antennomeres not carinate dorsally; inner apex of antennomere III with spine 1.5 times pedicel length, with acute apex; inner apex of antennomere IV with spine distinctly shorter than pedicel, with acute apex; inner apex of antennomeres V–VI with spicule (shorter on VI). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III (excluding spine): scape = 0.89; pedicel = 0.24; IV = 0.97; V = 1.13; VI = 1.16; VII = 1.21; VIII = 1.16; IX = 1.16; X = 1.03; XI = 1.21.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly longer than wide; anterior and posterior constrictions well-marked. Pronotum with three gibbosities, one on each side of anterior third, another less distinct, located centrally from after middle to near posterior constriction; punctation coarse and sparse, however absent centrally from apex of anterior third to apex of central gibbosity, and almost absent on anterolateral gibbosities; some punctures with minute white seta, and others with long, erect yellowish seta. Sides of prothorax coarsely, abundantly punctate on wide central area, obliquely striate-punctate on posterior quarter, and partially transversely striate on anterior quarter; with long, erect, somewhat abundant yellowish-brown setae on wide central area, almost absent on anterior and posterior quarters. Prosternum rugose, finely, abundant punctate on posterior half, transversely striate on anterior half, less so on center of this area; posterior half with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument, forming irregular U-shaped band, and long, erect yellowish setae interspersed; remaining surface with a few short white setae, and a few long, erect yellowish setae laterally. Prosternal process with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; narrowest area 0.25 times procoxal width. Procoxal cavities distinctly opened posteriorly. Mesoventrite with very sparse whitish pubescence centrally, dense laterally. Mesanepisternum, mesepimeron, metanepisternum, and sides of metaventrite with dense whitish pubescence partially obscuring integument; wide central area of metaventrite coarsely, sparsely punctate, except smooth area close to metathoracic discrimen, and long, erect yellowish seta on nearly all puncture. Scutellum with dense white pubescence.

Elytra. Coarsely, abundantly punctate on basal half, punctures gradually finer, sparser toward apex on posterior half; distance between punctures on anterior half distinctly larger than diameter of a puncture, often more than three times; some punctures with long, erect yellow setae, and some punctures with minute yellowishwhite seta (more abundant on posterior third); apex widely concave, with outer and sutural angles triangularly projected (projection shorter on sutural angle).

Legs. Femora finely, sparsely punctate on basal third, coarsely, abundantly punctate on remaining surface, punctures coarser and confluent on posterior third, especially on meso- and metafemora; with long, suberect yellow setae, more abundant on posterior 2/3 of meso- and metafemora, and yellowish-white decumbent setae interspersed, especially on basal third and ventral surface. Tibiae carinate, with abundant, long, erect yellow setae, sparser on basal third of protibiae, and denser, bristly yellow pubescence on ventral surface of posterior third. Metatarsomere I shorter than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites finely, somewhat abundant punctate; sides with dense grayish-white pubescence, sparsely projected toward central region from ventrite 2, and long, erect yellow setae on wide central region. Apex of ventrite 5 widely emarginate centrally.

Dimensions in mm (holotype male). Total length, 16.35; prothoracic length, 3.00; anterior prothoracic width, 2.00; posterior prothoracic width, 2.10; maximum prothoracic width, 2.45; humeral width, 3.00; elytral length, 11.20.

Type material. Holotype male from MEXICO, MICHOACÁN: Hwy MX37, 98 km S Nueva Italia, 13.VII.2006, F.W. Skillman and D.C. Hildebrandt leg. ( FSCA, formerly FWSC).

Etymology. The specific epithet “ wappesi ” is in honor to the late James Wappes, who sent a great number of specimens used in this study.

Remarks. According to Toledo’s key to species (2005), Psyrassa wappesi new species, could follow both options of couplet “18”, since the genal length is between the two lengths mentioned: equal or smaller than 1⁄5; or about 2/3. If the first option is followed, P. wappesi new species could be included in the alternative of couplet “19” and compared to P. ebenina Linsley, 1935 (see photograph on Bezark 2022); P. wappesi new species differs from this species especially by the slender body (stouter in P. ebenina ), elytral punctures and setae sparser (denser in P. ebenina ), and absence of abundant decumbent elytral setae (present in P. ebenina ). If the second option of the alternative of couplet “18” was followed, the new species can be compared to P. oaxacae Toledo, 2002 , from which it differs noticeable by the slender body (stouter in P. oaxacae ), and prothorax without distinct basal constriction (present in P. oaxacae ). Psyrassa wappesi new species also resembles P. nigroaenea Bates, 1892 (see photograph of the holotype on Bezark 2022; Fig. 65–67 ), but differs by the sparser elytral punctures (denser in P. nigroaenea ), and only the antennomere III distinctly carinate dorsally (antennomeres III–VII dorsally carinate in P. nigroaenea ).

As we already discussed, there is variation in the shape of the apex of the spine of antennomere III. If it was considered as not acute, P. wappesi new species could be included in the alternative of couplet “15” from Toledo (2005), and compared to P. cylindricollis Linsley, 1935 , and P. brevicornis Linsley, 1934 . It differs from both especially by the scape not contrasting in color with the basal flagellomeres (distinctly contrasting in P. cylindricollis (e.g. Fig. 30 ) and P. brevicornis ).

Figures

Figures 58–67. Psyrassa spp. 58–64) Psyrassa wappesi sp. nov., holotype male. 58) Dorsal habitus. 59) Ventral habitus. 60) Lateral habitus. 61) Spine of the antennomeres III–V.62) Head, frontal view. 63) Procoxal cavities. 64) Apex of the antennomere VI. 65–67) Psyrassa nigroaenea Bates, 1892, male from Mexico (Jalisco, Morelos): 65) Dorsal habitus. 66) Procoxal cavities. 67) Antennomeres III–V.

Figures 30–40. Psyrassa cylindricollis Linsley, 1935, specimens from Mexico (Jalisco). 30–33) Female (1): 30) Dorsal habitus. 31) Ventral habitus. 32) Prothorax, lateral view. 33) Antennomeres III–V. 34) Female (2), dorsal habitus. 35) Female (3), dorsal habitus. 36–40) Male: 36) Lateral habitus. 37) Dorsal habitus. 38) Ventral habitus. 39) Head, frontal view. 40) Apical spine of the antennomeres III–V.