Neocompsa obliqua, Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2023

Bezark, Larry G. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2023, New species and new country records for Neotropical Cerambycinae (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 5227 (4), pp. 473-485 : 478-481

Neocompsa obliqua sp. nov.

( Figs 15–18 )

Description. Holotype male. Integument mostly dark brown, with some areas blackish; ventral mouthparts reddish brown, except light yellowish-brown apex of palpomeres; anteclypeus and labrum mostly reddish brown; antennae gradually lighter from antennomere IV, becoming reddish brown. Apex of prosternal process dark reddish brown; mesoventral process mostly reddish brown, lighter toward apex; posterocentral area of metaventrite orangish brown. Elytra with two yellowish-white bands on dorsal surface, one oblique on anterior third, another transverse after middle. Coxae and trochanters orangish brown, procoxae slightly more brownish; femora brown, except orangish brown meso- and metafemoral peduncles; tibiae and tarsi brown. Ventrite 4 orangish brown near apex.

Head. Frons densely, finely rugose-punctate, except obliquely striate area close to base of antennal tubercles and subsmooth area of median groove; with a few minute yellowish setae. Antennal tubercles elevated, abruptly inclined posteriorly; sparsely, finely punctate, with a few short, decumbent yellowish setae. Area between upper eye lobes and base of antenna with dense yellowish-brown pubescence. Vertex and area behind upper eye lobes somewhat abundantly, finely punctate; with abundant dark yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, especially posteriorly on vertex, pubescence more greenish-brown depending on light intensity and source; with long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Area behind lower eye lobes abundantly, coarsely punctate close to eye, smooth close to prothorax; with sparse yellowish-brown pubescence, more greenish-brown depending on light source, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed on punctate area, erect setae more abundant superiorly, glabrous on smooth area. Genae finely rugose-punctate, except smooth apex, and densely, minutely punctate depressed area close to apex; with sparse, short, decumbent yellowish setae on rugose-punctate area. Wide central area of postclypeus with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons; with one long, erect yellowish-brown seta on each side. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum glabrous laterally, with somewhat abundant yellowish-brown pubescence centrally and long, erect setae of same color interspersed on sides of pubescent area. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous on posterior third; anterior 2/3 depressed, coarsely, transversely striate-punctate, with sparse, short, bristly yellowish-brown setae and long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Eyes somewhat coarsely faceted; upper eye lobes with three rows of ommatidia; distance between upper eye lobes 0.28 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.43 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 2.4 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at basal quarter of antennomere VIII. Scape somewhat finely and sparsely punctate, except subsmooth apex of dorsal surface; with somewhat abundant yellowish pubescence on basal third of dorsal surface, sparse whitish pubescence on remaining surface; with long, erect yellowish-brown setae laterally and ventrally, and somewhat short, erect yellowish-brown setae on base of dorsal surface. Pedicel with somewhat sparse yellowish-white pubescence, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed, erect setae longer ventrally. Antennomere III wider than IV–XI, distinctly longitudinally carinate dorsally and ventrally; with somewhat abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument dorsally and laterally, pubescence absent ventrally; with long, erect yellowish-brown setae on inner region of ventral surface, sides of inner surface, and dorsal apex. Antennomeres IV–XI with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence sparser ventrally on IV; IV–IX longitudinally carinate dorsally and ventrally; IV–V with long, erect yellowish-brown setae ventrally, sparser on V; IV–XI with long yellowish-brown setae apically. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.50; pedicel = 0.17; IV = 0.54; V = 0.89; VI = 0.91; VII = 0.93; VIII = 0.81; IX = 0.71; X = 0.67; XI = 0.77.

Thorax. Prothorax longer than wide, in lateral view, distinctly inclined backward, especially from middle. Pronotum with slightly elevated tubercle centrally; sparsely, coarsely punctate except smooth central tubercle; glabrous on large, almost Y-shaped central macula; with dense yellowish-brown pubescence on remaining surface, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed, pubescence slightly less dense on sides of

Y-shaped central macula. Sides of prothorax sparsely, coarsely punctate, except smooth area close to posterior margin, and almost smooth anterior area, this area gradually widened toward prosternum; with somewhat abundant yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, pubescence more yellowish-white toward prosternum, with long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed superiorly, except almost glabrous anterior and posterior areas. Prosternum finely, sparsely punctate on each side of posterior third, smooth centrally on posterior third, smooth area projected backward laterally, transversely smooth about middle, finely transversely striate-punctate on anterior third; with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument on finely punctate area, almost glabrous on remaining surface. Prosternal process with narrowest area 0.18 times procoxal width; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser on wider apical area. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence more light yellowish brown on some areas, except glabrous central area of metaventrite; metaventrite with a few long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Scutellum with abundant yellowish pubescence. Elytra. Somewhat sparsely, coarsely punctate, punctures gradually finer toward apex; apex truncate; anterior third with short, erect yellowish setae emerging from most punctures, and a few long, erect yellowish-brown setae emerging from some punctures; posterior 2/3 with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence, pubescence more greenish brown depending on light intensity and source and more yellowish-white on light integumental macula, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Legs. Femora with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, and long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed; apex of femoral clubs with longitudinal carina indistinct. Tibiae with abundant yellowish-white pubescence, except ventral surface of protibiae with abundant, bristly yellowish-brown pubescence, and posterior quarter of ventral surface of meso- and metatibiae with abundant, bristly yellowish-brown setae; with somewhat abundant, erect, yellowish-brown setae interspersed. Metatarsomere I slightly shorter than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence denser laterally on 1–4, except glabrous apex of ventrites 1–4; with a few long, erect yellowish-brown setae interspersed laterally; apex of ventrite 5 subtruncate.

Dimensions (mm) (holotype male/ paratype male). Total length, 9.00/12.80; prothoracic length, 2.10/3.70; anterior prothoracic width, 1.10/1.50; posterior prothoracic width, 1.10/1.50; maximum prothoracic width, 1.20/1.65; humeral width, 1.55/2.20; elytral length, 5.60/7.65.

Type material. Holotype male from MEXICO, Nayarit: 5-18 km NE Compostela , 10.VII.2019, J. Rifkind & E. Martinez leg. ( CASC, formerly LGBC) . Paratype male, same data as holotype ( LGBC).

Etymology. The species name “ obliqua ,” Latin for oblique, is in reference to the basal elytral maculae of this species which are oblique, being angled from the suture towards the lateral edges.

Remarks. Neocompsa obliqua sp. nov. is similar to N. tenuissima (Bates, 1885) ( Fig. 19 ) but differs as follows: prothorax almost entirely black; elytra entirely dark; eyes somewhat coarsely faceted, with the area between lobes slightly narrower than upper eye lobe; and distance between upper eye lobes slightly wider than maximum diameter of the scape. In N. tenuissima , the posterior area of prothorax is orangish, this area wider ventrally, elytra have the basal region orangish (this area variable in shape and length, but always present), eyes finely faceted, with the area between lobes distinctly slender than upper eye lobes, especially centrally, and the distance between upper eye lobes is much wider than maximum width of the scape (about twice). It differs from N. clerochroa (Thomson, 1867) ( Fig. 20 ) by the prothorax almost entirely dark (entirely orangish in N. clerochroa ), elytra entirely dark (orangish anteriorly in N. clerochroa ), and by the size of the ommatidia, shape of the area between lobes and distance between upper eye lobes (in N. clerochroa , all these features as in N. tenuissima ).

Neocompsa obliqua sp. nov. can be included in the alternative of couplet “20” from Martins (1970), with the couplet “4” modified:

4(1). Elytra reddish basally or on basal half, dark on remaining surface............................................. 5

- Elytra without reddish area anteriorly................................... 6 (following to alternative of couplet 20)

20(19). Anterior light macula on elytra oblique band-shaped. Mexico (Nayarit)........................... N. obliqua sp. nov.

- Anterior light macula on elytra not oblique band-shaped.................................................. 20’

20’(20). Pronotum with three distinct tubercles, especially the central one; anterior light macula of the elytra tumid, the posterior one rounded, and with elytral carina distinct. Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia.......................................................................................... N. tuberosa Martins, 1970

- Pronotum without tubercles; anterior light macula of elytra not tumid, posterior one oblique band-shaped, elytra carina absent. United States of America (Texas), Mexico (Sonora, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Colima, Michoacán, Mexico, Morelos, Guerrero, Oaxaca, Jalisco, Veracruz, Quintana Roo), Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras................. P. alacris (Bates, 1885)

Figures

FIGURES 15–20. Neocompsa spp. 15–18) Neocompsa obliqua sp. nov., holotype male: 15) Dorsal habitus; 16) Ventral habitus; 17) Lateral habitus; 18) Head, frontal view. 19) Neocompsa tenuissima (Bates, 1885), dorsal habitus, male from Mexico (Mexico). 20) Neocompsa clerochroa (Thomson, 1857), dorsal habitus, male from Mexico (Jalisco).