Lethes turnbowi Lingafelter, 2020

Lingafelter, Steven W., 2020, New genera, species, and records of Acanthocinini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) from Hispaniola, Insecta Mundi 754, pp. 1-23 : 18-20

Lethes turnbowi Lingafelter

( Fig. 9 , 10c, d )

Diagnosis. The keys for the Cerambycidae of Puerto Rico ( Micheli 2010), Lesser Antilles ( Chalumeau and Touroult 2005), Cuba ( Zayas 1975), and North America ( Linsley and Chemsak 1995) were used in an attempt to assign this species. The absence of pronotal calli and lateral tubercles demonstrate an affinity to Lethes Zayas (formerly known only from Cuba and recently reviewed by Devesa et al. 2017), and distinguish it from all other acanthocinine genera in the Greater Antilles. This species is distinctive by the distinctly paler pubescent apical elytral third, and otherwise mostly dark brown integument. The single known specimen is also smaller than all other known specimens of Lethes which are 7–9 mm in length, with the exception of the recently revalidated L. israeli Zayas , which is similar in size ( Devesa et al. 2017).

Description. Length: 6.2 mm; width: 2.8 mm.

Head: Integument mostly dark reddish-brown to nearly black on genae and light reddish-brown on occiput, covered throughout with appressed, ochraceous pubescence, with exception of a narrow, median-frontal line extending from frontoclypeal margin to occiput. Antenna: covered with dense, appressed, pale, light brown and dark brown pubescence; scape, pedicel, and antennomere 11 mostly dark brown, antennomeres 3–10 with dark brown apices. Antennae longer than body, extending beyond elytral apices by nearly 5 full antennomeres. Antennomere 3 longest, slightly longer than scape, 4–7 successively decreasing in length, each much shorter than 3, 7–11 subequal in length to one another. Scape extending just beyond middle of pronotum. Eye: small to moderate sized, lower lobe slightly taller than height of gena below it; nearly twice thickness of upper eye lobe; lobes connected behind antennal tubercle by 5 rows of ommatidia at narrowest point. Upper eye lobes separated by nearly twice the basal width of scape. Mouthparts: frontoclypeal margin with sparse fringe of long, translucent setae, some of which extend beyond apex of labrum. Clypeus orange, darker at base, mostly glabrous, with a few long, translucent setae extending at sides to base of labrum. Labrum orange, darker at base, with sparse short and long, translucent setae. Mandibles prominent and extending considerably below and to sides of labrum, with basal and apical thirds dark brown and middle third reddish-brown.

Thorax: Pronotum integument dark brown; distinctly broader than long, narrower than elytral base, lacking dorsal and lateral tubercles. Mostly covered in mottled short, appressed ochraceous and dark brown setae. Pronotum broadly rounded laterally, without constriction at anterior and posterior margin. Punctures sparse but deep and conspicuous; mostly arranged in row along posterior margin and a few scattered over disk. Scutellum broadly rounded posteriorly and covered with short, appressed, mottled brown and ochraceous setae. Prosternum dark brown, smooth, impunctate, covered with uniform, appressed, ochraceous and brown pubescence. Prosternal process between procoxae about ½ width of each coxa, expanded at apex to nearly width of procoxa, closing procoxal cavities posteriorly. Mesosternum dark brown, with margins reddish-brown; smooth, impunctate, covered with uniform, appressed brown and ochraceous pubescence becoming lighter and mottled at sides. Mesosternal process between mesocoxae short and very broad, wider than mesocoxa. Metasternum dark brown, covered with appressed, brown and ochraceous pubescence, becoming lighter and mottled at sides. Elytra: covered with combination of appressed, off -white, ochraceous, and dark brown pubescence with apical third or more of elytra distinctly paler than basal two-thirds, with the demarcation as a narrow, transverse, slightly zig-zagged, dark fascia. Periscutellar area and costae notably darker than surrounding regions. No erect setae present. Humeri not projecting; elytra parallel-sided to apical third and then rounded to narrowly truncate apex. Legs: dense, appressed, pubescent with mottled, off-white, dark brown and light brown setae. Femora clavate; mostly paler than tibiae. Tibiae are narrowly pale annulate at base and middle, and dark annulate at apical third and between pale annuli. Tibiae cylindrical, slightly narrower at base; longer than femora; middle and hind legs subequal and slightly longer than forelegs; extending to about base or middle of ventrite 5. Tarsi dark brown, of same color as tibial apices.

Abdomen: Ventrites impunctate, dark brown at middle, reddish-brown at sides; covered with appressed, short, mostly ochraceous pubescence, with slight fringe extending beyond apex of each sternite. Fifth ventrite slightly longer than penultimate, with broad notch at apex; lacking basal middle line.

Etymology. The epithet turnbowi is a patronym for the collector, Robert H. Turnbow, Jr., who has discovered many interesting longhorned beetles over his career.

Remarks. Lethes Zayas was formerly known only from Cuba and was represented by three species. Hispaniola and the Dominican Republic represent a new island and country record, respectively, for the genus.

Type material. Holotype: Dominican Republic: Pedernales, 25.5 km N. Cabo Rojo, 21 May 1992, R. Turnbow (male, FSCA).

Figures

Figure 9. Distribution map of Duocristala viridifrons Lingafelter, new species, Leptostylopsis opuntiae Lingafelter, new species, and Lethes turnbowi Lingafelter, new species.

Figure 10. Holotype of Leptostylopsis opuntiae Lingafelter, new species. a) Dorsal. b) Ventral. Holotype of Lethes turnbowi Lingafelter, new species. c) Dorsal. d) Ventral.