Duocristala viridifrons Lingafelter, 2020

Lingafelter, Steven W., 2020, New genera, species, and records of Acanthocinini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) from Hispaniola, Insecta Mundi 754, pp. 1-23 : 14-16

Duocristala viridifrons Lingafelter , new species

( Fig. 7–9 )

Diagnosis. The prominent centro-basal and medial elytral tufts of long, black, setae and the bright green or blue-green front of the head are very distinctive features of this species. Other characters, including the medially swollen antennal scape, strongly clavate and pedunculate femora, basally paleannulate antennomeres, and heavily punctate pronotum lacking dorsal calli, further distinguish this species from all others.

Description. Length: 6.2–6.7 mm; width: 2.4–2.6 mm.

Head: Covered in vestiture of short, dense, bright green or blue-green setae on frons and genae, mottled dark green and brown on vertex; impunctate. Narrow median-frontal line well-delineated. Distinct brown spot near lower eye lobe margin on each side, bearing a single, long, seta. Antenna: Extending beyond apex of elytra by five antennomeres; covered with dense, appressed, pale yellow setae, annulate at base of antennomeres 4–11, narrowly so on 6–10, very broadly on 5, indistinct on 11. Remaining parts of antennomeres are covered with mostly darker brown, appressed pubescence. Long setae absent. Scape, pedicel, and antennomere 3 darker brown and lacking distinct annuli. Scape swollen at middle to approximate width of upper eye lobe separation. Antennomeres 3–10 successively decreasing in length; 11 slightly curved and subequal to 10; third antennomere longest, 1.25× longer than scape; fourth antennomere subequal to slightly longer than scape. Eye: lower eye lobe large, over 1.5 times taller than gena and about twice as long as upper eye lobe; lobes connected by 4–5 rows of ommatidia. Upper eye lobes widely separated by about greatest width of scape. Mouthparts: frontoclypeal margin with mostly appressed green or blue-green setae and a few long, translucent setae extending across clypeus and half of labrum. Clypeus pale orange, nearly glabrous. Labrum pale orange with several long setae at base and apex, otherwise glabrous. Terminal maxillary palpomeres elongate and pointed at apex; mandibles reddish-brown on basal half, piceous on apical half.

Thorax: Pronotum very broad (1.8–1.9× wider than long) but narrower than elytral base; mostly covered with appressed, mottled green, ochre, tan, and dark brown pubescence creating a diffuse pattern of light and dark regions. Pronotum with pronounced, broad-based lateral tubercles with subacute apices posteromedially positioned; moderately punctate as described above. Scutellum with distinct white-pubescent apex, and darker elsewhere. Prosternum impunctate and covered with short pale yellowbrown and translucent, appressed setae; integument light reddish-brown. Prosternal and mesosternal intercoxal processes broad as described above. Procoxal cavities closed. Mesosternum and metasternum light reddish-brown, covered with appressed, light brown and translucent pubescence; impunctate. Elytra: Tapering toward rounded apex; covered in vestiture of short, appressed, dense, ochre, white, brown, and pale green setae forming irregular patches; scattered erect setae absent except for two tufts of very long black setae mediobasally and medially. Large, separate punctures scattered on basal half, becoming sparse and inconspicuous on apical half. Epipleural margin not demarcated by a carina. Legs: Femora clavate and pedunculate as described; mostly pale yellow with suffusion of dark brown mottled spots, more so on pro- and meso-femora and less so on metafemora. Tibiae cylindrical and mostly dark brown with narrow yellow annulus at middle.

Abdomen: Uniformly light reddish-brown; covered with short, appressed light brown and translucent setae; impunctate. Fifth ventrite of male approximately as long as fourth ventrite, without longitudinal carina at base, broadly notched at apex.

Etymology. The epithet viridifrons refers to the bright green setae covering the front of the head.

Type material. Holotype: Dominican Republic: La Vega, 5-6 km SE Constanza, August 9, 1979, C. W. O’Brien (male, USNM) . Paratypes: all Dominican Republic: La Vega, Cordillera Central, Reserva Valle Nuevo, La Nevera , 15.3 km SE Valle Nuevo, 18°41′39″N; 70°35′28″W, 2244 m., 3 June 2003, R. Davidson, C. Young, C. Nunez, J. Rawlins, P. Acevedo, M. de la Cruz. Wet montane forest with Pine, UV light, Sample 24512 (male, CMNH) ; La Vega Province, Parque Nacional Armando Bermúdez, Cordillera Central, Los Tablones , 3 September 1988, 1220 m., beating, M. A. Ivie and K. A. Johnson (male, WIBF) .

Figures

Figure 7. Duocristala viridifrons Lingafelter, new genus, new species. a) Anterior view, holotype male. b) Head, paratype male. c) Pronotum, paratype male. d) Lateral view, holotype male. e) Dorsal elytron, paratype male. f) Closeup of medial elytral tuft, holotype male.

Figure 8. Duocristala viridifrons Lingafelter, new species. a) Dorsal, holotype male. b) Ventral, holotype male.

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