Elaphidion nearnsi Lingafelter, 2008

Lingafelter, Steven W., 2008, Seven New Species of Elaphidiini (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) from the Dominican Republic with Taxonomic Notes, New Country Records, and a Key toElaphidionAudinet-Serville from Hispaniola, The Coleopterists Bulletin 62 (3), pp. 353-379 : 353-379

Elaphidion nearnsi Lingafelter , new species

( Figs. 12 , 14c , 15c )

Description. Moderate sized, 10–13 mm long; 2.5–3.5 mm broad; integument uniformly reddish-brown, pronotum and head of similar tint to rest of integument. Head densely clothed with short, appressed, ivory-tawny pubescence, most dense around eye margins; interantennal impression weak; antennal tubercles not strongly elevated; antennae of female surpassing elytral apex by less than 2 antennomeres; antennae of male extending beyond elytral apex by at least 3 antennomeres; last antennomere of female slightly curved, barely longer than penultimate; last antennomere of male flattened, curved, with a pseudosegmental constriction at apical third, distinctly longer than penultimate antennomere; antennomere four of both sexes much shorter than five; antennae spined mesally on antennomeres 3–6 (strongly so on 3–5, 6 sometimes dentiform); lacking lateral apical spines; antennae with moderate, appressed, ivory-tawny pubescence and sparse, erect hairs mesally and apically on most antennomeres.

Pronotum distinctly broader than long in both sexes; about as wide at middle as elytral base; moderate ivory-tawny appressed setae present, becoming denser at sides; moderately wide, elongate longitudinal callus extending to anterior and posterior margins (or nearly so). Two large, slightly raised oval calli posterolaterally (one on each side), rugose in both sexes (more so in female), and four raised small, circular calli anterolaterally (two on each side); one additional raised, smaller, round callus laterad to large ovoid one on each side (not very distinct due to heavy punctation and reticulation at side of pronotum); large, dense, mostly non-contiguous punctures and reticulation present, especially at sides, but absent from middle longitudinal callus. Prosternal intercoxal process pronounced, broad, glabrous at apex, slightly protruding posteriorly beyond plane of procoxae, acutely declivous. Elytron short (about 3 X length of pronotum), with moderately dense, patchy, ivory-tawny appressed pubescence vaguely forming broken, poorly defined longitudinal rows; with few erect or suberect setae; elytral apices strongly bispinose, outer spine thicker; twice as long, but parallel to sutural spine; weakly arcuate between spines. Elytron with dense but mostly non-contiguous, large, deep punctures, becoming shallower and sparser posteriorly. Scutellum acute posteriorly and with moderate ivory-tawny pubescence; sparse at base and along middle. Legs moderate in length; hind femora extending into plane of fourth ventrite; pubescence of femora ivorytawny, sparse, patchy; sparse, erect hairs on tibiae and femora. Meso- and metafemoral apices moderately spined mesally but without spines apicolaterally.

Abdomen with moderately dense ivory-tawny pubescence; last ventrite of both sexes truncate or very broadly rounded apically, without modification.

Etymology. I am pleased to name this species of Elaphidion in honor of Eugenio Nearns for his many contributions to the study of Cerambycidae and his masterful dissemination of beetle information over the internet. The epithet is a noun in apposition.

Discussion. Only two specimens are known, both from eastern Dominican Republic. This species is superficially similar to the Puerto Rican Elaphidion mayesae Ivie , recently treated and diagnosed in Ivie and Schwengel-Regala (2007), but differs by the relatively short, broad body, and large, broad pronotum with distinctly raised and sculptured calli ( Fig. 12 ). These features combined with the lack of bispinose antennomeres ( Fig. 14c ) and absence of apicolateral spines on the femoral apices ( Fig. 15c ) also help to distinguish it.

Sexual dimorphism is present in the antennae: in the male the antennae extend beyond the elytral apices by 3 antennomeres; in the female they extend by less than 2; in the male the last antennomere is flattened and curved, with a pseudosegmental constriction at the apical third and is much longer than the penultimate; in the female the last antennomere is barely longer than the penultimate, not flattened, and only weakly curved. Both sexes have the pronotum with distinctly raised calli, especially anterolateral to the middle callus. The large, ovoid posterolateral callus is slightly more rugose in the female than the male. The male has more abundant punctures on the pronotum than the female, whose punctures are larger, but sparser. In males the punctures are smaller around the sides of the pronotum and extend to patches in front of the procoxae. In females the punctures are sparser at the sides of the pronotum and are absent in front of the procoxae.

Type Material. Holotype, male: ‘‘ Dominican Republic, La Altagracia Province, Punta Cana near Ecological Reserve , 0–5 meters, 18 ° 30.477 9 N, 68 ° 22.499 9 W, 12– 14 June 2005, S. Lingafelter, attracted to lights’’ ( USNM) . Paratype: Dominican Republic: La Altagracia Province, Parque Nacional del Este, Guaraguao , 0–5 m, 18 ° 19.568 9 N, 68 ° 48.500 9 W, 19 July 2004, blacklight, S. Lingafelter (1 female, USNM) .

Figures

Fig. 12. Elaphidion nearnsi Lingafelter, new species, dorsal habitus photo-illustration, female.

Fig. 14. Detail of antennal spines on antennomeres 3–6 in Dominican Republic Elaphidion. a) E. auricoma (female); b) E. iviei (female); c) E. nearnsi (female); d) E. wappesi (female).

Fig. 15. Detail of metafemoral apices in Dominican Republic Elaphidion. a) E. auricoma