Cupecuara Santos-Silva & Tavakilian, 2009

Botero, Juan Pablo & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2020, Review of the genus Cupecuara (Coleoptera: Disteniidae), Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae (Acta. Ent. Mus. Natl. Pragae) 60 (2), pp. 639-650 : 639-640

Cupecuara Santos-Silva & Tavakilian, 2009

Cupecuara Santos-Silva & Tavakilian, 2009: 15 (original description). Mඈඇඇඣ (2020): 208 (catalog); Bൾඓൺඋĸ (2020): 7 (checklist).

Type species. Cometes argodi Belon, 1896 by original designation.

Redescription. Sൺඇඍඈඌ-Sංඅඏൺ +| Tൺඏൺĸංඅංൺඇ (2009) described Cupecuara as follows (translated from the original): ‘Integument somewhat shiny. Head proportionally small or not in relation to body, narrowed or slightly narrowed toward prothorax behind eye. Dorsal surface of head slightly convex between eyes; punctures coarse, sparse (sometimes partially confluent) or slightly denser, somewhat deep; setae decumbent, sparse or very sparse (sometimes a few erect setae present close to eyes), and often with a few long, erect setae close to base of antennal tubercles. Median groove well marked or not, surpassing or not posterior margin of eyes. Eyes wide; upper eye lobes as distant from each other as width of lobe (at most, distance slightly wider than lobe), surpassing base of antennal tubercles. Antennae longer than body in both sexes. Scape reaching or almost reaching apex of lateral tubercles of prothorax in both sexes (sometimes surpassing); in males, slenderer and more sinuous on outer surface than in females. Antennomere III distinctly shorter than scape, just longer than IV. Antennomeres gradually widening from III to VII (widening from slightly to distinctly), and gradually narrowing from VIII to XI. Last segment of maxillary palpomeres in male strongly widened toward apex, which is truncate; frontal depression just narrow; in female, fusiform. Prothorax elongate (not considering lateral tubercles); lateral tubercles small, placed in about middle or slightly closer to posterior than anterior margin, often strongly acute at apex. Pronotum coarsely or moderately finely punctate; punctures abundant, partially confluent or not, except on central gibbosity and, sometimes, on anterolateral and posterolateral gibbosities; gibbosities slightly distinct; setae short or very short, sparse or slightly sparse; disk flat or slightly convex; declivity of pronotal disk toward lateral tubercles gradual. Elytra in both sexes moderately coarsely punctate throughout (especially between lateral carina and epipleura); setae very short and very sparse on anterior 2/3, distinctly longer and sparse on distal third; apex rounded (sometimes, rounded together); elytral carina distinct or slightly distinct. Femora with setae decumbent and a few erect setae, slender and sparse. Metafemora fusiform or slightly fusiform. Inner and outer apex of meso- and metafemora with rounded lobe. Protibiae widened or slightly widened in inner apex (widening gradual).’

Additional characters: maxillary palpomere IV in females may be subcuneiform, with oblique apex; eyes coarsely faceted; prosternal process narrow but not laminiform; antennomere III sometimes as long as IV; elytral apex sometimes almost obliquely truncate; apex of lateral tubercles of prothorax often turned upward; trochanters without modifications.

Differential diagnosis. The genus can be differentiated by the following combinations of characters: eyes wide, distance between upper eye lobes smaller than twice the width of an upper lobe; antennomeres gradually widened from III to VII; lateral tubercles of prothorax placed medially; protibiae not or slightly widened at apex; femora with setae decumbent and few erect setae, slender and sparse.

Cupecuara resembles Abauba Santos-Silva & Tavakilian, 2009 in the integument moderately shiny and in the distance of the upper ocular lobes, but differs in the lateral tubercles of prothorax located medially (closer to the posterior margin than the central region in Abauba ), and the elytral punctation uniformly distributed (distinctly sparser on posterior third in Abauba ).

Cupecuara can be easily differentiated from Cometes by the protibiae not or slightly widened at apex. In Cometes the protibiae are abruptly widened at apex.