Meridiotroctes Martins & Galileo, 2007

Martins, Ubirajara R., Galileo, Maria Helena M. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2015, New taxa and new records in Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from the state of Bahia (Brazil) and notes on Meridiotroctes (Acanthoderini), Zootaxa 3973 (2), pp. 271-299 : 284-285

Meridiotroctes Martins & Galileo, 2007

The features listed from Martins & Galileo (2007) to define Meridiotroctes include: (1) lower ocular lobes as long as genae; (2) distance between upper eye lobes equal 2.0 times width of one lobe; (3) antennae in males not reaching elytral apex; (4) flagellomeres VIII–XI without setae on inner side; (5) pronotum with two tubercles at middle level; (6) elytra with basal crest topped by a few granules; (7) elytral apex rounded together. The authors compared Meridiotroctes with the other genera of Acanthoderini with the last labial palp segment truncate (translated): “it differs from Spinozotroctes and Psapharoctes , mainly by unarmed apices of elytra; from Ozotroctes by the acute spines on sides of prothorax; from Punctozotroctes and Formozotroctes by the lateral spine of prothorax straight”.

Machado & Monné (2009) wrote: “ Martins & Galileo (2007) distinguished Psapharoctes from Meridiotroctes by the unarmed elytral apex. However, only in Psapharoctes hermieri Tavakilian & Néouze, 2007 ( Fig. 4 ) is the elytral apex unarmed, whereas P. fanchonae Tavakilian & Néouze, 2007 (the type species) has a small apical spine. Psapharoctes differs from Meridiotroctes by the pronotum with a longitudinal median carina and the elytra with a narrow sulcus near the epipleura, in the apical half. In Meridiotroctes the median region of the pronotum is planar and lacks a sulcus near the epipleura”; “ Meridiotroctes differs from Punctozotroctes by the lateral tubercles of the prothorax towards sides and the elytra with a median crista near its base. In Punctozotroctes ( P. guianensis Tavakilian & Néouze, 2007 , Fig. 5 ), the lateral tubercles on the prothorax are directed posteriorly and the elytra has [sic] only a slight elevation, without a crista”; “ Meridiotroctes is distinguished from Formozotroctes Tavakilian & Néouze, 2007 and Spinozotroctes Tavakilian & Néouze, 2007 by the rounded and unarmed elytral apices. In Formozotroctes the elytral apices are obliquely truncate, and in Spinozotroctes the outer angles each bear a projecting spine”.

The description of the new species in this genus made the original descriptions problematic. For example, in its original description, Tavakilian & Néouze (2007) mentioned that the species of Psapharoctes have “les tarses antérieurs avec le premier article le plus long, et parfois égal aux deux suivants reunis.” in the same way as the males of Meridiotroctes bicristata Machado & Monné, 2009 . In the other species of Meridiotroctes , the anterior tarsi in males are narrower and protarsomere I is shorter. However, this species could not be allocated to Psapharoctes , because the central basal carina of elytra is restricted to basal third (“crête centro-basale atteignant le milieu de l’élytre”), and there is no longitudinal central carina on pronotum. Therefore, the variability in the form of protarsi of males should be added to the original description: notably wide and with tarsomere I as long as II–III together; or moderately narrow protarsi and tarsomere I shorter than II–III together.

Similarly, the description of Meridiotroctes truncata Galileo & Martins, 2011 is not in accordance with several characters listed in the original description of the genus and with those related by Machado & Monné (2009): distance between upper eye lobes as width of one lobe; distance between lower eye lobes equal four times length of genae; pronotum with two anterior and one central tubercles projected, and two basal tubercles less pronounced; elytral apex (described as “subrounded”) distinctly truncate. According to the general appearance, this species could be allocated to Punctozotroctes , mainly by the pronotum dense, coarsely punctate, lateral spine of prothorax, which could be considered like an apex facing backwards. However, in the species of Punctozotroctes , the apex of lateral tubercles of protorax is more distinctly projected backwards.

With respect to the characters listed above, originally used to describe the genus, we believe it is appropriate to modify them: (1) lower eye lobes as long or distinctly longer than genae; (2) upper eye lobes variable: from as distant each other as width of one lobe to as distant each other as two times the width; (3) antennae in males slightly surpass elytral apex; (4) flagellomeres VIII–X with or without setae on inner side; (5) pronotum with two to five tubercles on disk; (6) basal central crest of elytra topped or not by granules, restricted to basal third or extending to after middle; (7) elytral apex rounded together or truncate.

The grammatical gender of Meridiotroctes is male and not female as recorded through the name of type species: Meridiotroctes meridionale . Monné (2014b) corrected the ending of two of three species of this genus, remaining only M. truncata with female ending.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 13. 1 – 4, Ectenessa aurantiaca sp. nov., holotype male: 1, Dorsal habitus; 2, Ventral habitus; 3, Lateral habitus; 4, Head, frontal view. 5 – 8, Stizocera lingafelteri sp. nov., holotype male: 5. Dorsal habitus; 6, Ventral habitus; 7, Lateral habitus; 8, Head, frontal view. 9 – 13, Raglicia monnei sp. nov., holotype female: 9, Dorsal habitus; 10, Ventral habitus; 11, Lateral habitus; 12, Head, frontal view; 13, Elytral apices.