Pseudosparna pallida, Vlasak & Santos-Silva, 2022

Vlasak, Josef & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2022, New species and new geographical records in Ecuadorian Lamiinae (Coleoptera Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 5200 (3), pp. 247-259 : 248-250

Pseudosparna pallida sp. nov.

( Figs 1–5 )

Description. Holotype female. Integument mostly dark brown; ventral mouthparts reddish brown, except palpomeres mostly black with yellowish-brown apex; anteclypeus mostly reddish brown; anterior area of labrum dark yellowish brown; antennomere IV dark brown on basal ninth, pale yellow toward area after middle, then gradually dark brown toward apex (reddish brown close to the pale-yellow region); antennomere V dark brown basally and apically, reddish brown on wide central area; antennomeres VI–VIII reddish brown on wide basal area and apex, dark brown near apex; antennomeres IX–XI dark brown, except reddish apex. Pronotum with longitudinal wide dark orangish-brown band on each side of central region, not reaching sides. Prosternum orangish brown close to procoxal cavities; prosternal process orangish brown. Elytra with longitudinal, wide dark orangish-brown band dorsally, from base to after middle, reaching lateral curvature, except brown area located about middle, close to lateral curvature. Mesoventrite and mesoventral process dark reddish brown. Pro- and mesocoxae, trochanters, profemoral peduncle, basal area of ventral surface of profemoral club, meso- and metafemoral peduncles pale yellow; metacoxae mostly brown with yellowish-brown apex.

Head. Frons abundantly, minutely punctate; with abundant grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, more yellowish centrally toward vertex; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae close to eyes. Antennal tubercles mostly with brownish pubescence not obscuring integument.Vertex and area behind upper eye lobes with sculpturing as on frons, except smooth central area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes; with dense yellowishbrown pubescence, except on smooth area and sparser brownish pubescent area on each side of posterior region of vertex; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae close to eyes. Area behind lower eye lobes with abundant paleyellow pubescence, pubescence less dense than behind upper eye lobes; with a few long, erect dark-brown setae close to eye. Genae with abundant yellowish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument, and a few long, erect dark-brown setae interspersed. Wide central area of postclypeus with somewhat sparse, bristly, both short and long yellowish setae, and one long, erect, thick dark seta on each side. Sides of postclypeus glabrous. Labrum with abundant yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument close to anteclypeus, almost glabrous anteriorly, except fringe of yellowish-brown setae on anterior margin; with sparse, long, erect yellowish setae interspersed posteriorly, and a few long, erect dark setae interspersed on sides of this region. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.33 times distance between outer margins of eyes; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.61 times distance between outer margins of eyes. Antennae 2.3 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at posterior third of antennomere VI. Scape with dark pubescence partially not obscuring integument, except yellowish pubescence on basal half of ventral surface; with moderately abundant, long, erect dark setae ventrally. Pedicel and antennomeres III–XI with abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument; pedicel and antennomeres III-IV with sparse, long, erect, thick dark setae ventrally; antennomeres III–VIII with short dark setae on dorsal apex; antennomeres V–VI with short dark setae on ventral apex; antennomere IV not tumid. Antennal formula based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.37; pedicel = 0.12; IV = 0.91; V = 0.74; VI = 0.73; VII = 0.68; VIII = 0.65; IX = 0.65; X = 0.65; XI = 0.57.

Thorax. Prothorax wider than long; sides slightly divergent from anterolateral angles to lateral tubercles, then convergent toward posterolateral angles; lateral tubercles located near posterior sixth, with acute apex slightly directed backward. Pronotum abundantly, minutely punctate, except coarse punctures near posterior margin, forming two transverse rows centrally; with abundant yellow pubescence almost obscuring integument laterally, slightly sparser and not reaching posterior margin centrally, and more yellowish-white close to lateral tubercles of prothorax, except one wide longitudinal band with sparse brownish pubescence on each side of middle, from base to apex. Sides of prothorax abundantly, minutely punctate; with dense, longitudinal yellow pubescent band close to pronotum and prosternum, the last one narrower, sparse brownish pubescence on remaining surface. Prosternum abundantly, minutely punctate; with somewhat abundant whitish pubescence not obscuring integument. Narrowest area of prosternal process not laminiform, 0.13 times procoxal width. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with dense yellow pubescence laterally, slightly sparser and yellowish white on wide central area. Narrowest area of mesoventral process 0.17 times mesocoxal width. Scutellum with dense yellowish-brown pubescence, except sparser and shorter dark pubescence on sides of base. Elytra. Abundantly, coarsely punctate on anterior half, punctures gradually finer and sparser toward apex on posterior half; with dense yellowish-brown pubescence, except: brownish pubescent band near suture, from base to near apex, slightly wider on anterior quarter, shortly widened close to posterior third, and oblique on its posterior fifth; narrow, slightly arched brownish pubescent band on dorsal side of posterior third; brownish pubescent band laterally, from base to posterior fifth, not reaching epipleural margin, superior margin of this area sinuous; and sparse yellowish pubescence on narrow longitudinal band on side of dorsal surface, from humerus to before middle, and on brownish macula on sides of middle (this macula fused with the apex of band with sparse pubescence). With sparse, long, erect dark setae dorsally and outer margin of posterior third. Apex obliquely truncate; outer angle spiniform. Legs. Pro- and mesofemora pedunculateclavate; metafemora slightly, gradually widened toward apex; base of femora slightly arched; with abundant whitish pubescence on light area, yellowish brown on dark area. Basal third of protibiae with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence, pubescence gradually sparser and darker dorsally and laterally on remaining surface, dense, bristly and yellowish brown on posterior 2/3 of ventral surface; with sparse, short, thick dark setae interspersed dorsally and laterally, especially on posterior third. Meso- and metatibiae with brownish pubescence on basal 2/3, darker, more bristly on posterior third; with short, thick dark setae interspersed, more abundant dorsally on posterior third of mesotibiae. Metatarsomere I almost as long as twice length of II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites with abundant grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, pubescence slightly yellower laterally; apex of ventrite 5 strongly concave, making outer angles spiniform.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 6.90; prothoracic length, 1.10; anterior prothoracic width, 1.05; posterior prothoracic width, 1.20; maximum prothoracic width, 1.45; humeral width, 1.65; elytral length, 5.10.

Type material. Holotype female from ECUADOR, El Oro: 600 m, rt. 585, 15 km W of Piñas , 1-3.VIII.2021, J. Vlasak leg. ( MZSP).

Etymology. The specific epithet “pallida” (Latin, meaning pale) refers to the overall pale appearance of the holotype.

Remarks. Pseudosparna pallida sp. nov. is similar to P. luteolineata Mermudes & Monné, 2009 (see photographs in the original description and on Bezark (2022)) but differs as follows: Body proportionally wider ( Fig. 1 ); antennomere IV not slightly tumid; elytral pubescent pattern more complex, not formed by a single longitudinal pubescent band; elytral apex distinctly obliquely truncate, covered with yellow pubescence; and femoral clubs slender. Although we did not examine specimens of P. luteolineata , it is possible to see in the photographs of the holotype (original description) and some paratypes ( Bezark 2022) that the antennomere IV is slightly tumid in both sexes, a feature not mentioned in the original description; body proportionally slender; elytral pubescent pattern formed by a single longitudinal pubescent band (variable in length); elytral apex, at most, slightly obliquely truncate, covered with dark pubescence; and femoral clubs stouter. In one paratype (female specimen deposited at the Utah State University) illustrated on Bezark (2022) the antennomere IV is not tumid. Usually, this type of feature is not variable, which may suggest that it does not belong to P. luteolineata . Furthermore, comparing the antennal length of the new species with the paratype female from Ecuador (Pichincha, Namagalito) (See Bezark 2022), it is possible to see that the antennae are distinctly longer (including the length of the antennomere III). However, comparing with the paratype “female” deposited at the Utah State University (Utah, USA) (see Bezark 2022), the antennal lengths are similar, although the body width and the femoral clubs are different. Pseudosparna pallida sp. nov. is also similar to P. aragua Mermudes & Monné, 2009 (see photographs in the original description and on Bezark (2022)), but differs by the elytral pubescent pattern, with dark longitudinal band along entire suture (with two subelliptical dark bands close to suture in P. aragua ), and elytra with long and erect setae throughout (present only on the posterior half of lateral margins in P. aragua ).

Figures

FIGURES 1–5. Pseudosparna pallida sp. nov., holotype female: 1) Dorsal habitus; 2) Ventral habitus; 3) Lateral habitus; 4) Head, frontal view; 5) Prosternal and mesoventral processes.