Urgleptes conjunctus Ravin & Lingafelter

Ravin, Ian S. & Lingafelter, Steven W., 2015, Review of the genus Urgleptes Dillon (1956) of Hispaniola (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Acanthocinini): descriptions of five new species and one new synonymy, ZooKeys 532, pp. 55-85 : 64-66

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cerambycidae

Urgleptes conjunctus Ravin & Lingafelter sp. n. Figs 4, 8f, 11, 18

Diagnosis.

The coarsely punctate elytra and narrow longitudinal darkened macula running parallel to the suture make this species readily identifiable. The mesofemora and mesotibiae of this species are distinctly darker than in other species. The antennae are most distinct in that the scape is antemedially darker than the base, and the third and fourth segments contain suberect bristle-like, apicomesal setae. Both the procoxal and mesocoxal processes are very narrow in Urgleptes conjunctus and barely separate the coxae.

Description.

Measurements: body length: 4.4-5.0 mm; body width: 1.5-1.8 mm; elytral length: 3.2-3.7 mm; elytral width: 0.8-0.9 mm; pronotal length: 0.8 mm; pronotal width: 1.2-1.4 mm; body length/pronotal length: 5.6-6.5; elytral length/elytral width: 4.0-4.1; pronotal length/pronotal width: 0.6-0.7.

Head: covered in moderately dense, appressed, pale white to golden pubescence; denser at genae, posterior margin of eye lobes and antennal tubercles. Integument mostly dark brown; slightly lighter from vertex of upper eye lobes to occiput. Antenna: scape basally flavous, darker submedially to apex; covered with fine, golden pubescence. Remaining antennomeres flavous; covered with moderately dense, brown setae; segments 2-7 acutely darkened at apices; segments three and four with thickened, suberect bristle-like, apicomesal setae; segments 8-11 without darkened apices. Males (most distinct in holotype) have tuft of perpendicular, thickened mesal setae at apex of fourth antennomere. Eye: lower eye lobe just over twice height of upper eye lobe; lobes connected by about six rows of ommatidia. Mouthparts: clypeus flavous; lightly pubescent basally. Labrum same color as clypeus; strongly apically rounded; with long, suberect, dark brown to gold setae; mandibles brown, darker at apical third.

Thorax: pronotum broadly rounded at sides to posteriorly directed, short, acute tubercles on posterior fourth; constricted along posterior fifth behind lateral tubercles; constriction demarcated with row of large, separate punctures across disc, continuing behind base of tubercles, down sides of pronotum. No distinct calli present on disc. Pronotum anteromedially covered in ashy-white pubescence extending to subapices of lateral tubercles; brown pubescence on middle of disc, extending posteriorly around posterior third of pronotum, partially obscuring row of punctures. Integument mostly brown, slightly darker at middle, extending posterolaterally and around base of lateral tubercles. Ventral surface of lateral tubercles coated in dense, appressed, golden pubescence. Prosternum smooth, impunctate, covered with uniform translucent pubescence. Prosternal process very narrow between procoxae (less than one-eighth width), barely separating them and greatly expanded posteriorly. Mesepimeron dark brown, densely coated with white pubescence, thinner at mesosternum; mesosternal intercoxal process very narrow, barely separating mesocoxae. Metepisternal integument dark brown; coated with dense, appressed, ashy-white pubescence; mostly flavous at metasternum; with moderately dense, translucent to brown pubescence. Scutellum anteriorly dark brown, slightly lighter at apex; pubescence medially expanding along posterior margin. Elytra: dense, irregularly spaced, distinct punctures throughout; elytral disc mottled with pallid, brown, and ferrugineous pubescence. Periscutellar region slightly swollen, darkened anteriorly flanking scutellum; posteriorly, briefly interrupted by ashy-white pubescence, resuming into single narrow longitudinal darkened macula running parallel to suture, terminating medially (in one specimen this longitudinal macula is postmedially positioned). Humeri with darkened integument and corresponding darkened pubescence extending along epipleuron. Disc mostly brown, covered in dense, appressed, ashy-white to pale pubescence. Apices subtruncate, with outer apical angle slightly more produced posteriorly than sutural angle; sutural apices dark brown, with irregular finger-like projections extending anteriorly, surrounded by mottled pale and brown pubescence. Legs: profemora covered in vestiture of translucent to gold setae; mostly flavous; ferruginous submedially to apices both mesally and laterally, narrowly connecting at apex; protibiae basally flavous, becoming brown submedially, covered with gold to brown setae. Mesofemora distinctly, mostly piceous, with exception of flavous base, covered in fine, translucent to gold setae; mesotibiae basally flavous, becoming dark brown apically, covered in moderately dense brown setae. Metafemora mostly flavous; with lateral dark macula submedially to apex; tibiae slightly flavous, darker at apex; both covered in vesetiture of fine gold pubescence. Tarsomeres completely dark-ferruginous with exception of slightly basally lighter first tarsomere; generally coated with short, suberect, dark setae.

Abdomen: ventrites covered with uniformly weakly dense, appressed, translucent to golden pubescence; integument medially light brown, becoming noticeably darker towards sides. Fifth ventrite 1.5 times length of fourth ventrite.

Distribution.

Endemic to Hispaniola, this rare species has been collected only in the Sierra de Baoruco mountains in August (Fig. 18).

Etymology.

The epithet, conjunctus , refers to the closely parallel longitudinal macula along the elytral suture.

Type material.

Holotype (male): DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Peravia Prov., 36 km. NW. San José de Ocoa, Aug. 9, 1979, L. B. O’Brien (USNM); Paratypes: same data as holotype (USNM, 2).