Licracantha Lingafelter

Lingafelter, Steven W., 2011, New myrmecomorphous longhorned beetles from Haiti and the Dominican Republic with a key to Anaglyptini and Tillomorphini of Hispaniola (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae), ZooKeys 106, pp. 55-75 : 58-59

Licracantha Lingafelter gen. n. Figs 12

Diagnosis.

No other genus of Tillomorphini or Anaglyptini has the type of modified antenna, pronotum, and elytron as is present in Licracantha . The combination of the following character states is unique to Licracantha : antenna myrmecomorphic, 11-segmented, with elongate scape, antennomeres 3-5 with pronounced mesal spines, antennomeres 6-11 abruptly shortened, antennomeres 3-11 articulated in a potentially opposing direction from scape; pronotum highly and abruptly elevated at anterior four-fifths, with acute, suprascutellar projection posteriorly; eye finely faceted and as single lobe anteroventral to antennal insertion, elytra gibbose basally and apically with depression at oblique, unraised, ivory fascia; tibiae each with single, curved spine (most pronounced on meso- and metatibia).

Gourbeyrella , Tillomorpha , Bonfilsia , Arawakia , Pentanodes , and Tilloclytus each lack antennal spines. Further, Bonfilsia , Arawakia , Lamproclytus , and presumably, Calliclytus each have 10-segmented antennae. Calliclytus and Lamproclytus are further differentiated since each have upper eye lobes (along with the larger, lower lobe), a very short scape, and a pronotum that is not elevated anteriorly. A few species in the relatively large, heterogeneous genus Tilloclytus are most similar to Licracantha in having a moderately, anteriorly elevated pronotum, a single finely faceted eye lobe, and an elytron moderately gibbous at base and apex and with some type of pale transverse or oblique fascia near mid length. Tilloclytus minutus Fisher has the most similar antenna possessing an elongate scape and very short antennomeres 6-11; however, the myrmecomorphic modifications are not as extreme: the scape is shorter, extending only to the anterior third of the pronotum, the abrupt articulation allowing an opposing orientation of remaining antennomeres from 3-11 is not present, and antennomeres 3-5 are, at most, dentiform mesally. Tilloclytus minutus is further differentiated by having the elytron and pronotum uniformly, confluently alveolate-punctate, lacking a narrow, well defined pale elytral fascia, having the pronotum not abruptly elevated anteriorly, and in lacking a well developed gibbosity on the elytral base and apex. Tilloclytus bruneri Fisher is similar in having a posterior suprascutellar pronotal projection, but it is not as developed or acute as in Licracantha . Tilloclytus bruneri is further differentiated by having a longer, unmodified, unspined antenna and a pronotal elevation and elytral gibbosity that are less developed. It also has a glossy integument lacking micropunctation.

Type species.

This genus is known only from Licracantha formicaria Lingafelter, described below.

Etymology.

A latinized composite noun, female gender, derived from the Greek “Likros” meaning horn and the Greek “Akantha” meaning thorn. Licracantha refers to the pronounced spines on the antennae.

Remarks.

This new genus is provisionally assigned to the tribe Tillomorphini . The definitions and boundaries of Anaglyptini and Tillomorphini are vague and trouble some, as discussed above, and each may contain a polyphyletic assemblage of taxa. A phylogenetic analysis of all the genera in these tribes is needed to develop a meaningful classification. Once those studies are completed, they may show that the genus Tilloclytus , to which Licracantha shows some similarities, should be returned to Tillomorphini from Anaglyptini , in which case Anaglyptini would not be present in the Caribbean Region.