Punctozotroctes tavakiliani, Wappes, James E., Galileo, Maria Helena M. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2017

Wappes, James E., Galileo, Maria Helena M. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2017, New species, new records and notes on Lamiinae from Neotropical Region (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 4290 (1), pp. 83-98 : 84-87

Punctozotroctes tavakiliani sp. nov.

(Figs 1–4)

Description. Male. Integument mostly black; mouthparts reddish-brown except palpi mostly black with narrow distal area of palpomeres reddish-brown (more distinct on last palpomeres); base of antennomeres IV–XI dark reddish-brown; apex of abdominal ventrites I–IV narrowly reddish-brown.

Head. Frons minutely, densely punctate interspersed with sparse coarser punctures; with yellow pubescence partially obscuring integument, interspersed with some long, erect pale yellow setae close to eyes. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate; with yellowish-brown pubescence not obscuring integument (pubescence less conspicuous than on frons). Remaining surface of vertex without coarse punctures, with yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument. Area behind upper eye lobes minutely, densely punctate; with narrow yellowish-white pubescent band close to eye, with yellowishbrown pubescence not obscuring integument on remaining surface. Area behind lower eye lobes tumid, smooth close to eyes, finely, moderately sparsely punctate on remaining surface; nearly glabrous except pale yellow pubescence on tumid distal half. Antennal tubercles densely, minutely punctate; with yellow pubescence not obscuring integument (more yellowish-brown toward upper eye lobes), center-distal area glabrous. Median groove indistinct, but central area somewhat longitudinally depressed on frons and between posterior margin of upper eye lobes and prothoracic margin. Gena nearly smooth close to eye, minutely, abundantly punctate on central area, smooth close to apex; with sparse yellow pubescence. Maxillary palpomere IV strongly securiform (distal width equal to 0.75 times length of segment). Gulamentum smooth, glabrous. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.35 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.80 times length of scape. Antennae 1.5 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere XI; scape with pale yellow pubescence, distinctly sparser on basal third; pedicel covered with pale yellow pubescence; basal half of antennomere III with pale yellow pubescence, gradually sparser toward apex; base of antennomeres IV–XI with ring of pale yellow pubescence, gradually wider toward XI; antennomeres III–X with moderately, long, erect pale yellow seta on ventral side, gradually shorter, sparser toward VI, present only at apex on remaining segments; antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.77; pedicel = 0.18; IV = 0.79; V = 0.63; VI = 0.52; VII = 0.45; VIII = 0.41; IX = 0.38; X = 0.34; XI = 0.32.

Thorax. Prothorax 1.45 times wider than long (including lateral tubercles); sides with large tubercle starting at about distal quarter, gradually more projected toward its blunt apex, placed near apex of basal third; area between base and lateral tubercle slightly oblique, abruptly widened toward apex of tubercle. Pronotum with one large subreniform, distinctly elevated gibbosity on each side of central area (from about basal quarter to distal quarter), and one elongate, longitudinal gibbosity centrally; coarsely, abundantly punctate (less so on inner side of lateral gibbosities and entire central gibbosity), confluent laterally; area between lateral gibbosities with yellowish-white pubescence, integument distinctly exposed, yellower, denser on basal quarter; sides, including dorsal side of lateral tubercles, with dense pale yellow pubescence, but punctures exposed. Sides of prothorax with sculpture and pubescence as on sides of pronotum; with small, deep fovea centrally on basal quarter. Prosternum with pale yellow pubescence not obscuring integument. Prosternal process with sides narrowly elevated; with pale yellow pubescence not obscuring integument. Mesosternum with pale yellow pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous X-shaped area centrally at base. Mesepisternum, mesepimeron and metepisternum with yellow pubescence partially obscuring integument. Sides of metasternum with yellow pubescence not obscuring integument; remaining surface subglabrous except band with whitish pubescence along central discrimen. Scutellum elevated in relation to elytra, centrally depressed; with slightly conspicuous grayish-white pubescence. Elytra. Coarsely, densely punctate on basal third, gradually finer, sparser toward apex; basal quarter with elongated, longitudinal gibbosity between scutellum and humerus; with small pale yellow pubescent spot on central area of basal declivity; basal third with small, irregular, sparse yellow pubescent spots; with white pubescence on dorsal area close to suture, from apex of basal third to base of distal quarter, pale yellow toward epipleura (especially at posterior margin) with irregular anterior and posterior margins; basal third, between yellow spots and distal quarter sparsely yellowish-white pubescent; with puncture sporting small, yellowish-white seta; apices together rounded. Legs. Femora with yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument. Tibiae with yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument, except basal third of protibia, dorsal side of basal third of meso- and metatibiae, and ring at apex of basal third of meso- and metatibiae with pubescence scattered, distinctly exposing integument.

Abdomen. With yellow pubescence not obscuring integument, denser laterally; apex of ventrite V slightly rounded.

Variation. Pubescence on vertex and area behind eyes nearly invisible; area between posterior margin of upper eye lobes and prothoracic margin not longitudinal depressed on center; elytral pubescence less conspicuous on central area (possibly rubbed away).

Dimensions (mm). Holotype male– paratype male: Total length, 11.15–9.55; prothoracic length, 2.35–1.90; basal prothoracic width, 2.75–2.40; distal prothoracic width, 2.80–2.40; widest prothoracic width (between apices of lateral tubercles), 3.45–2.85; humeral width, 4.30–3.65; elytral length, 7.70–6.65.

Type material. Holotype ( FSCA) and paratype ( RFMC) males from PERU, San Martín: Moyabamba (vic. Ecológico Rumipata; 06°04’32.0”S / 76°58’07.5”W; 970 m), 13-18.X.2012, J. E. Eger col.

Etymology. Named to honor Gérard Luc Tavakilian, noted cerambycidologist, friend and one of the authors of the new species genus (i.e. Punctozotroctes ) as well as other species included in it.

Remarks. Punctozotroctes tavakiliani sp. nov. differs from P. hovorei Tavakilian & Néouze, 2007 (Fig. 6) as follows: pronotum with large sub-reniform tubercle on each side; elytral maculae of pubescence sparser on basal third; elytral punctures with small seta; area with white pubescence on elytra starting more posteriorly; distal quarter of elytra without distinct maculae of pubescence. In P. hovorei , the elytral maculae on basal third are distinctly larger and more abundant, pronotum with two gibbosities on each side, elytral punctures without seta, area with white pubescence on elytra starting more anteriorly, and distal quarter of elytra with distinct patches of pubescence. It differs from P. bolivianus Martins & Galileo, 2007 (Fig. 7), by the elytra with large, dense patches of pubescence (in P. bolivianus the patches are small, irregular and scattered).