Tmesisternus bernsteini, Withaar, 2019

Withaar, Gerrit, 2019, Six new species of the genus Tmesisternus from New Guinea and Seram (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Tmesisternini), Sugapa Digital 11 (2), pp. 69-78 : 70

Tmesisternus bernsteini spec. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:69A6F5D8-1438-4D1D-ABB4-667BB99CEFE2

Holotype: ♂, Waigeo, Bernstein [ RMNH].

Diagnosis: Judged from the key in Gressitt (1984) page 31.15 this species belongs to the luteostratus group, but T. bernsteini differs in being entirely covered with grey-white pubescens and the pronotal lateral tubercles being less strongly pronounced.

Description: Length: 14 mm, width: 4 mm. Female unknown.

Head pitchy, with red eyes, entirely with contiguous grey-white pubescens except for a central double ridged groove from base to labrum, lateral ridges and a small area behind the upper eye-lobe. In the depression of the ridges grey-white pubescens and deep punctures are present. Throat smooth and shiny.

Antenna orange, in holotype unfortunately not complete. Scape a little swollen to the apex. Pronotum pitchy, trapezoidal. Strong lateral ridges with a blunt tubercle before reaching the apex. Ventro-laterally with a shallow blunt tubercle. Dorsally with deep punctures and greywhite contiguous pubescens, except for a central area. Ventrally a smooth and shiny, strong elevated mesosternum and laterally covered with grey pubescens.

Scutellum pitchy and entirely covered with grey-white pubescens.

Elytra chestnut coloured. Round shoulders, a little wider than pronotal base, nearly parallel sided and gradually bent to a strong lateral spined apex. One strong ridge from base to the strong apical tubercle, on both sides of that ridge two less pronounced shorter ridges. Entirely covered with fine punctures, some arranged in rows with grey stiff hairs. Punctures most numerous at the base and decreasing off base, especially the punctures without pubescens.

Abdomen ventrally pitchy with grey short pubescens, pitchy spots and a smooth central area.

Legs with femora chestnut coloured, tibia and tarsi yellow. Entirely covered with very short grey pubescens.

The male genitalia are not depicted because they were not completely present in the holotype specimen, probably due to some old pest damage.

Distribution: Only known from Waigeo Island, Raja Ampat Islands, Papua Barat, Indonesia.

Etymology: Tmesisternus bernsteini is named in honor of the collector and researcher Heinrich Agathon Bernstein (1828-1865), who collected many insects for the Rijksmuseum voor Natuurlijke Historie (Leiden) in the Dutch Indies, mainly in Sulawesi and the North Moluccas.

Figures

Figs 1-6. Tmesisternus species, adults. Fig. 1. T. bernsteini spec. nov. holotype ♂, Waigeo Island, Papua Barat, Indonesia (RMNH); Fig. 2. T. busuensis spec. nov. holotype ♂, Busu River, Papua New Guinea (BPBM); Fig. 3. T. deyrollei spec. nov. holotype ♂, Seram Island, Moluccas, Indonesia (RMNH); Fig. 4. T. hunsteinensis spec. nov. holotype ♀, Hunsteinspitze, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea (MFNB); Fig. 5. T. pindiuensis spec. nov. holotype ♂, Pindiu, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea (BPBM); Fig. 6. T. wendesi spec. nov. holotype ♂, Wendesi, Papua Barat, Indonesia (RMNH).