Ceresium pubescens Dillon & Dillon, 1952

Waqa-Sakiti, Hilda, Winder, Linton & Lingafelter, Steven W., 2015, Review of the genus Ceresium Newman, 1842 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) in Fiji, ZooKeys 532, pp. 15-53 : 29-31

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cerambycidae

Ceresium pubescens Dillon & Dillon, 1952 Fig. 11

Ceresium pubescens : Dillon and Dillon 1952: 19, Fiji: Viti Levu, Tailevu, holotype (BPBM).

Description.

Based on the holotype and a paratype (BPBM) and six specimens from 2005 surveys (FNIC, USP). Size 12.0-17.5 mm long, 3.5-4.7 mm wide at humeri; integument color light brown (occasionally piceous) (Fig. 11a). Head with shallow interantennal tubercle region, tubercles only slightly raised; punctate with very sparse ochraceous pubescence on tubercles and throughout frons; vertex and occiput with sparser ochraceous pubescence. Ochraceous pubescence slightly denser around eye margins. Frons and frontoclypeal margin densely, coarsely punctate with sparse, short and long, ochraceous hairs (Fig. 11b). Antennae long, extending beyond elytra by 1-2 antennomeres. Antennae with vestiture of short, dense, ochraceous setae (longer at apices of antennomeres). Antennomeres unspined and moderately expanded at apices; last antennomere slightly shorter in length to penultimate. Antennomere 3 and 4 each shorter than scape; 5-9 longest and subequal in length. Scape long, clavate, extending to apical fifth of pronotum.

Pronotum uniformly arcuate, widest at middle, and slightly wider than long; not tuberculate. Calli absent. Pronotum with sparse yellow pubescence, denser at basal sides; center of disk mostly glabrous. Pronotum with sparse, ill-defined punctures (Fig. 11c). Elytron with moderately dense yellow pubescence throughout. Punctation shallow, sparse, gradually becoming shallower and indistinct towards apex. Elytral apex subarcuately rounded to suture. Scutellum broadly rounded, covered with dense, yellow pubescence. Legs moderate in length, femora pedunculate clavate, hind femora extending to base of third ventrite.

Venter of abdomen and thorax with moderately dense, golden pubescence at sides, but very sparse golden pubescence along middle; except for prosternum which is densely pubescent throughout and on sides. Prosternal process moderately narrow, vertical and acutely declivous, about 1/3 width of procoxa, weakly notched and expanded at apex. Procoxal cavities open posteriorly (Fig. 11d). Mesocoxae closed laterally to mesepimeron. Mesosternum rather acutely declivous, with small anterior tubercle, and sulcate anteriorly. Mesosternum with large punctures. Mesosternal process expanded at apex, distinctly tuberculate and inserted into mesocoxae. Apex of terminal ventrite truncate to unevenly rounded, without notch.

Remarks.

One of the characters that define this species is the moderately dense, yellowish pubescence that extends from the sides of the pronotum across the base. In the key, it falls nearest Ceresium grandipenne , but it easily distinguished by the much smaller size (always less than 20 mm while Ceresium grandipenne is always larger than 21 mm). This species is widespread in Fiji and known from Viti Levu, Ovalau, Moala, and the Lau Islands ( Dillon and Dillon 1952).