Barriella longicornoides Opitz

Opitz, Weston, 2003, Barriella Opitz: A New Genus Of Cleridae From Brazil (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (1), pp. 37-42 : 38-41

Barriella longicornoides Opitz , new species

Figs. 1–4

Holotype. Male. Brazil: Bahia: Villa Victoria, 1890, Ch. Pujo ( MNHN) (Specimen point mounted, sex label affixed to paper point, white, machine printed; metathoracic wing mounted on support card, white; specimen support card, white; locality label, white, machine printed; MNHN repository label, white machine printed; holotype label, red machine printed; plastic genitalia vial with aedeagus).

Paratypes. None.

Diagnosis. The specimen differs from all other New World clerines by the

THE COLEOPTERISTS BULLETIN 57(1), 2003 39

unusually lengthy antenna in combination with a robust­squat body form. Oth­ er New World specimens of Clerinae with a squat body have clubbed ( Fig. 5 ), or relatively short antennae. Specimens of Notocymatodera and allies are elongated in body form ( Fig. 7 ) and the compound eyes are coarsely faceted.

Description. Size: Length 8.0 mm; width 2.8 mm. Integument: Color: Head piceous; mouthparts and antenna flavotestaceous; pronotum broadly piceous to lateral margins, anterior margin narrowly testaceous at middle, posterior angles and collar flavotesta­

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ceous; prosternum infuscated; meso—metasternum flavotestaceous; elytra with lunulate transverse flavous fascia at middle, fascia broader at epipleural margin then narrowly curvate to sutural margin, fascia does not reach sutural margin; elytral disc faintly infuscate in front of flavous fascia, testaceous in remainder of basal half, with subovoid piceous macula that thins around flavous transverse fascia and connects with faintly infuscate region in front of flavous fascia, elytral apical third testaceous; legs testaceous; abdomen bicolorous, first five visible sterna piceous, pygidium and sixth visible sternum testaceous: Vestiture: Clypeus, frons, and gena copiously vested with decumbent, flavous

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setae; pronotal vestiture piceous or flavotestaceous corresponding with integumental col­ or; elytral setae dark or light corresponding with integumental color, except dark on prominent testaceous elytral umbones. Head: Feebly narrower than width of pronotum (72:75; at 2503); antenna ( Fig. 2 ) very long, scape about as long as flagellar antennomeres, pedicel shorter than scape, flagellar antennomeres mostly filiform, antennomeres nine and ten feebly triangular, antennomere eleven digitiform and slightly curvate distally; labrum deeply incised; terminal palpomere of maxillary palpus digitiform, of labial palpus securiform; eyes small, moderately convex; ommatidia very small (at 5003 one mm); frons very wide, about three times wider than width across eye (47:15). Thorax: Transverse (75:70; at 2503); pronotal proper subglobose, outer lateral margins boldly arcuate, pronotum campaniform, pronotal proper feebly convex, posterior slope deep when viewed from the side; pronotal collar well defined; pronotal transverse subapical depression prominent along sides, faintly indicated at middle; profemora robust, femoral robustness decreasing from pro­ to metafemur; tibiae with well­developed carinae on anterior and posterior surface, carinae extended entire length of tibiae, tibial apical spur formula 1­2­2; tarsi with basitarsal pulvillus progressively diminuative from pro­to­metatarsus; basal denticle of tarsal claws about equal in size in all tarsi; elytra plane when viewed from the sides, posterior slope steep, deep (1.1 mm at 2503), about twice as long as wide (148:75; at 2503); humeral angles prominent; midbasal umbones well developed; surface with deeply impressed coarse punctations diminished at about elytral middle; elytral apical slope acute; metathoracic wing as in Figure 8 . Abdomen: Pygidium scutiform, gradually narrowing in posterior border; sixth visible sternum emarginated posteriorly. Male genitalia: Tegmen well sclerotized; parameres well developed; phallobasic apodeme and phallus particularly short ( Figs. 3–4 ).

Etymology. The specific epithet is a Latin compound name that stems from the Latin adjectival longus (5 long), the Latin noun cornu (5 horn), and the suffix— oides (5 likeness). I refer to the comparatively long antennae of this beetle.

Remarks. As only one specimen of this species has been examined I cannot discuss variation, distribution, or comment on the natural history of this fascinating checkered beetle.

Taxonomic Notes. In 1975 [Ekis (now Opitz), 1975:15] established that the type­specimen of Cymatodera modesta Spinola (1949:391) was in the Paris Museum, that it was collected from Chile, and that the species more appropriately belongs to the genus Notocymatodera as noted by Corporaal (1950: 54). In a revision of that genus, Solervicens (1996:99) expressed doubts about the validity of Spinolas’ name, questioned the identity of the specimen the name represents, correctly transfered Cymatodera dimidiata Germain (1856: 393) to Notocymatodera, and established that the latter genus is more correctly classified under Clerinae. Solervicens’s habitus illustration (Solervicens 1996: 100) strongly suggests that Notocymatodera dimidiata (Germain 1856:393) is conspecific with, and a junior synonym of, Notocymatodera modesta ( Fig. 7 ). The type­specimen of Cymatodera dimidiata Germain must be examined to resolve the question of this synonymy and correctly identify the nominal typespecies of the genus Notocymatodera.

Figures

Fig. 1. Habitus of Barriella longicornoides Opitz.

Figs. 2–8. Neotropical Clerinae. Figs. 2–4, 8. Barriella longicornoides. 2) Forebody; 3) aedeagus; 4) phallus; 8) metathoracic wing. Fig. 5. Forebody of Placopterus subcostatus (Schaeffer). Figs. 6–7. Notocymatodera modesta Spinola. 6) Forebody; 7) habitus.