Mecometopus wappesi, Santos-Silva, Antonio & Galileo, Maria Helena M., 2016

Santos-Silva, Antonio & Galileo, Maria Helena M., 2016, New Brazilian Cerambycidae from the Amazonian region (Coleoptera), ZooKeys 603, pp. 131-140 : 136-138

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cerambycidae

Mecometopus wappesi sp. n. Figs 10-13

Description.

Holotype male. Head reddish-brown, more brownish on some areas; mandibles reddish-brown on basal 2/3, dark-brown on apical third; scape, pedicel and antennomeres III–IV reddish-brown; antennomeres V–XI brown, more reddish ventrally on distal antennomeres; prothorax dark-brown, except for reddish-brown anterior region of prosternum; mesosternum dark-brown; remaining ventral surface reddish-brown; elytra dark-brown, except for reddish-brown areas under dense yellow pubescence; pro- and mesofemora mostly reddish-brown (slightly darker on mesofemora), except for yellowish-brown distal area of club; metafemora mostly brown, except for reddish brown region of peduncle and part of club, and apex of club; pro- and mesotibiae yellowish-brown; metatibiae yellowish-brown on basal 2/3, reddish-brown on apical third; tarsi from yellowish-brown to reddish-brown. Pubescence mostly yellow, more whitish on mesosternal process, and yellowish-white on ventral side of meso- and metathorax and abdomen; brown on dark regions of elytra.

Head. Frons finely, densely punctate, except for narrow, longitudinal, central band and triangular area close to clypeus with punctures slightly coarser, distinctly sparser; with wide band of short, decumbent setae on each side (distinctly not obscuring integument). Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes with sculpture and setae as on frons. Vertex microsculptured interspersed with fine, moderately sparse punctures, except for narrow, smooth, longitudinal, central band; with very short, sparse setae, except for longer, denser setae close to basal area. Area behind eyes finely, abundantly punctate (punctures slightly coarser, sparser toward margin of prothorax); with moderately dense, narrow band of pubescence close to eyes (wider toward apex of upper eye lobe); remaining surface glabrous. Area between gena and submentum with long, sparse setae. Genae 1.3 times as long as lower eye lobe; finely, abundantly punctate, except for smooth, narrow area close to apex; with short, sparse setae (sparser toward apex). Submentum smooth, except for some small, very sparse asperites; with short, moderately sparse setae (slightly denser laterally) interspersed with long setae. Antennal tubercles with sculpture and setae as on frons, except for narrow glabrous, smooth area close to apex. Distance between upper eye lobes 1.15 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes in frontal view 0.95 times length of scape. Antennae 0.7 times elytral length; reaching about basal quarter of elytra; antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape = 1.03; pedicel = 0.42; IV = 0.64; V = 0.67; VI = 0.53; VII = 0.39; VIII = 0.32; IX = 0.28; X = 0.21; XI = 0.25.

Thorax. Prothorax as long as wide at widest region; sides rounded. Pronotum coarsely, densely punctate; longitudinal carina distinct from basal quarter to near anterior margin, enlarged at middle, with small transverse oblique keels; with three wide, transverse bands of dense pubescence, fused on lateral side of prothorax: one basally, narrowed on middle; one centrally, interrupted by the longitudinal carina; one close to anterior margin; remaining surface with pubescence sparser, mainly on longitudinal carina. Sides of prothorax with sculpture and pubescence as on pronotum. Prosternum with sculpture as on pronotum, except for transverse band at anterior quarter finely striate and punctate; pubescence dense, obscuring integument, except for subglabrous, transverse band at anterior quarter. Prosternal process moderately narrowed centrally; distal half deeply, widely sulcate centrally; with dense pubescence. Mesosternum finely rugose; with short, sparse setae, except for small region with dense pubescence close to mesocoxal cavities and mesepisterna. Mesepisterna with sparse pubescence on anterior region, notably dense on posterior region. Mesepimera with brown, sparse pubescence. Mesosternal process with dense pubescence. Scutellum densely yellow pubescent. Metepisterna with dense, yellow pubescence, except for narrow anterior band with brown, sparse pubescence. Metasternum densely pubescent, except for transverse, wide band with distinctly sparser pubescence. Elytra. Each elytron with five wide areas with dense, yellow pubescence: one at basal third, oblique, distinctly enlarged from side to anterior margin (not reaching lateral and anterior margin); one longitudinal laterally at basal quarter; one before middle, triangular, narrowed toward side, then projected forward (reaching suture, almost reaching lateral margin); one transverse, about middle of distal half (reaching suture, almost reaching lateral margin); one covering almost entire distal quarter, less dense. Elytral apex obliquely truncate, with small spine at outer and sutural angles.

Legs. Inner and outer apex of metafemora triangularly projected.

Abdomen. Ventrites I–IV densely pubescent distally, distinctly sparser on anteriorly (this latter gradually wider from I to IV). Ventrite V with sparse pubescence throughout.

Dimensions in mm.

Total length, 8.7; prothorax: length, 2.1; anterior width, 1.5; posterior width, 1.6; largest width, 2.1; humeral width, 2.1; elytral length, 5.5.

Type material.

Holotype male from BRAZIL, Amazonas: 60 Km N Manaus (Fazenda Esteio; ZF-3 km 23), 6.XII.1984, B. C. Klein col. (INPA).

Etymology.

The new species is named after James E. Wappes, for his contribution toward the knowledge of Cerambycidae , friendship, and constant help.

Remarks.

Mecometopus wappesi sp. n. is similar to Mecometopus globicollis (Laporte & Gory, 1841), but differs as follows: body distinctly slender; pronotum covered with yellow pubescence; yellow triangular macula on the elytra reaches the sides and is then projected forward; distal quarter of the elytra with yellow pubescence. In Mecometopus globicollis (see photograph of the holotype at Bezark 2015) the body is wider, the pronotum is not covered with yellow pubescence, the yellow triangular macula on the elytra does not reach the sides, and the distal quarter of the elytra has no yellow pubescence.

Mecometopus wappesi also resembles Miriclytus triangularis Martins & Galileo, 2008, but differs mainly by the antennae distinctly 11-segmented (antennomeres VIII–XI fused in Miriclytus ), by the transverse and oblique bands of yellow pubescence on the elytra being wider (narrow in Miriclytus triangularis ).

Mecometopus wappesi can be included in the alternative of couplet “11”, from Martins and Galileo (2011) (translated; modified):