Cymatodera mixteca Burke & Rifkind

Burke, Alan F., Rifkind, Jacques & Zolnerowich, Gregory, 2015, Four new species of Cymatodera Gray from central and southern Mexico (Coleoptera, Cleridae, Tillinae), ZooKeys 513, pp. 105-121 : 115-118

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cleridae

Cymatodera mixteca Burke & Rifkind sp. n. Figs 4, 9, 14, 19, 26

Type material

(n = 16): Holotype, red labeled, male: Cacaloapan, Puebla, Mexico, 26-IV-1962, L. A. Stange. Holotype deposited in CASC. Paratypes, yellow labeled: 1 male, 1 female: same data as holotype (FMNH); 2 males: Mexico, Puebla, 2 mi SW Tehuacan, 5300', 4-X-1975, blacklight trap, 2300-0600, Powell (EMEC); 1 male: Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico, 23-VI-1953, P. D. Hurd (JNRC); 1 female: 82 km NE Tehuacan, Puebla, Mexico, 5480 ft, rt. 2A, km 242, 7-VI-1948, desert, at light, F. Werner and W. Nutting (KSUC); 2 males, 1 female: Mexico, Puebla, 10 km N Tehuacan, 1650 m, 20-VII-1987, J. T. Doyen (EMEC); 1 female: Mexico, Puebla, 5 mi SW Zapotitlan, 8-VII- 1973, Mastro and Schaffner (TAMU); 1 female: Mexico, Puebla, 8 mi SE Tehuitzingo, 29-VI-1961, 4100', University of Kansas, Mexico expedition (SEMC); 1 male: Mexico, Puebla, 6 mi SW Tehuacan, 7-VII-1973, taken at light, Mastro and Schaffner (TAMU); 3 females: Mexico, Guerrero, Mexcala, 29-VI-1959 P. D. Hurd (EMEC);

Differential diagnosis.

Cymatodera mixteca is most similar to the allopatric Cymatodera pallida Schaeffer, but the two species can be readily differentiated based on the structure of the antennae. Antennomeres 2-3 of Cymatodera mixteca are about the same length and width but shorter and narrower than the fourth antennomere (Fig. 9), while antennomeres 2-4 are about the same length and width but shorter and narrower than the fifth antennomere in Cymatodera pallida (Fig. 10). The elytral integument in Cymatodera mixteca is uniformly pale-testaceous to testaceous (Fig. 4) while Cymatodera pallida has a faint, wide, transversal, dark-testaceous band on the last third of the elytral ground (Fig. 5). In addition, Cymatodera mixteca is restricted to central Mexico while Cymatodera pallida is found in the southwest portion of the United States and the northern state of Chihuahua, Mexico. Male pygidia of Cymatodera mixteca and Cymatodera pallida (Figs 14-15) closely resemble one another and will not serve to separate these species. The similar and possibly sympatric species Cymatodera cylindricollis Chevrolat is darker and moderately larger than Cymatodera mixteca .

Description.

Holotype male. Small, moderately slender, metathoracic wings complete. TL = 9.3 mm. Color: head, pronotum, prosternum, mesosternum and mouthparts testaceous; remainder of body pale testaceous (Fig. 4).

Head. HL = 1.1 mm, HW = 1.6 mm. Measured across eyes wider than pronotum; surface feebly rugose, shiny; frons not bi-impressed; moderately, finely punctate; vested with pale, short, recumbent, fine setae interspersed with some erect, fine, long and less numerous setae; eyes moderately rounded, large, slightly longer than wide, feebly emarginate in front, conspicuously bulging laterally. Antennae long, extending to posterior half of elytral length; second and third antennomere small, slender, about the same length; fourth antennomere about 3 × longer than third antennomere, antennomeres 4-10 robust, moderately elongate, subequal in length; antennomeres 2-3 subcylindrical; antennomeres 4-10 moderately serrate; last antennomere acuminate posteriorly, flattened apically, about the same length of tenth antennomere (Fig. 9).

Thorax: PL = 1.7 mm, PW = 0.9 mm. Pronotum moderately rugose, feebly, finely punctate; anterior margin as wide as middle and posterior margin; sides feebly constricted subapically; more constricted behind middle; disc flat, feebly impressed in front of middle; anterior pronotal impression present, subbasal tumescence obvious; surface moderately clothed with pale, stiff, short and long, semirecumbent setae. Prosternum sparsely vested, feebly, finely punctate. Mesosternum convex; surface shiny, smooth, moderately, shallowly punctate. Metasternum with surface feebly rugose, moderately, shallowly puncticulate. Scutellum ovoid, wider than long, posteriorly emarginate.

Legs: Moderately vested with pale, fine, recumbent setae intermixed with some scattered, very long, pale, stiff setae; femora transversally rugulose; tibia feebly punctate, longitudinally, finely rugulose.

Elytra: EL = 4.9 mm, EW = 2.1 mm. Broader than pronotum; humeri pronounced, rounded; sides slightly ovoid; widest portion at posterior fourth; disc moderately flat tened above, slightly depressed medially, smooth; apices subtriangular, feebly dehiscent; elytral declivity steep; integument clothed with short, pale, fine, recumbent setae intermixed with long, erect, pale, stiff setae; sculpture consisting of moderately coarse punctation arranged in regular striae that gradually become smaller and shallower on toward apex, punctation disappear before elytral apex; interstices at elytral base smooth, about 2.0 × the width of punctation.

Abdomen: Ventrites 1-4 shiny, smooth; feebly, finely punctate; clothed with few short, pale, fine, recumbent setae; posterior margins truncate; lateral margins not depressed. Fifth ventrite (Fig. 14) conspicuously wider than long; surface smooth, shiny, moderately concave; lateral margins oblique, finely arcuate; posterior margin broadly, shallowly emarginate. Sixth ventrite (Fig. 14) small; broader than long; subtriangular; surface shiny, smooth, very finely rugulose, medially convex; lateral margins strongly oblique, arcuate, hind margin broadly, very shallowly emarginate; posterolateral angles rounded. Fifth tergite subquadrate; rugulose; lateral margin moderately oblique, posterior margin truncate. Sixth tergite subquadrate, broader than long; surface concave; lateral margins oblique, feebly arcuate; posterior margin truncate; posterolateral angles broadly rounded. Sixth tergite extending slightly beyond the apical margin of sixth ventrite.

Aedeagus 0.9 mm long; feebly sclerotized; moderately wide; ratio of length of paramere to whole tegmen 0.3:1; tegmen partially covering phallus; parameres ovoid; lateral margins obtuse, oblique, pointed distally; phallobase wide; phallic plate devoid of denticles, distal portion of phallic plate spinous, spines reduced; phallus rounded at apex, conspicuously wide at middle; phallobasic apodeme robust, swollen distally, longer than phallobasic struts; phallobasic struts moderately robust, swollen distally, approximately 1.2 × the length of phallobasic apodeme (Fig. 26).

Females of the type series can be differentiated from males by the shape of the sixth ventrite. This segment is broadly rounded posteriorly (Fig. 19), rather than shallowly emarginate, as in males (Fig. 14). Remaining characters are constant in both sexes.

Variation.

Length of males ranges from 6.3-8.4 mm; length of females from 7.1-7.9 mm. Individuals in the type series vary somewhat in integument color, ranging from pale testaceous to brown. Such color variation is observable in male and female members in the type series. Remaining characters in the type series remain consistent.

Distribution.

The type series was collected from various localities in the Sierra Mixteca of Mexico, specifically in the south and southwestern portion of the state of Puebla, and in central Guerrero state (Fig. 29). This region is characterized by tropical deciduous to thorny forest habitats.

Etymology.

The specific epithet makes allusion to the regional home of the Mixteca people, and of this new species.