Enoclerus sepultura Rifkind, 2022

Rifkind, Jacques, 2022, New distributional records for Mexican Cleridae (Coleoptera) with the description of three new species, Insecta Mundi 2022 (963), pp. 1-12 : 9-12

Enoclerus sepultura Rifkind , new species

( Fig. 8–10 )

Type specimen. Holotype male. Mexico, Chiapas, La Sepultura, vii-6-2021, 16°20′44″N, 93°52′31″ W,2438′, on Croton, J. Rifkind, J. M. Leavengood, Jr., E. A. Martinez , colls. The holotype is deposited in CSCA.

Description. (Holotype). Length: 7.5 mm. Form: elongate; elytra subparallel ( Fig. 8–10 ). Color: Black; anterior 3/8 of elytra reddish; posterior 5/8 of elytra interrupted anteriorly by an arcuate, salmon pink fascia on each clerus sepultura .

side, broader laterally where it is complete to margin, narrower internally where it is interrupted before suture; antennal scape and labial and maxillary palpi all or in part reddish testaceous. Head: surface finely, densely, shallowly granulate/punctate; moderately densely clothed with suberect, medium length, white setae, interspersed with fewer, more elongate, erect white setae. Antennae: of medium length; antennomere 11 trapezoidal. Pronotum: subflattened above, transverse impression broadly arcuate, shallow and rather inconspicuous; surface finely, densely granulate/punctate, densely clothed with short and long, erect, rather robust black setae; anterior margin bearing a few anteriorly oriented, short white setae; posterior slope set with several more robust, erect white setae. Scutellum densely clothed with white setae. Elytra: elongate (≈ 2× as long as wide); somewhat compressed dorsolaterally; humeri subquadrate; subbasal tumescences shallow; sides subparallel, feebly expanded at posterior 1/3; apices separately rounded. Surface shining, rather coarsely, densely, and moderately deeply punctate on anterior 1/2, punctation diminished medially, obsolete posteriorly, where the integument is uniformly, finely, granulate and finely, sparsely punctulate. Vestiture inconspicuous except on apices; reddish anterior area moderately densely clothed with short,fine, suberect black setae, intermingled on disc with fewer long, more robust, erect and suberect black setae, and laterally with black, suberect and erect black setae of medium length; pale median fascia clothed with fine, reclinate pale setae; black posterior area densely clothed with fine, short, suberect black setae, interspersed with fewer, more elongate, robust black setae, except for apical 1⁄6, which bears a dense patch of adpressed, moderately robust whitish setae. Metasternum: surface finely, densely rugulose, densely clothed with fine, silverly, reclinate setae. Abdomen: surface shining, sparsely punctulate, sparsely clothed with silvery setae. Ventrite 5 with posterior margin feebly, broadly, arcuately emarginate; ventrite 6 small, scutiform, distinctly concave below; sternite 6 concave ventrally, hind margin arcuate. Genitalia: not examined.

Variation. Known from the holotype only.

Etymology. The specific epithet refers to the type locality on the western edge of the Reserva de la Biosfera de La Sepultura in Chiapas, Mexico. It is applied as a noun in apposition.

Distribution. Known from Chiapas, Mexico.

Natural history. The holotype was collected by beating blossoms of what appears to be Croton guatemalensis Lotsy ( Fig. 11 ) in early July.

Diagnosis. Enoclerus sepultura is extremely similar to E. primulus described above. I choose to describe E. sepultura based on the difference in the shape and color of its elytral fascia. As I rule, I would tend to ascribe such a minor difference to normal population variability, but the consistency of the elytral pattern in E. primulus across all specimens from Chiapas and El Salvador militates in favor of regarding the two species as separate. Furthermore, E. sepultura occurs in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, whereas the Chiapan population of E. primulus has only been collected in the more xeric Central Depression ( Breedlove 1981), so the two species may also prove to be allopatric.

Figures

Figure 11. Croton cf. guatemalensis Lotsy at type locality of Eno-

Figures 8–10. Enoclerus sepultura. 8) Habitus. 9) Lateral aspect. 10) Holotype in life.