Caribbomerus zayasi, Devesa & Santos-Silva, 2021

Devesa, Sergio & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2021, Transference, descriptions, and notes on Cuban Graciliini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae), Zootaxa 4908 (4), pp. 527-536 : 533-535

Caribbomerus zayasi sp. nov.

( Figs 18–23 )

Merostenus exiguous Zayas, 1975: 122 (part).

Caribbomerus exiguous ; Devesa et al., 2015: 254 (part).

Description. Female holotype. Head mostly reddish brown; mouthparts and antennae light yellowish brown. Prothorax mostly reddish brown, somewhat orangish brown on central gibbosity and posterior area of pronotum. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax, and abdomen mostly reddish brown (browner depending on light intensity). Scutellum orangish brown centrally, dark brown on margins. Elytra mostly brown dorsally, light reddish brown laterally on anterior 5/6 (this area with two large projections toward dorsal surface, one on anterior third, another starting just before middle, ending slightly before posterior third), pale yellowish brown on entire posterior sixth. Femora mostly light orangish brown with irregular areas more yellowish (both colors lighter depending on light intensity). Tibiae pale yellowish, slightly more orangish brown close to apex.

Head. Frons, vertex, and area behind upper eye lobes minutely, densely punctate, with fine, sparse punctures interspersed (punctures sparser on posterocentral area of vertex); with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish-white setae, absent on narrow central area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes, close to upper eye lobes, and wide central area of vertex between upper eye lobes and prothorax (setae sparser behind remaining surface of upper eye lobes). Area behind lower eye lobes rugose-punctate close to eye, nearly smooth on wide area close to prothorax; with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument close to eye, glabrous on remaining surface. Genae with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish-white setae. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, except a few short yellowish-white setae near anterior margin. Antennal tubercles mostly glabrous. Median groove distinct from clypeus to area between upper eye lobes. Upper eye lobes with three rows of ommatidia. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.75 times length of scape (1.88 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.88 times length of scape (1.88 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 2.07 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at anterior quarter of antennomere IX. Scape, pedicel and antennomeres with thin, yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; basal antennomeres with somewhat long, erect, sparse yellowish setae ventrally. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.33; pedicel = 0.33; IV = 1.33; V = 2.33; VI = 2.67; VII = 2.33; VIII = 2.33; IX = 2.00; X = 2.00; XI = 2.33.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly longer than wide, nearly parallel-sided about anterior quarter, distinctly rounded and widened from this point to posterior constriction, then with sides divergent toward posterolateral angles. Pronotum with four slightly elevated gibbosities laterally, one on each side of anterior third, one on each side of posterior third, and moderately elevated, elongate gibbosity centrally; minutely, densely punctate, except smooth central gibbosity, with somewhat coarse and sparse punctures interspersed, especially laterally; with short, sparse, decumbent yellowish-white setae, slightly more abundant, longer on center of posterior half. Sides of prothorax coarsely, evenly punctate with non-confluent punctures; with sparse, decumbent, short yellowish-white setae. Posterior 2/3 of prosternum somewhat coarsely punctate, with non-confluent, evenly distributed punctures; anterior third with punctures distinctly sparser; with sparse, decumbent, short yellowish-white setae on posterior third, setae distinctly sparser on anterior third. Prosternal process strongly narrowed centrally, widely expanded posteriorly. Ventral surface of mesothorax somewhat coarsely, sparsely punctate; with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish-white setae. Ventral surface of metathorax somewhat coarsely, sparsely punctate (punctures more abundant laterally than on mesothorax); with yellowish-white pubescence slightly more abundant than on mesothorax. Scutellum with a few minute, decumbent yellowish-white setae laterally, glabrous centrally. Elytra. Coarsely, abundantly punctate except almost smooth posterior sixth; with sparse yellowish-white setae, slightly more abundant on posterior quarter. Legs. With sparse yellowish-white setae, denser and longer on posterior half of ventral surface of tibiae. Metatarsomere I longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrite I coarsely, sparsely punctate on sides and central area; ventrites II–III coarsely, sparsely punctate (punctures sparser and shallower than on I); ventrites IV–V smooth; ventrites with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish-white setae, especially laterally.

Dimensions in mm (female holotype). Total length, 4.30; prothoracic length, 1.90; anterior prothoracic width, 0.45; posterior prothoracic width, 0.50; widest prothoracic width, 0.60; humeral width, 0.80; elytral length, 2.90.

Type material. Holotype female (paralectotype of Merostenus exiguous ) from CUBA, Santiago de Cuba: Oriente, Sierra Maestra, Turquino [Pico Turquino], VI.1964, F. de Zayas col. ( FZPC).

Etymology. The species is named in honor and recognition of Fernando de Zayas, for his contribution to the knowledge of the Cuban Cerambycidae .

Remarks. According to Monné (2020) on Caribbomerus exiguus : “ Type locality— Holotype male: Cuba, Oriente: Turquino (Sierra Maestra).” Tavakilian & Chevillotte (2020) also provided the same information. However, as reported above, Zayas (1975) never designated a holotype, and the original description does not agree with the specimen from Pico Turquino. Accordingly, Caribbomerus zayasi sp. nov. could not be chosen as the lectotype of Merostenus exiguous .

Caribbomerus zayasi sp. nov. is similar to C. decoratus ( Zayas, 1975) ( Figs. 24–25 ), but differs as follows: Upper eye lobes with three rows of ommatidia; prothorax noticeably, moderately abruptly widened on wide central area; pronotum with sculpturing distinctly sparser; dorsal surface of the elytra with two lighter color areas laterally. In C. decoratus , the upper eye lobes have four rows of ommatidia (in the holotype and all specimens examined), prothorax not or slightly widened centrally (not abruptly), pronotal sculpturing denser throughout except, sometimes, smooth central gibbosity, and elytra lacking two lighter color areas laterally (in the holotype and all specimens examined), with only one lighter color area close to suture (this area sometimes absent, variable in length). The new species differs from C. attenuatus (Chevrolat, 1862) especially by the longer and coarser punctate prothorax. Caribbomerus zayasi also differs from C. elongatus (Fisher, 1932) by the pronotal sculpturing distinctly sparser, and scutellum lacking dense pubescence.

Figures

FIGURES 16–26. 16–17) Paralectotype male of Merostenus exiguous (= Perigracilia exigua), dorsal habitus. 18–23) Caribbomerus zayasi sp. nov. (paralectotype of Merostenus exiguous): 18) Dorsal habitus; 19) Lateral habitus; 20) Lateral habitus showing entire antennae; 21) Pronotum; 22) Upper eye lobes; 23) Original label. 24–26) Merostenus decoratus, holotype male: 24) Dorsal habitus; 25) Lateral habitus; 26) Labels.