Championa zarazagai, Heffern & Santos-Silva & Nascimento, 2021

Heffern, Daniel, Santos-Silva, Antonio & Nascimento, Francisco E. L., 2021, American Cerambycidae (Coleoptera): Four new species, new records and taxonomic notes, Zootaxa 4933 (3), pp. 361-378 : 369-370

Championa zarazagai sp. nov.

( Figs 25–28 )

Description. Female holotype. Head metallic green, except for violaceous apex of antennal tubercles, margins of antennal socket, most of postclypeus, posterior half of labrum (except dark apex), and apex of genae, and reddishbrown posterior half and parts of central half of gulamentum; scape, pedicel, and antennomeres III–VIII violaceous; antennomeres IX–XI brown; mandibles mostly black. Pronotum, sides of prothorax, and anterior fifth of prosternum metallic green; remaining surface of prosternum reddish brown. Sides of ventral surface of mesothorax metallic green and central area reddish brown; ventral surface of metathorax metallic green (more dark reddish brown toward metathoracic discrimen depending on light intensity). Elytra dark metallic green except transverse light yellowish-brown band placed about middle, from near suture to near epipleural margin. Femoral peduncles dark reddish brown, femoral clubs mostly metallic violaceous. Protibiae violaceous; meso- and metatibiae violaceous basally and apically, mostly dark reddish brown centrally. Tarsi mostly dark violaceous. Abdominal ventrites metallic green (more dark reddish brown on some areas depending on light intensity).

Head. Frons rugose-punctate; with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument centrally, denser, more yellowish-white close to eyes. Vertex coarsely, abundantly, partially confluent punctate; area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes with white pubescence not obscuring integument, with yellow pubescence interspersed; remaining surface with yellow pubescence not obscuring integument. Area behind upper eye lobes and behind smooth area of connection between eye lobes coarsely rugose-punctate; with dense yellow pubescence close to eye and area of connection between eye lobes, nearly absent close to prothorax. Area behind lower eye lobes longitudinally rugose-punctate; with dense yellow pubescence close to eye (pubescence gradually yellowish-white toward ventral surface), glabrous close to prothorax. Genae with grayish-white pubescence partially obscuring integument, except glabrous apex. Antennal tubercles finely, sparsely punctate, except for minute, abundant punctate area near apex; with sparse grayish-white pubescence, except denser pubescent row near apex. Median groove distinct from clypeus to area between upper eye lobes. Postclypeus with dense yellowish pubescence obscuring integument on wide central area (pubescence whiter on center of this area), glabrous laterally. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus at posterior half, inclined at anterior half; with sparse white pubescence on wide central area of posterior half, and long tuft of yellowish-brown setae directed forward on each side of this area; anterior area with abundant, short yellowish-brown setae directed forward. Gulamentum smooth and glabrous posteriorly, transversely striate-punctate, with yellowish-white pubescence anteriorly. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.53 times length of scape (0.33 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 1.03 times length of scape (0.63 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 1.6 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at posterior third of antennomere X. Scape somewhat coarsely, abundantly punctate except smooth outer apex; with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, except glabrous smooth area, interspersed with long, erect, sparse setae of same color. Pedicel and antennomeres III–VI with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; antennomeres VII–VIII nearly entirely covered with dense grayish-white pubescence (less ventrally); antennomeres IX–XI with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (pubescence shorter and denser than those on basal antennomeres); antennomeres III–VIII with long, erect yellowish-white setae ventrally (erect setae gradually sparser toward VIII); antennomeres III–VII ( Fig. 28 ) with spine at inner apex (spines gradually shorter toward VII). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.50; pedicel = 0.16; IV = 0.64; V = 0.82; VI = 0.72; VII = 0.61; VIII = 0.48; IX = 0.42; X = 0.34; XI = 0.39.

Thorax. Prothorax distinctly longer than wide, nearly parallel-sided, with two constrictions anteriorly, one narrow near anterior margin, another one wide on anterior quarter. Pronotum transversely striate, except for smooth area between anterior margin and first constriction, and subsmooth posterior fifth; anterior margin convex; posterior margin with wide concavity centrally; with sparse yellow pubescence, slightly denser on center of anterior fifth, nearly absent close to anterior margin and sides of posterior fifth, and dense, transverse yellow pubescent band centrally close to posterior margin; with long, erect, sparse brownish setae interspersed on wide central area. Sides of prothorax transversely striate-punctate on anterior half, coarsely, sparsely punctate between middle and posterior fifth, obliquely striate on posterior fifth; with sparse yellow pubescence on anterior 4/5, white on posterior fifth (white pubescence denser toward ventral surface); with dense, arched, yellow pubescent band posteriorly, starting near middle of area close to posterior fifth, following middle of prothorax close to prosternum. Prosternum finely, transversely striate-punctate; with dense grayish-white pubescence on nearly all posterior half (pubescence gradually yellower laterally), with sparse grayish-white pubescence on center of anterior half and entire anterior fifth, and dense yellowish pubescence on remaining surface; with long, erect, sparse grayish-white setae throughout. Narrowest area of prosternal process 0.3 times width of procoxal cavity. Ventral surface of mesothorax with dense yellowish-white pubescence, except glabrous central area of mesoventrite and glabrous area about middle of mesanepisternum. Metanepisternum with dense yellowish-white pubescence basally, gradually yellow toward near apex, which has dense grayish-white pubescence. Metaventrite with dense yellowish pubescence (more grayish-white on some areas), with long, erect yellowish setae interspersed. Scutellum with dense yellow pubescence.

Elytra. Coarsely, somewhat abundantly punctate (punctures shallower on posterior third); sides gradually narrowed from humerus to apex, more distinctly in posterior third; apex strongly emarginate and bidentate; with wide dense yellow pubescent band along suture, from scutellum to apex; with strongly oblique, fragmented yellow pubescent band, upward from sutural yellow pubescent band (starting just after apex of anterior quarter) to near epipleural margin on anterior third, and another strongly oblique, entire yellow pubescent band, downward from sutural yellow pubescent band (starting slightly before base of posterior third) to near epipleural margin on posterior half; remaining surface with sparse, erect yellow setae, slightly more abundant on posterior quarter, absent on yellowish-brown integumental band. Legs. Femora with decumbent yellowish-white setae not obscuring integument, and long, erect, sparse setae of same color interspersed. Protibiae with sparse grayish-white pubescence dorsally, moderately abundant white pubescence laterally, and dense yellowish pubescence ventrally; with long, erect, sparse both yellowish and white setae interspersed dorsally and laterally. Mesotibiae with somewhat sparse white pubescence (forming longitudinal row laterally), with long, erect, sparse white setae interspersed, except posterior quarter of ventral surface with abundant, bristly yellowish pubescence. Metatibiae with both, decumbent and erect white setae on anterior 2/3 (forming row laterally), dense white pubescence dorsally and on superior region of sides of posterior third, and dense white pubescence on ventral surface of posterior third, gradually yellowish toward apex. Pro- and mesotarsi with grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; metatarsi with dense white pubescence.

Abdomen. Ventrites with dense yellowish pubescence (whiter depending on light intensity), and long, erect, sparse setae of same color interspersed.

Dimensions in mm. Total length, 16.05; prothoracic length, 3.60; anterior prothoracic width, 2.10; posterior prothoracic width, 2.05; widest prothoracic width, 2.25; humeral width, 3.10; elytral length, 10.30.

Type material. Holotype female from MEXICO, Nayarit: Chacala , without date and collector indicated ( MZSP).

Etymology. The new species is named in honor of Miguel Ángel Alonso-Zarazaga, in recognition for his contribution to Zoology, especially Entomology, and gratitude for the many times he helped the second author with his great knowledge of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature.

Remarks. Championa zarazagai sp. nov. is similar to C. aliciae Noguera & Chemsak, 1997 (see photograph of a female paratype on Bezark 2021), but the females of these species differ as follows: antennae surpassing elytral apex; antennomere IV slightly shorter than basal width of the prothorax; basal pubescent band of the pronotum wider and not extending to sides of prothorax; yellowish-brown integumental band of the elytra transverse, not starting close to anterior yellow pubescent band. In C. aliciae , the antennae do not reach elytral apex, antennomere IV distinctly shorter than basal width of the prothorax, basal pubescent band of the pronotum is narrower and distinctly extending to prosternum, and yellowish-brown integumental band of the elytra strongly oblique, and starting near to the anterior yellow pubescent band.According to Noguera & Chemsak (1997) on the ventral surface of the abdomen in males of C. aliciae : “Abdomen subglabrous medially, densely clothed with appressed pubescence at sides which extends to middle on two basal segments.” We don’t know if the abdominal pubescence in females of C. aliciae is as in males. If so, it would be another differential feature because the pubescence is uniformly dense in female of C. zarazagai . See remarks in Championa chihuahuaensis sp. nov. As in other species of Cerambycidae , it is possible that there is an expressive intraspecific variation in metallic colors.

Figures

FIGURES 25–35. 25–29) Championa zarazagai sp. nov., female holotype: 25) Dorsal habitus; 26) Ventral habitus; 27) Lateral habitus; 28) Antennomeres IV–VII; 29) Head, frontal view. 30–35) Championa chihuahaensis sp. nov., female holotype: 30) Head, frontal view; 31) Antennomeres IV–V; 32) Antennomere VI; 33) Dorsal habitus; 34) Ventral habitus; 35) Lateral habitus.