Derobrachus moroni, Heffern, Daniel & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016

Heffern, Daniel & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016, New species and new record of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from Mexico, with updates to type depository for two species of Disteniinae, Zootaxa 4072 (5), pp. 569-578 : 570-571

Derobrachus moroni sp. nov.

( Fig. 1–3 )

Type material: Holotype male. MEXICO, Veracruz: Catemaco (400 m), 19.VII.1991, G. Nogueira col. ( CNIN).

Dimensions in mm. Total length (including mandibles), 37.9; pronotal length (centrally), 3.8; anterior pronotal width (apex of anterolateral spines), 9.2; posterior pronotal width, 6.1; humeral width, 10.2; elytral length, 27.2.

Description. Holotype male. Integument dark brown; mouth parts mostly reddish brown; elytra brown on basal quarter, lighter on remaining surface, except for narrow strip along suture and outer margin.

Head. Frons coarsely, sparsely punctate close to clypeus (mainly laterally), with remaining surface minutely, abundantly punctate; with small tubercle close to fork of epicranial arms; glabrous, except for some small setae close to clypeus. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes deeply and moderately widely sulcate; glabrous; smooth from antennal tubercles to about middle of upper eye lobes, moderately finely and sparsely punctate from this point to margin of prothorax (surface slightly rugose); this latter region with short, sparse setae (longer between eyes). Ocular carina moderately wide between antennal tubercles and anterior edge of eyes, narrow from this point to near posterior ocular edge. Antennal tubercles large, inner side rounded, slightly projected under frons; finely and sparsely punctate toward frons, minutely, more abundantly punctate toward antennal socket; with very short, sparse setae. Longitudinal sulcus from fork of epicranial arms to near prothoracic margin. Clypeus coarsely, abundantly punctate (punctures distinctly more dense centrally than laterally); with short and long, moderately abundant setae. Labrum narrow, with short setae interspersed with very long setae laterally. Gulamentum shallowly, coarsely punctate before lower eye lobes, moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate around margin of eyes and laterally, punctate-striate in front of eyes, coarsely and moderately abundantly punctate toward mentum; with long, sparse setae in front of eyes. Area behind upper eye lobes moderately coarsely and confluently punctate close to eyes, slightly finer and sparser toward margin of prothorax; area behind lower eye lobes coarsely and abundantly punctate close to eyes, slightly sparser toward margin of prothorax (this latter gradually smoother toward gulamentum). Maxillary palpi long; apex of last segment enlarged. Genal apex acute, projected forward. Eyes large; distance between upper eye lobes 0.2 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes in ventral view 0.1 times length of scape. Antennae as long as 1.5 times elytral length (left antenna missing antennomeres X–XI); reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere XI. Antennomere III shiny, sparsely punctate on basal third, longitudinally striate on the remaining surface, dorsally convex, without longitudinal furrow; ventrally flat, shiny on basal fifth, microsculptured in the remaining surface; apex 2.1 times wider than base. Antennomeres IV–XI completely striated longitudinally. Antennomere IV dorsally convex, without longitudinal furrow. Antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape = 0.72; pedicel = 0.18; IV = 0.98; V = 0.95; VI = 0.92; VII = 0.92; VIII = 0.95; IX = 0.95; X = 0.95; XI = 1.68.

Thorax. Pronotum flat at disc, distinctly sloping laterally; discal gibbosities moderately distinct; transverse furrow at basal and anterior regions well-marked, mainly laterally; finely, sparsely punctate centrally; slightly rugose laterally, more distinctly near posterolateral angles; with long setae laterally, mainly near posterolateral angles, and short setae close to basal and anterior margins (longer close to basal margin); anterior edge of lateroanterior spines slightly sloping backwards; middle and posterior spines together protracted, with small spine at anterior edge of middle spine. Prosternum finely, moderately abundantly punctate; with long, abundant setae, not obscuring integument. Metasternum and metepisterna finely, abundantly punctate, except center of metasternum, subcarinate, subsmooth; with long, abundant setae, not obscuring integument, except for glabrous subcarinate area of metasternum. Scutellum finely rugose, except for narrow, smooth band surrounding rugose area; with short, sparse setae on distal region of rugose area. Elytra. Surface slightly, but distinctly, rugose throughout, subopaque; glabrous, except for small, sparse setae at base, and minute, very sparse setae near distal edge; elytral carinae slightly distinct; epipleural region slightly dilated at anterior half; lateral margins subparallel at basal half, slightly convergent at distal half; sutural apex with short, but distinct spine. Legs. Femora and tibiae not denticulate at lateral edge of ventral surface; protarsi long, not very wide; metatarsomere I slightly shorter than II–III together; apex of the lobes of metatarsomere III without spine.

Abdomen. Ventrites I–III smooth, glabrous centrally, finely, sparsely punctate, with short setae laterally; ventrite IV with sparse, fine, but distinct punctures on center of basal third, laterally as on I–III; ventrite V finely, sparsely punctate (punctures as on center of IV), with short, sparse setae throughout; apex of ventrite V truncate.

Etymology. This new species is named after Miguel Ángel Morón Ríos (INECOL), for his lifetime of contributions to the knowledge of Coleoptera from Mexico, particularly Scarabaeidae .

Remarks. Derobrachus moroni belongs to the Sulcicornis species-group, characterized in males by the inner side of the protibiae with a distinct longitudinal furrow (rarely obsolete), dorsal surface of protibiae flat or almost flat throughout. By the elytral sculpture, the new species resembles D. megacles Bates, 1884 , but differs mainly by the antennae surpassing elytral apex, antennomeres III and IV not dorsally sulcate, and tarsi longer and slender. In D. megacles the antennae do not reach the elytral apex, the antennomeres III and IV are dorsally sulcate, and the tarsi are short and wider, mainly protarsus. It differs from D. smithi Bates, 1892 , that also has the elytra rugose, mainly by the antennomere III and IV not dorsally sulcate, and by the pronotum not coarsely rugose (mainly on disc). In D. smithi the pronotum is coarsely rugose and antennomeres III and IV are dorsally sulcate. Derobrachus moroni is somewhat similar to D. longicornis (Bates, 1872) , mainly by the antennae surpassing elytral apex, but differs by the pronotum mostly glabrous (with moderately abundant setae in D. longicornis ), by antennomere III smooth on basal third, and dorsally not sulcate (scabrous and sulcate in D. longicornis ). It can be separated from D. agyleus Buquet, 1852 , by the shape of antennomere III (scabrous and sulcate in D. agyleus ). Only two species do not have the dorsal surface of antennomere III sulcate in males, as in the new species (indicated, but present on the base in D. procerus Thomson, 1861 ): D. digueti Lameere, 1915 , and D. lingafelteri Santos-Silva, 2007 (see Bezark 2015). However, D. digueti belongs to the Brevicollis species-group (inner side of protibiae without longitudinal furrow, and dorsal surface uniformly convex), and D. lingafelteri belongs to the Apterus species-group (scutellum distinctly pubescent in males). Derobrachus moroni also differs from D. digueti as follows: elytra subopaque (shining in D. digueti ), and without distinct carinae (distinctly carinate in D. digueti , mainly centrally). The new species also differs notably from D. lingafelteri by the elytra mostly glabrous, while in the latter they have short, moderately abundant setae throughout.

The type locality of this species is described as subtropical perennial forest (G. Nogueira, pers. comm.).

Derobrachus moroni can be included in the alternative of couplet “9”, from Santos-Silva (2007):

9(8). Antennomere III without granules on lateral and ventral face.................................................. 9’ - Antennomere III distinctly coarsely granulated on lateral and/or ventral face. U.S.A. (Nevada, California, Arizona, New Mex-

ico, Texas) and Mexico (Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila de Zaragoza, Durango, Nuevo Leon).... D. hovorei Santos-Silva, 2007 9’(9). Antennomere III dorsally sulcate; setae on metasternum short and sparse. United States (California, Nevada, Texas, New Mex-

ico, Arizona and Utah) and Mexico (Baja California and Sonora).................... D. leechi Chemsak & Linsley, 1977 - Antennomere III dorsally not sulcate; setae on metasternum long and abundant. Mexico (Veracruz)....... D. moroni sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. 1 – 3) Derobrachus moroni, holotype male: 1) dorsal; 2) ventral; 3) lateral. 4 – 6) Elytrimitatrix (Grossifemora) nogueirai, holotype female: 4) dorsal; 5) ventral; 6) lateral.