Mimolaia batesi, Perger & Santos-Silva, 2019

Perger, Robert & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2019, Addition to the known long-horned beetle fauna of the Bolivian Andes: A new lycid-like species of Mimolaia Bates, 1885 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Caliini), Zootaxa 4550 (2), pp. 295-300 : 296-299

Mimolaia batesi sp. nov.

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3845A836-5A91-44F6-A02A-D456BCD9B02C

( Figs 1–2 )

Type material. Holotype female from BOLIVIA, La Paz department, Nor Yungas province, 10 km N.E. of Coroico ( Bolivian Yungas forest ; 16°06´40˝S / 67°44´45˝W; 1340 m a.s.l.), I. 2018, beating tray, R. Perger col. ( MZSP).

Etymology. The specific epithet, batesi, is a patronym in honor of Henry Walter Bates in recognition of his expeditions to the Amazon area and pioneering contributions to entomology.

Description. Female. Integument mostly black; parts of anteclypeus, labrum and mandibles dark reddish brown; mouthparts mostly brownish, with dark reddish-brown areas; genae dark reddish brown; antennomere IV yellowish brown on basal 2/3, reddish brown with apex dark brown on distal third; antennomere V with reddishbrown basal ring; antennomere IX slightly dark reddish brown posteriorly; antennomere X reddish brown; sides of pronotum with wide, longitudinal reddish-brown band; humeri dark reddish brown; epipleural margin dark reddish brown on basal quarter; pro- and mesofemora yellowish brown anteriorly (profemora yellowish brown almost on entire basal half; mesofemora on about basal third). The following segments are missing in the holotype: antennomere XI of right antenna, antennomeres X–XI of left antenna, nearly all left protibia, left protarsus, left middle leg, and both hind legs.

Head. Frons moderately finely and abundantly punctate toward antennal tubercles, slightly sparser toward clypeus; with inverted Y-shaped yellow pubescent band (more golden depending on angle of light source), basal arm starting between upper eye lobes, distal arms ending on about middle of clypeus, laterally not reaching lower eye lobes; central area close to clypeus with sparse whitish pubescence distinctly exposing integument; area close to lower eye lobes with sparse yellowish-white pubescence (more brownish depending on angle of light source); with long, erect, sparse dark setae close to lower eye lobes. Vertex finely, abundantly punctate, with yellowishwhite pubescence partially obscuring integument from posterior ocular edge (looking darker due to the color of integument); with a few long, erect, dark setae close to eyes. Area behind eyes with dense yellow pubescent band (more golden depending on angle of light source) from about middle of upper eye lobe to beginning of lower eye lobe; remaining surface with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (looking darker due to the color of integument); with a few long, erect, dark setae close to eye. Genae with dense yellowish-white pubescence except glabrous distal area. Antennal tubercles with yellowish-white pubescence (more brownish depending on angle of light source), not obscuring integument. Median groove almost entirely indistinct. Postclypeus moderately finely, sparsely punctate on wide central area, smooth laterally; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence (except yellow pubescence on sides of wide central area); with a few long, erect, dark setae on sides of wide central area. Labrum with long, moderately sparse yellowish and brownish setae directed forward, and dense fringe of golden setae on anterior margin. Gulamentum with sparse yellowish-white pubescence anteriorly. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.29 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.61 times length of scape. Antennae 1.22 times elytral length, almost reaching apex of elytra (apex of antennomere X). Antennal segments with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, looking darker or lighter depending on color of integument; scape with long, erect, sparse dark setae throughout; pedicel and antennomeres with long, erect, dark setae ventrally, slightly denser on III, gradually shorter, sparser toward X. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.81; pedicel = 0.22; IV = 0.97; V = 0.81; VI = 0.68; VII = 0.65; VIII = 0.59; IX = 0.59; X = 0.50.

Thorax. Prothorax about 1.2 times wider than long; lateral tubercle small, placed about mid-length, nearly hidden by the pubescence. Pronotum moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate throughout; light areas with dense yellow pubescence (more golden depending on angle of light source), remaining surface with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (looking darker due to the color of integument); with long, erect, sparse dark setae, slightly more abundant anteriorly. Sides of prothorax with sculpturing as on pronotum, and pubescence as on central area of pronotum, except posterior area nearly smooth and glabrous (this area widened toward ventral side). Prosternum moderately finely, abundantly punctate; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence, with a few long, erect, yellowish-white setae interspersed. Ventral side of meso- and metathorax with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, distinctly sparser on triangular centroposterior area of metathorax, with long, erect, sparse yellowish-white setae interspersed, especially on metathorax. Scutellum with sparse yellowish-white pubescence. Elytra. Moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate (punctures less distinct toward apex); with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (looking darker due to the color of integument); with long, erect, moderately abundant dark setae throughout, slightly longer, more abundant on distal third, especially on lateral margins; apex individually rounded. Legs. Femora with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, more yellowish ventrally; with long, erect, sparse yellowish-white setae. Tibiae with brownish pubescence, gradually bristly toward apex, with long, erect dark setae interspersed.

Abdomen. Ventrites with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect yellowishwhite setae interspersed. Ventrite V gradually inclined toward apex at distal third, with narrow longitudinal sulcus from base to apex; apex slightly rounded.

Dimensions. Total length, 7.00; prothorax: length, 1.00; anterior width, 1.05; posterior width, 1.10; humeral width, 1.70; elytral length, 5.25.

Geographic and ecological distribution. Mimolaia batesi sp. nov. has been collected only in the area of Bolivian Yungas forest in La Paz department ( Fig. 1C ). The mean annual rainfall in this mountainous area amounts to 1,500 to 2,200 mm with a mean annual temperature of 20°C ( Molina-Carpio 2005, data from the close by Huarinilla valley). According to the biogeographical regionalization by Navarro & Ferreira (2011), the ecosystem in the study area is considered as submontane seasonal evergreen Yungas forest ( Fig. 1C ). Tree indicator species for this ecosystem are Saurauia peruviana Buscalioni (Actinidiaceae) and Juglans boliviana (C.DC.) Dode 1909 ( Juglandaceae ) ( Navarro & Ferreira 2011).

Remarks. There are four species in Mimolaia Bates, 1881 with a general appearance similar to that of M. batesi sp. nov.: M. acaiuba Galileo & Martins, 1998 , M. cleroides (Bates, 1866) , M. hua Galileo & Martins, 1991 , and M. peruana Galileo & Martins, 1991 ( Fig. 3B, C ). Mimolaia batesi sp. nov. differs from these species by the elongated body, being four times longer than the widest body width (about 3.5 times in M. acaiuba , M. cleroides , M. hua and M. peruana ). The elongation of the body was mainly attributed to the long elytra, resulting in an elytral length three times longer than the length of the head and the prothorax together (about 2.5 times in M. acaiuba , M. cleroides , M. hua and M. peruana ). Furthermore, M. batesi sp. nov. can be distinguished from the other four resembling species by the antennomere IV except in the apical area light and the antennomere V only proximally light (in M. acaiuba IV light and V dark; in M. cleroides IV apically light and V light; in M. hua IV+V dark and in M. peruana IV dark and V light).

From M. buckleyi ( Bates, 1885) ( Fig. 3A ), which is also known from Bolivian Yungas forest, M. batesi sp. nov. can immediately be separated by the elytra without large yellowish areas (present in M. buckleyi ) and the elongated body, being four times longer than the widest body width (about 3.5 times in M. buckleyi ). Furthermore, M. batesi sp. nov. differs from M. buckleyi by the antennomere IX entirely dark (yellowish in M. buckleyi ), antennomere V proximally light (dark in M. buckleyi ) and elytra parallel-sided (slightly widened toward apical area in M. buckleyi ). While the light coloration or pubescence on the elytra may be somewhat variable in species of Mimolaia, including gender specific differences (e.g. compare Fig. 3B and C ), the color of the antennomeres and the elongated body allow separating M. batesi sp. nov. from males and females of other species.

Mimolaia batesi sp. nov. shares a black elytra and a laterally orange/reddish pronotum with M. cleroides , M. acaiuba and M. hua . These species imitate a distinct group of Lycidae (the group “black”, according to Nascimento 2009) that includes a wide range of species in the tribes Palaterodini, Eurrhacini, Calopterini and Calochromini . Potential models that are distinguished by the color pattern and a slender body are particularly found in the genera Calopteron , Cartagonum , Falsocaenia , Falsocalleros , Haplobothris , Linoptes , Lycoplateros , Mesopteron and Plateros . Further fieldwork is needed to identify potential models that are sympatric with M. batesi sp. nov.

The beating tray sampling in a transect of 300 m and with an effort of six hours during two days revealed three species that were unknown to science (25% of the collected species), two of them were already described (see Perger & Santos-Silva 2018a, b). Although present-day expeditions in the Amazon area are not as difficult as those in Bates’ times and a vast number of Amazon species have been described since then, the current study indicates that particularly Bolivian forests in the Amazon area still have high potential for the discovery of unknown, ecologically interesting long-horned beetle taxa (see also Perger & Santos-Silva 2010; Santos-Silva & Perger 2017).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution of Mimolaia batesi sp. nov.: A, South America, image derived from Natural Earth World physical map with shaded relief at 1.24 km resolution (http://www.naturalearthdata.com). B, Bolivia; study area indicated by black square. C, ecosystems of the Bolivian Yungas area; map derived from the shapefile of the biogeographical regionalization by Navarro & Ferreira (2011), using the Geographic Information System QGIS 2.14 (available at http://www.qgis.org/en/site/); Collection location of holotype indicated by red point; MC, Montane humid Yungas forest of Coroico; MYC, Montane Yungas cloud forest of Coroico; MR, Montane Yungas rainforest; SE, Submontane evergreen South West Amazon forest; SSD, Submontane semi-deciduous Yungas forest of La Paz; SSE, Submontane seasonal evergreen Yungas forest.

FIGURE 2. Mimolaia batesi sp. nov., habitus female holotype: A, dorsal; B, lateral; C, ventral.

FIGURE 3. Habitus of related Mimolaia species: A, M. buckleyi (Bates, 1885); B, M. peruana Galileo & Martins, 1991, male holotype; C, idem, female paratype.