Neorthopleura cuspidis, Opitz, Weston, 2019

Opitz, Weston, 2019, Descriptions of new genera and new species of Western Hemisphere checkered beetles (Coleoptera, Cleroidea, Cleridae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 51 (2), pp. 959-1076 : 992

Neorthopleura cuspidis OPITZ nov.sp. ( Figs 35, 41 , 173 , 230 , 310 )

Holotype: ♀. Type locality: Rondon, Parana, Brazil, 34.38° Lat, 54.07° Long, III:--53, Fritz Plaumann leg. ( WFBM) . Paratypes: 19 specimens. Brazil: Estado do Paraná, Rondon , 24°38'LN 54°07'W, 2-XII-1952, Fritz Plaumann ( WOPC, 1) ; idem, 2-XI-1952, Fritz Plaumann ( WOPC, 1) ; idem, 17-XI-1952, Fritz Plaumann ( WFBM, 1) ; idem, 18-XII-1952, Fritz Plaumann ( FMNH, 1) ; idem, 5-XII-1952, Fritz Plaumann ( BMNH, 1) ; idem, 25-XI-1952, Fritz Plaumann ( TAMU, 1) ; idem, 3-I-1953, Fritz Plaumann ( EMEC, 1) ; idem, 4-I-1953, Fritz Plaumann ( CMNC, 1) ; idem, 28- I-1953, Fritz Plaumann ( CMNH, 1) ; idem, 15-I-1953, Fritz Plaumann ( CNCI, 1; WFBM, 1) ; 18-I- 1953, Fritz Plaumann ( WOPC, 1) ; idem, Estado do Mato Grosso, Rio Caraguata , 21°48'N 52°27', 20-III- 1954, 400 m, Fritz Plaumann ( WOPC, 1) ; idem,?- XII- 1953, 400m, Fritz Plaumann ( WFBM, 2; WOPC, 1) ; idem, 4-XII- 1954, 400 m, Fritz Plaumann ( WFBM, 1) ; idem, 6-II- 1954, 400 m, Fritz Plaumann ( WFBM, 1) ; idem,?- I- 1954, 400 m, Fritz Plaumann ( WFBM, 1) .

D i a g n o s i s: The members of this species resemble superficially those of N. velutina ( KLUG), from which N. cuspidis specimens differ by not showing a wide testaceous elytral fascia. The genus Neorthopleura BARR was revised by OPITZ (2013b).

D e s c r i p t i o n: Size: Length 8.0 mm; width 2.3 mm. Form: As in Fig. 310 . Color: Cranium and antenna black, except gular region testaceous; prothorax red-testaceous, mesosternum testaceous; pterothorax brown; elytra brown; legs and abdomen brown. Head: Cranium densely finely punctate; lower frons indented; antenna capitate, funicular antennomeres progressively shorter to capitulum, capitular antennomeres 9 and 10 with short ( Fig. 35 , female) or long ( Fig. 41 , male) collateral branch; antennomere 11 oblong; eyes large, coarsely facetted, eye narrower (female) or wider (male) than frons (EW/FW 30/35, female; EW/FW 40/30, male). Thorax: Pronotum ( Fig. 173 ) convex, transverse, side margins convex (PW/PL 115/105); elytra moderately convex, disc densely sculptured with small setiferous punctures; epipleural margin abruptly terminates at elytral middle (EL/EW 360/80). Abdomen: Pygidium quadrate/scutiform, posterior margin emarginate; aedeagus as in Fig. 230 .

Variation: Length 6.0-8.0 mm; width 1.2-2.0 mm. There is sex dimorphism in the shape of the antennal capitulum and in width of the frons.

N a t u r a l H i s t o r y: Specimens were collected during December, January and March, several at 400 m.

D i s t r i b u t i o n: ThisspeciesisknownfromBrazil.

E t y m o l o g y: The trivial name, cuspidis, is a Latin noun with a meaning of "point"; with regard to the shape of the phallobasic lobes.

Figures

Figs 28-42: Antennae; (28) Neorthopleura thomasi, male; (29) N. thomasi, female; (30) N. subfasciata, male; (31) Artoadenus atrafinus; (32) Neorthopleura subfasciata, female; (33) Akonesis atraordinis; (34) Pelonium erudiatum; (35) Neorthopleura cuspidis, female; (36) Agnatis curvabilis; (37) Ichnea paraguayensis; (38) Neorthopleura quintana, male; (39) Pyticara frontegalba; (40) Platynoptera potaro; (41) Neorthopleura cuspidis, male; (42) Nanoclerus fuscus.

Figs 171-178: Pronota; (171) Akonesis atraordinis; (172) Agnatis curvabilis; (173) Neorthopleura cuspidis; (174) Alarius careoritus; (175) Epiphloeus mantillerii; (176) Cregya vicosa; (177) Cregya arima; (178) Pelonium falcatum.

Figs 225-230: Aedeagi; (225) Madoniella selvanegra; (226) Megaphloeus imparilus; (227) Pyticeroides brevitubulus; (228) Kataspinula puebla; (229) Nelsopelonium aspikelum; (230) N. cuspidis.

Figs 310-313: Habitus; (310) Neorthopleura cuspidis; (311) N. quintana; (312) N. rubra; (313) N. thomasi.