Psyrassa audureaui, Heffern & Botero & Santos-Silva, 2020

Heffern, Daniel, Botero, Juan Pablo & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2020, Synonymies, new records, and new species in Cerambycinae (Coleoptera Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 4747 (1), pp. 177-190 : 182-185

Psyrassa audureaui sp. nov.

( Figs. 15–21 )

Psyrassa sallaei ; Audureau, 2008: 9 (distr.); Maes et al., 2010: 257 (distr.).

Description. Male ( Figs. 15–19 ). Head and prothorax reddish brown, head slightly darker, and gulamentum gradually yellowish-brown toward prothorax; palpomeres yellowish-brown on posterior area; scape and pedicel dark brown; antennomeres brown, gradually slightly light toward distal segments; ventral surface of mesothorax reddish-brown, slightly darker laterally; ventral surface of metathorax reddish-brown, darker on metanepisternum and posterior sides of metaventrite; elytra shining, dark brown with violaceous reflections; legs brown, with violaceous reflections; abdominal ventrites dark brown.

Head. Frontal plate moderately narrow, almost rhombus, smooth. Lateral area between frontal plate and base of antennal tubercles depressed; remaining surface of frons moderately coarsely, densely punctate; with short yellowish-white seta emerging from each puncture. Central area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes smooth; remaining surface of vertex coarsely, densely punctate, with short yellowish-white seta emerging from each puncture. Area behind upper eye lobes moderately coarsely and abundantly punctate; with a few long, erect yellowish-white setae.Area behind lower eye lobes moderately finely, shallowly, sparsely punctate (nearly smooth close to eye), glabrous. Genae with rounded apex; distinctly short, with area close to clypeus nearly absent. Antennal tubercles with sculpturing as on frons on frontal region, smooth on remaining surface, except fine punctures near apex; with short yellowish-white seta emerging from punctures. Median groove distinct from apex of frontal plate to middle of area between upper eye lobes. Postclypeus finely, shallowly punctate on wide central area, smooth laterally; with short, sparse yellowish-white setae; with a few long, erect yellowish-white setae on each side of wide central area. Labrum smooth close to anteclypeus, finely punctate anteriorly; with short bristly yellowish-white setae, short centrally, long laterally. Gulamentum smooth glabrous posteriorly, rugose-punctate, with short, sparse yellowish-white setae and long erect setae of same color interspersed between eyes. Upper eye lobes with five rows of ommatidia; distance between upper eye lobes 0.41 times length of scape (0.23 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.73 times length of scape (0.41 times distance between outer margins of eyes). Antennae 2.0 times elytral length (only holotype measured), reaching elytral apex at posterior third of antennomere VIII. Scape moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate dorsally on anterior 2/3, smooth on posterior third; finely, sparsely punctate laterally and ventrally; with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish-white setae, with one long yellowish-white setae laterally, directed outward. Pedicel and antennomeres with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, gradually denser toward distal segments; with long, erect, sparse yellowish setae ventrally on pedicel and antennomeres III–VI; apical spine of antennomere III straight, acute at apex, with 0.25 times length of antennomere; antennomere IV with spicule at apex, and remaining antennomeres without spine at apex. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III (excluding spine): scape = 0.77; pedicel = 0.18; IV = 0.91; V = 1.02; VI = 1.02; VII = 1.02; VIII = 1.00; IX = 0.98; X = 0.86; XI = 1.00.

Thorax. Prothorax cylindrical, distinctly longer than wide; sides nearly parallel-sided from anterior margin to posterior constriction. Pronotum moderately coarsely, sparsely punctate, except nearly smooth center of posterior half; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence close to posterior margin, and short yellowish-white seta emerging from each puncture, except a few punctures with long seta of same color. Sides of prothorax with sculpturing as on pronotum; with short yellowish-white seta emerging from some punctures, and long, erect yellowish-white seta emerging form other. Prosternum striate-punctate on posterior half, striate on anterior half; striate-punctate area with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, distinctly denser laterally, with long, erect setae of same color interspersed; anterior half with a few, both short and long yellowish-white setae, slightly more abundant laterally. Prosternal process distinctly narrowed centrally. Ventral surface of mesothorax with whitish pubescence, distinctly sparser on wide central area of mesoventrite. Metanepisternum and narrow area of metaventrite close to it with whitish pubescence, abundant but not obscuring integument; remaining surface of metaventrite with short, sparse, decumbent yellowish-white setae; metaventrite moderately coarsely punctate (punctures gradually sparser toward central area). Scutellum with whitish pubescence not obscuring integument. Elytra. Coarsely, abundantly punctate on anterior half, gradually finer, sparser toward apex on posterior half; with moderately short, erect yellowish-white seta emerging from part of punctures (distinctly longer in some punctures of basal half); apex slightly obliquely truncate. Legs. Femora with moderately short, decumbent, sparse yellowish-white setae and long, erect setae of same color interspersed. Tibiae with bristly yellowish setae, distinctly more abundant ventrally and long, erect setae of same color interspersed (only dorsally in protibiae).

Abdomen. Ventrites coarsely, moderately sparsely punctate, except smooth apex of I–IV; with moderately short, suberect yellowish-white setae and long, erect setae of same color interspersed (more abundant from II); apex of ventrite V truncate, slightly emarginate centrally.

Female ( Fig. 20–21 ). Distance between upper eye lobes wider than in male, 0.55 times length of scape (0.32 times distance between outer margins of eyes); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.80 times length of scape (0.46 times distance between outer margins of eyes); upper eye lobes with four rows of ommatidia. Antennae slightly shorter, 1.8 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at posterior quarter of antennomere IX; antennomere IV with short, but distinct spine (distinctly longer than in male).

Dimensions, holotype / paratype male/ paratypes female (4 specimens measured). Total length, 7.50/6.30– 6.90/8.10–8.60; prothorax: length, 1.40/1.10–1.25/1.40–1.65; anterior width, 0.90/0.75–0.85/1.00–1.20; posterior width, 0.90/0.75–0.85/1.00–1.20; maximum prothoracic width, 1.00/0.80–0.95/1.00–1.25; humeral width, 1.40/1.15–1.25/1.45–1.65; elytral length, 4.90/4.25–4.30/5.35–5.50.

Type material. Holotype male from NICARAGUA, Rivas: vic. Rancho Santana , 27.V.2003, E. van den Berghe col. ( TAMU, formerly DHCO). Paratypes—MEXICO, Chiapas: MX 190, 5 km S of Ocosingo, 1 male, 1 female, 8. VI .2009 , Skillman and Hildebrant col. ( FWSC). NICARAGUA, 1 male, same data as holotype except 10-22.VII.2004 ( DHCO); 2 females, same data as holotype except 10-20. VI .2004 ( MZSP; DHCO). Granada: Nandaime ( Reserva Silvestre de Domitila ), 1 female, 13-16. VI .2004 , A. Audureau col. ( AACP); 1 male, 1-5. VI .2005 , A. Audureau col. ( AACP); 2 males, 1 female, 9-21. VI .2007 , A. Audureau col. ( AACP); 1 male, 6-13. VI.2010, A. Audureau col. ( AACP).

Remarks. It is possible that P. sallaei from Costa Rica, sensu Swift et al. (2010) is actually P. audureaui sp. nov.

Following the key from Toledo (2005), P. audureaui sp. nov. is included in the alternative of couplet “19” with P. ebenina Linsley, 1935 , and P. levicollis Chemsak & Noguera, 1993 (see photographs of the holotypes in Bezark 2019a). It differs from P. ebenina by the head and prothorax color distinctly contrasting with elytral color (with the same color in P. ebenina ), and prothorax more elongated (proportionally shorter in P. ebenina ). It differs from P. levicollis by the prothorax more elongated (proportionally shorter in P. levicollis ), elytral apex truncate and without spiniform projections (narrower and with distinct spiniform projections in P. levicollis ). P. audureaui differs from P. megalops Chemsak & Noguera, 1993 (see photographs of the types in Bezark 2019a), but differs by the spine of the antennomere III acute at apex (blunt in P. megalops ) and slightly longer than pedicel (longer than twice length of the pedicel in P. megalops ), and elytral apex slightly wider and without spiniform projections (narrower, somewhat emarginate and with spiniform projections in P. megalops ). It differs from P. cylindricollis Linsley, 1935 , and P. brevicornis Linsley, 1934 (see photographs of the holotypes in Bezark 2019a) especially by spine of the antennomere III shorter and with acute apex (distinctly longer than twice length of the pedicel and with blunt apex in P. cylindricollis ); from P. subglabra Linsley, 1935 (see photographs of the holotypes in Bezark 2019a), by the elytra without spine at apex (with long spine in P. subglabra ); from P. subpicea (White, 1853) (see photograph of the holotype in Bezark 2019a) by the procoxal cavities open behind (closed in P. subpicea ), and by the elytra apex without spiniform projection (present in P. subpicea ). P. audureaui differs from P. sallaei Bates, 1885 ( Fig. 22 ), with which has been confused, by the spine of the antennomere III with acute apex (blunt in P. sallaei ).

Etymology. This species is named for our friend and colleague, Alain Audureau, of France, who also works on Neotropical Cerambycidae .

Figures

FIGURES 15–22. 15–19) Psyrassa audureaui, holotype male: 15) Dorsal habitus; 16) Ventral habitus; 17) Lateral habitus; 18) Head, frontal view; 19) Upper eye lobes. 20–21) Psyrassa audureaui, paratype female: 20) Dorsal habitus; 21) Upper eye lobes. 22) Psyrassa sallaei, holotype.