Pteroplatus luculentus, Botero & Santos-Silva & Bezark, 2019

Botero, Juan Pablo, Santos-Silva, Antonio & Bezark, Larry G., 2019, Revision of the genus Pteroplatus Buquet, 1840 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae) and taxonomic notes in Pteroplatini, Zootaxa 4658 (1), pp. 69-100 : 81-83

Pteroplatus luculentus sp. nov.

( Figures 31–39 )

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Description. Female ( Figs. 31–34, 36–39 ). Head and prothorax dark brown, almost black, with slightly violaceous reflections; mouthparts reddish-brown except palpomeres dark brown with yellowish-brown apex; scape, pedicel, and antennomeres III–VI dark brown; antennomeres VI–XI brown. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax dark brown; scutellum blackish; elytra blackish with violaceous reflections on anterior 2/5 (more brownish laterally), violaceous on posterior 2/5, yellow on central fifth; legs brown with slight violaceous reflections on some areas; abdomen dark brown.

Head. Frons with narrow, slightly elevated central plate, widened toward clypeus, nearly rounded anteriorly; transversely depressed on each side of central plate (more distinctly laterally); finely, moderately abundantly punctate except nearly smooth central plate; with short brownish setae not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect setae of same color, except nearly glabrous central plate. Vertex and area behind upper eye lobes finely, moderately abundant punctate; with decumbent yellowish-brown setae not obscuring integument (slightly yellower toward prothoracic margin), interspersed with long, erect yellowish-brown setae between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes, except glabrous narrow longitudinal central band. Area behind lower eye lobes nearly smooth and glabrous toward upper eye lobe; moderately coarsely, shallowly, abundantly punctate toward ventral side, with both, short and long, erect yellowish-brown setae close to eye (gradually more abundant toward ventral surface), glabrous on remaining surface.Antennal tubercles with sculpturing and setae as on frons, except smooth, glabrous distal area. Postclypeus finely, abundantly punctate on wide central area, smooth laterally; with decumbent yellowish-brown setae interspersed with long, erect setae of same color on wide central area (longer on sides of this area), glabrous laterally. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus on posterior half, inclined on anterior half; finely, densely punctate, with sparse yellowish-brown setae (only close to its anterior margin, and distinctly longer laterally) on posterior half; with both, short and long, abundant pale-yellow setae on anterior half, especially centrally. Genae finely, moderately abundantly punctate except smooth narrow distal area; with decumbent, brownish setae interspersed with long, erect setae of same color on punctate area, glabrous on smooth area. Gulamentum finely, sparsely striate, glabrous posteriorly, depressed, striate punctate, with short pale-yellow setae interspersed with long, erect setae of same color anteriorly. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.67 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 1.10 times length of scape. Antennae (only one specimen measured) 0.95 times elytral length, reaching about base of posterior third of elytra. Antennomeres III–V with short tuft of long setae on posterior quarter; antennomere VI with tuft of long setae on posterior 3/4. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.28; pedicel = 0.34; IV = 0.91; V = 1.23; VI = 1.43; VII = 1.00; VIII = 0.80; IX = 0.63; X = 0.60; XI = 0.71.

Thorax. Prothorax widened on central area of sides, forming a slightly conspicuous tubercle; anterior margin narrower than posterior margin, but area close to anterior margin about as wide as posterior margin. Pronotum with subelliptical gibbosity on each side of posterior half; with subelliptical, slightly elevated central gibbosity on posterior half, followed by narrow carina toward anterior margin; transversely, widely depressed on anterior half; moderately coarsely and sparsely punctate centrally, finer, denser laterally except smooth anterior area of lateral gibbosities; with wide, opaque band on each side of central area; with decumbent yellowish-brown setae not obscuring integument (denser laterally), interspersed with long, erect setae of same color, except glabrous anterior area of lateral gibbosities. Sides of prothorax moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate (less so close to anterior and posterior margins); with decumbent, yellowish-brown setae not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect setae of same color. Prosternum with decumbent, sparse yellowish setae (more abundant laterally and centrally) interspersed with long, erect setae of same color. Ventral surface of meso and metathorax with decumbent yellowish-brown setae not obscuring integument, sparser toward central area, interspersed with long, erect pale-yellow setae (more abundant on metaventrite). Scutellum with moderately sparse, decumbent brownish setae. Elytra. Moderately widened from midlength; moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate on basal half, gradually finer toward apex; with short, decumbent, moderately sparse yellow setae interspersed with long, erect setae of same color on light area; with short, decumbent, moderately sparse brownish setae interspersed with dark setae on dark areas; sutural angle not projected. Legs. Femora finely, abundantly punctate dorsally, gradually sparser toward nearly smooth ventral surface (especially on profemora); with decumbent brownish setae interspersed with long, erect setae of same color on punctate area, and only erect setae ventrally. Tibiae densely, moderately coarsely punctate; with decumbent brownish setae interspersed with moderately abundant, erect setae of same color.

Abdomen. Ventrites with decumbent brownish setae not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect pale-yellow setae, except glabrous posterior area of ventrites I–IV (this area widened at center of ventrite I).

Male ( Fig. 35 ). Antennae 1.3 times elytral length, almost reaching elytral apex.

Variation (male and females). Body almost entirely violaceous dorsally except yellow band on elytra; pronotum with two elongate, moderately narrow yellowish-brown maculae on each side; prosternum with transverse orange macula on each side of anterior third; elytra yellow on anterior 2/3, violaceous or dark brown with violaceous reflections on posterior third; legs violaceous; tuft of long setae of antennomeres III–V covering posterior third or almost absent; tuft of long setae covering entire ventral surface of antennomere VI; sides of prothorax uniformly rounded from anterior to posterior margin; when light areas are present on pronotum, the pubescence on this area is yellow; setae on prosternum more abundant throughout, but always more abundant centrally and laterally; elytra slightly widened from midlength or gradually, slightly widened from humeral area; setae on dark areas of elytra almost black; sutural angle of elytra slightly projected.

Dimensions (mm), holotype female/ paratype male/ paratypes female. Total length, 11.80/9.90/-16.80-14.55; prothoracic length, 1.70/1.65/2.80-2.10; anterior prothoracic width, 1.70/1.60/2.20-2.00; posterior prothoracic width, 1.90/1.70/2.80-2.50; maximum prothoracic width, 2.25/2.10/3.00-2.90; humeral width, 2.95/2.70/4.30-3.95; elytral length, 8.40/7.10/13.00-10.75.

Type material. Holotype female from ECUADOR, Loja: Colaisaca (2350 m), 23.III.1990, Onore col. ( MZSP). Paratypes—COLOMBIA, Cesar ( Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta E 8 km N of Pueblo Bello, 10°30’57’’ N 73°34’26’’ W, 2700 m), 1 female, 11-12.VI.2018, V. Sinyaev col. ( AKPC). ECUADOR, Loja: 3 km S Gonzanama, 1 male, 1 female, 22.II.2007, F.T. Hovore & I. Swift col. ( LGBC, CASC).

Etymology. The specific epithet luculentus is Latin and refers to the bright, splendid and colorful aspect of this species.

Remarks. Pteroplatus luculentus sp. nov. is similar to P. variabilis , but differs as follows: antennomere III about as long or longer than VII; pronotum with opaque band on each side of central area. In P. variabilis , antennomere III is distinctly shorter than VII, and the pronotum has an opaque band centrally.

Figures

FIGURES 31–39. Pteroplatus luculentus, sp. nov. 31–34) holotype female: 31) Dorsal habitus; 32) Ventral habitus; 33) Lateral habitus; 34) Head, frontal view. 35) Dorsal habitus, paratype male. 36–39) Paratype female: 36) Head, frontal view; 37) Dorsal habitus; 38) Ventral habitus; 39) Lateral habitus.