Aerenicopsis joseferreirai, Ferreira & Ferreira & Bravo, 2023

Ferreira, Gabriel Dos Santos, Ferreira, André Da Silva & Bravo, Freddy, 2023, Annotated checklist of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea) from the Brazilian semi-arid region, with new species and new geographic records, Zootaxa 5235 (1), pp. 1-81 : 16-19

Aerenicopsis joseferreirai sp. nov.

( Fig. 7A–D )

Diagnosis. Integument mostly dark brown; pedicel and antennomeres III–X black (antennomere XI absent); labrum, mandibles, and legs reddish; labial palp and maxillary palpomeres I–III yellowish; clypeus bicolorous (basal half dark brown and yellow apical half) ( Fig. 7D ). Pronotum with slender, longitudinal yellowish pubescent band centrally; sides of prothorax with wide, longitudinal yellowish pubescent band; elytra with dense yellowish pubescence, except glabrous areas (two on anterior half, another on posterior half) ( Fig. 7A ).

Description. Holotype male. Integument mostly dark brown; pedicel and antennomeres III–X black (antennomere XI absent); labrum, mandible, and legs reddish; labial palp and maxillary palpomeres I–III yellowish; clypeus bicolorous (basal half dark brown and yellow apical half). Head with thin, longitudinal yellowish pubescent band between antennal tubercles toward vertex; sides of head with wide, longitudinal yellowish pubescent band; frons with sparse pubescence.Antennae reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere X; scape longer than antennomere III; antennomeres with short yellowish pubescence and long black setae. Maxillary palpus longer than the labial palpus. Frons wide. Upper eye lobes well separated, distance between them more than 0.3x the width of one upper lobe; upper eye lobe with six rows of ommatidia dorsally, one toward lower eye lobe. Pronotum with slender, longitudinal yellowish pubescent band centrally; sides of prothorax with wide, longitudinal yellowish pubescent band. Sides of prothorax with four black setae. Prosternum subglabrous. Mesoventrite subglabrous. Mesanepisternum and mesepimeron with dense yellowish pubescence. Metaventrite with subglabrous area on middle of anterior margin, sides and posterior margin with dense yellowish pubescence. Metanepisternum with dense yellowish pubescence. Elytra with dense yellowish pubescence, except glabrous areas (two on anterior half and one on posterior half): one diagonal from humerus to center of elytron, one longitudinal from base of elytron to apex of anterior sixth, and one on lateral of posterior half of elytron. Legs covered with yellowish pubescence.

Apex of elytra with spine ( Fig. 7A ). Metafemur longer than pro- and mesofemur; apex of metafemur reaching basal margin of ventrite 1. Metatarsomere I longer than II–III combined. Tarsal claws with outer claw longer than inner claw. Ventrite 5 elongate; apical margin emarginate.

Measurements, in mm. Total length: 12.1; prothorax length: 1.5; width prothorax: 1.1; elytral length: 8.7; humeral width: 1.5.

Etymology. The specific name is in honor to Mr. José dos Anjos Ferreira, owner of Fazenda Lagoa do Tamburi, type locality of the new species, for all his immense contribution to the collection of specimens used in this study.

Type material. Holotype male. BRAZIL: “ BAHIA, Aracatu, Fazenda Lagoa do Tamburi , BA 263, Km 400, sentido Vitória da Conquista /Brumado; sede, coleta manual. I.2020, Ferreira, A.S. leg.” ( MZFS).

Remarks. Aerenicopsis joseferreirai sp. nov. is morphologically similar to Aerenicopsis championi Bates, 1885 ( Fig. 7F ). However, Aerenicopsis joseferreirai sp. nov. has integument mostly dark brown; pedicel and antennomeres III–X black; labrum, mandibles, and legs reddish; labial palpus and maxillary palpomeres I–III yellowish; clypeus bicolorous (basal half dark brown and yellow apical half); pronotum with slender, longitudinal yellowish pubescent band centrally; elytral surface with three glabrous areas ( Fig. 7A ). In A. championi , the integument is reddish, darker on the antennomeres; pronotum with wide, longitudinal yellowish pubescent band centrally; elytral surface with three glabrous areas (one diagonal from humerus to near the elytral suture; one longitudinal, elongate, from base to near the diagonal glabrous area, and one elongated from middle of the elytra to near apex of elytra) (Fig. F). Furthermore, A. joseferreirai sp. nov. is recorded from Bahia, Brazil ( A. championi is recorded to Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama). Monteiro et al. (2020) presented the first record of A. championi to Brazil, in the State of Minas Gerais. According to the authors, probably the specie A. championi can be introduced in Brazil through host plants of the genus Lantana Linnaeus, 1753 (Verbenaceae) .

Keys to species of Aerenicopsis Bates, 1885

(modified and translated from Martins & Galileo (1998))

1. Sides of the pronotum with pubescent band laterally........................................................ 2

- Sides of the pronotum without pubescent band laterally..................................................... 4

2(1). Eye lobes not divided, with at least three rows of ommatidia between the lobes. FRENCH GUIANA and BRAZIL (Pará)....................................................................... Aerenicopsis pugnatrix (Lane, 1966)

- Eye lobes divided or with at most one row of ommatidia between the lobes...................................... 3

3(2). Sides of the metaventrite with white pubescence, started on sides of base and bifurcated from middle; elytra with bands of white pubescence. BRAZIL (Santa Catarina) and BOLIVIA (Santa Cruz).............. Aerenicopsis malleri Lane, 1966

- Metaventrite with dense yellowish pubescence, except brownish anterocentral area; elytra with bands of yellowish pubescence. BRAZIL (Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, and S„o Paulo) and PARAGUAY............. Aerenicopsis sublesta Lane, 1966

4(1). Eye lobes not divided, with at least two rows of ommatidia between the lobes................................... 5

- Eye lobes divided or with at most one row of ommatidia between the lobes...................................... 9

5(4). Scape dark brown. BRAZIL (Santa Catarina).......................... Aerenicopsis megacephala (Breuning, 1940)

- Scape black........................................................................................ 6

6(5). Antennae black..................................................................................... 7

- Antennomeres I–IV black and antennomeres V–XI reddish brown or scape black, pedicel and antennomeres III–XI orangish red............................................................................................... 8

7(6). Two subcontiguous longitudinal pubescent bands on vertex and pronotum. BRAZIL (Tocantins)................................................................................... Aerenicopsis rejaneae Galileo & Martins, 2007

- One vertical pubescent band on vertex and pronotum. BRAZIL (Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, S„o Paulo, and Santa Catarina).............................................................. Aerenicopsis virgata (Pascoe, 1878)

8(6). Scape black, pedicel and antennomeres orangish red. BOLIVIA........... Aerenicopsis rufoantennata (Breuning, 1974)

- Scape, pedicel, and antennomeres III–IV black and antennomeres V–XI reddish brown. BOLIVIA............................................................................... Aerenicopsis angaibara Martins & Galileo, 2004

9(4) Lateral of the pronotum covered with whitish pubescence, not organized as in bands; robust aspect.................. 10

- Lateral of the pronotum with sparse pubescence or almost absent; linear and elongated aspect...................... 12

10(9). Eye lobes divided. ARGENTINA (Jujuy, Salta, Tucumán, Santiago del Estero, and Santa Fé)............................................................................................... Aerenicopsis hubrichi Bruch, 1925

- Eye lobes not divided, with one row of ommatidia between the lobes......................................... 11

11(10). Integument dark brown; relatively sparsely pubescent. GUATEMALA... Aerenicopsis irumuara Martins & Galileo, 2004

- Integument reddish brown; relatively densely pubescent. MEXICO (Tamaulipas and Veracruz), GUATEMALA, and HONDURAS................................................. Aerenicopsis mendosa Martins & Galileo, 1998

12(9). Elytral pubescence yellowish or yellowish white, compact, obscuring punctures................................. 13

- Elytral pubescence lighter, organized in narrow bands or in areas not obscuring the punctures...................... 14

13(12). Integument reddish, darker on antennomeres; longitudinal pubescent band wide on the pronotum; lateroposterior glabrous area of the elytra reaching middle. MEXICO (Tamaulipas, Jalisco, Veracruz, Guerrero, Chiapas, Yucatán, Hidalgo and Mexico), GUATEMALA, HONDURAS, NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA, PANAMA, BRAZIL (Minas Gerais)....................................................................................... Aerenicopsis championi Bates, 1885

- Integument dark brown, pedicel and antennomeres III–X black; longitudinal pubescent band on the pronotum slender; lateroposterior glabrous area of the elytra not reaching middle ( Fig. 7A ). BRAZIL (Bahia)................................................................................................. Aerenicopsis joseferreirai sp. nov.

14(12). Eye lobes divided; ventrites with longitudinal white pubescent band centrally. FRENCH GUIANA, BRAZIL (Maranh„o, Paraíba, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Mato Grosso do Sul, Rio de Janeiro, S„o Paulo, Paraná, and Santa Catarina), BOLIVIA and ARGENTINA (Misiones)...................................... Aerenicopsis perforata Lane, 1939

- Eye lobes not divided, with o with one row of ommatidia between the lobes; ventrites with uniform and dense yellowish pubescence. BRAZIL (Maranh„o and Minas Gerais) and BOLIVIA (Santa Cruz).............................................................................................. Aerenicopsis singularis Martins & Galileo, 1998

Figures

FIGURE 7. A–F, Aerenicopsis joseferreirai sp. nov., holotype male: A–C, Dorsal, lateral, and ventral views; D, Head, frontal view; E, Labels. F, Aerenicopsis championi Bates, 1885, female, dorsal view, Turrialba, Costa Rica (MZUSP).