Mephritus costae, García & Nascimento, 2020

García, Kimberly & Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto de Lima, 2020, Elaphidiini (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) from the Caribbean region of Colombia: New species, taxonomic notes and new geographical records, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (Pap. Avulsos Zool., S. Paulo) 60 (23), pp. 1-8 : 2-4

Mephritus costae sp. nov.

( Figs. 1-4 )

Type material: Holotype ♂ ( MPUJ): Colombia, Bolívar : San Jacinto (Reserva La Flecha, 324 m, 09°51′12.4″N, 75°10′41.4″W, tropical dry forest), 16.IV.2018, García, K. col., UV light trap, MPUJ _ ENT 0069866 .

Male: General Integument reddish-brown; elytra slightly light brown; mandibles and areas around its insertion, antennae, femoral apex and tibiae dark brown.

Head: Frons coarsely, densely punctate ( Fig. 4 ), with short, whitish, decumbent setae evenly distributed, not obliterating integument.Vertex with same sculpturing as frons; area behind eyes with slightly coarser punctures. Postclypeus with sculpturing and pubescence as on frons (with long setae near margin). Labrum coarsely punctate; with long and short, yellowish setae. Gulamentum coarsely, densely punctate; with sparse whitish pubescence. Outer side of mandibles with yellowish short setae interspersed with a few, long setae, glabrous on anterior half. Distance between upper eye lobes about 2.5 times width of an upper eye lobe. Antennae reaching elytral apex by mid length of antennomere VIII. Scape gradually wider toward apex; with yellowish pubescence interspersed by suberect yellowish setae; remaining antennomeres with whitish pubescence interspersed by elongate suberect setae at inner side. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.62; pedicel = 0.18; IV = 0.80; V = 0.95; VI = 0.93; VII = 0.98; VIII = 0.75; IX = 0.72; X = 0.66; XI = 0.76.

Thorax: Prothorax with moderately, yellowish pubescence, not obliterating integument. Pronotum with slightly elevated tubercles, two latero-anterior and two latero-posterior; with glabrous elongate median area; with coarse punctures near glabrous area.Lateral margins of prothorax with small obtuse tubercle at middle.Ventral thoracic surface with pubescence as on pronotum; with a dense punctation usually considered as sexually dimorphic in the species of this genus.Prosternal process about 0.3 times as wide as a procoxal cavity; mesoventral process 0.7 times as wide as mesocoxal cavity.

Elytra: Coarsely, abundantly punctate on basal half, gradually sparser toward apex; surface with sparse yellowish pubescence, not obliterating integument; with sparse, erect, elongate, brownish setae, especially on posterior third.

Legs: Femora slightly clavate; with sparse yellowish pubescence, not obliterating integument; with erect, elongate brownish setae dorsally. Tibiae coarsely granulate-punctate; with erect, elongate brownish setae.

Abdomen: Ventrites with yellowish, moderately abundant pubescence, not obscuring integument; ventrite I about 2 times the width of II (from abdominal process); III-IV subequal in width; ventrite V with yellow pubescence laterally, white centrally, both abundant but not obscuring integument; with a few long, erect, white setae laterally on ventrite I, yellowish-white on ventrites II-IV, and yellowish-white and yellowish-brown setae on ventrite V; ventrite V about 0.6 times the width of IV, slightly notched at middle of apex.

Measurements (in mm): Holotype, male, total length: 11.5,prothorax length: 2.1, largest prothoracic width: 2.6, elytral length: 8.0, humeral width: 3.0.

Etymology: The species epithet is in honor of Cleide Costa (MZSP) for her work and dedication to the knowledge of Coleoptera .

Remarks: Mephritus costae sp. nov., is included in the group of species without contrasting areas of color on elytra, which is composed by species with elytral coloration homogeneous, sometimes with apex or margin darkened ( Galileo et al., 2014). The new species differs from M. guttatus Napp & Martins, 1982 , M. destitutus Napp & Martins, 1982 and M. vescus Galileo & Martins, 2011 especially by antennomere III longer and strong- ly, laterally compressed, and by the blackish tibiae. By the blackish tibiae, the new species is also similar to M. citreus Napp & Martins, 1982 , however, it differs by the well-marked pronotal tubercles and by the smaller elytral spines. It is important to mention that the new species is from a region geographically isolated from the four spe- cies above. Mephritus costae sp. nov., is know from San Jacinto, a Caribbean region of Colombia, isolated by the Andes Mountain Range, while the other four species are known from the Atlantic forest or Amazonian region.

According to the key to species of Mephritus ( Galileo et al., 2014) , the new species can be inserted as follows (modified):

Figures

Figures 1-8. (1-4) Mephritus costae sp. nov. Holotype male: (1) Dorsal habitus; (2) Ventral habitus; (3) Lateral habitus; (4) Head, frontal. (5-8) Sphaerion costae sp.nov.,holotype male:(5) Head,frontal;(6) Dorsal habitus;(7)Ventral habitus;(8) Lateral habitus.Scale bars:figs.1-4 = 2 mm;figs.5-8 = 5 mm.