Phygomelitta, Clarke, 2014

Clarke, Robin O. S., 2014, Bolivian Rhinotragini VIII: new genera and species related to Pseudophygopoda Tavakilian & Peñaherrera-Leiva, 2007 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia (São Paulo) 54 (24), pp. 341-362 : 359-361

Phygomelitta gen. nov.

Figs. 8 A-8C

Type species: Epimelitta triangularis Fuchs, 1961 , here designated by monotypy.

Etymology: the generic name is a combination of Phygo and melitta to remind us that it is related to Pseudophygopoda , but its only species was originally placed in the genus Epimelitta . The genus is female.

Diagnosis: Phygomelitta differs from the four other genera by lacking a dense metatibial brush. Further characters separating this genus from Panamapoda , Paraphygopoda , Pseudophygopoda and Paramelitta are set down under the descriptions of these genera.

Description of the genus: total length 9.0- 13.5 mm. Forebody (f) shorter than abdomen (a), f/a 0.76.

Head: rostrum short, width/length 2.66 (in male), and 2.78 (in female). Maxillary palps and galea rather long. Inferior lobes of eyes subcontiguous in males, width of one lobe/interocular distance 3.50; well separated in females, width of one lobe/interocular distance 1.00. Superior lobes of eyes lobate, laterally narrowed by about one third their mesal width; and separated by 3.25 the width of one lobe. Apex of antennae in males reaching base of II; in female, short, reaching middle of I. Length of scape 0.75 mm; antennomere III 1.07-1.13 longer than scape; XI with narrow apical cone.

Prothorax quadrate (length/width 0.97); subcylindrical, with slightly rounded sides; widest well before middle, prothoracic quotient in male 2.84, in female 2.64; callus at midline very narrow, and incomplete. Prosternum moderately declivous across middle (in male), weakly declivous (in female). Prosternal process flat; 14 times narrower than width of procoxal cavity.

Elytra 2.1 longer than width of humeri (in male), or 2.2 longer (in female); apex reaching from base to apex of urosternite II; dehiscent for about half their length; laterally moderately arced and divergent apically. Apical third of each elytron lobed, the latter with parallel sides (in male), or rounded sides (in female); and rounded at apical margin; each elytron with well-defined, rather narrow translucent panel commencing behind humeri.

Widths of mesocoxal cavity/base of process 1.8 (in male), 1.6 (in female). Lengths of mesosternum/ metasternum 0.88 (in male), 0.85 (in female). Metathorax with subparallel sides, and very obliquely angled to middle of metasternum; metasternum weakly tumid posteriorly (in male), or uniformly tumid, but disc weakly flattened (in female).

Abdomen vespiform and convex (in male), fusiform and flattish (in female); widest at urostenite IV (in male), widest at middle of III (in female). Urosternite I and II conical (in both sexes); III-IV rectangular and weakly transverse (in male), more transverse (in female). In male urosternite V transverse; apical margin weakly emarginate; and surface hardly differentiated (only with vague U-shaped flattening). In female urosternite V transverse, but broadly conical, contract- ed and bent across middle; and apical margin rounded.

Abdominal process in male moderately inclined (30°) to abdomen; in female similar, but very short.

Legs: ratio lengths front/middle/hind leg 1.0:1.4:2.6-2.8. Front and middle legs: in male body length/length of legs 3.2 and 2.3 respectively, in female legs very slightly longer. Front leg moderately robust; tibia slightly shorter than femur; narrow at base, widened and parallel-sided for apical two-thirds. Middle leg: femur moderately long, 1.26 longer than length of tibia (in male), 1.17 longer (in female); length of femur/lateral width of clave 3.8-4.0; tibia moderately robust in male, (less so in female), and gradually widened to apex. Hind leg: moderately robust; body length/length of leg 1.1-1.2; femur subcylindrical, apex reaching middle of urosternite IV (in male), base of IV (in female); peduncle moderately robust, flattened, short in male (lengths clave/peduncle 2.8), longer in female (length clave/peduncle 1.8); metatibiae equal in length to metafemora (in male), or slightly shorter (in female), somewhat robust, and weakly widening to apex (in male), more slender, and hardly widening to apex (in female); tibia moderately strongly setose, the hairs long, and covering nearly all of tibia (but not dense enough to be called a brush); metatarsus distinctly narrower than apex of metatibia; tarsomere I almost clylindrical, II trapezoidal, not pedicular, III rather short, the lobes hardly rounded at sides, and weakly divergent; tarsomere I the same in both sexes, 1.07 longer than II + III.

Genitalia ( Fig. 12 ): tegmen distinctly smaller than in other species (length of lateral lobe 0.9 mm); in appearance midway between P. viridimicans and P. aglaia (basal two-thirds of lateral lobes similar to the former, apical lobes similar to the latter).

Surface ornamentation: on pronotum with rather sparse, untidy, ashy coloured pubescence, covering much of surface; on base of elytra as for pronotum, the rest glabrous. Underside with brassy, somewhat untidy pubescence as follows: on prosternum sparse, moderately short, and suberect; becoming dense and recumbent (and overlaid by longer suberect hairs) at sides of mesosternum, basal half of metasternum, and sides of metepisternum; and golden recumbent pubescence on mesepimeron. Abdomen rather densely and uniformly pubescent, the hairs short and almost recumbent, towards sides mixed with longer, suberect hairs, and dense patches of recumbent pubescence on latero-basal margins of urosternites I and II (in male), only on I (in female).

Puncturation on vertex of head and pronotum dense small, alveolate and rugose, as follows: on frons partly impunctate; on basal third of elytra moderately dense and rugose, and on translucent panels sparse, simpler, smaller and shallower. Underside puncturation alveolate or subalveolate; on mentum-submentum with dense rather small, alveolate punctures; on rest of underside partly hidden by pubescence, but generally with small, dense punctures embedded in matrix of micropunctures, as follows: on prosternum smooth and carinate anteriorly, densely punctate posteriorly; on meso- and metasterna (with some larger punctures towards apex of metasternum, these hardly rugose, and not scabrous). On abdomen surface appears uniformly shagreened, with very dense, shallow micropunctures.

The species included in this monotypic genus is Phygomelitta triangularis ( Fuchs, 1961) comb. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 8‑14: 8, Phygomelitta triangularis (Fuchs, 1961): A, male; B, male ventral aspect; C, female. 9, Paraphygopoda longipennis (Zajciw, 1963) male holotype. Figs. 10-14: Genitalia, tegmen of the aedaegus (dorsal aspect): 10, Pseudophygopoda subvestita (White, 1855). 11, Paraphygopoda albitarsis (Klug, 1825). 12, Phygomelitta triangularis (Fuchs, 1961). 13, Paraphygopoda viridimicans (Fisher, 1952). 14, Paramelitta aglaia (Newman, 1840).