Pteroplatus quadriscopulatus Bates, 1880

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 : 76-81

Pteroplatus quadriscopulatus Bates, 1880

( Figures 18–30 )

Pteroplatus quadriscopulatus Bates, 1880: 73 ; Lameere, 1883: 44 (cat.); Bates, 1885: 317 (distr.); Blackwelder, 1946: 588 (checklist); Linsley, 1961a: 632; 1961b: 9; Chemsak, 1967: 79 (lect.); Chemsak et al., 1992: 78 (checklist); Monné & Giesbert, 1994: 133 (checklist); Monné, 1994: 48 (cat.); Monné & Hovore, 2006: 114 (checklist); Noguera & Chemsak, 1996:

402 (checklist); Turnbow et al., 2003: 17 (distr.); Monné, 2005: 452 (cat.); Hovore, 2006: 374 (distr.); Maes et al., 2010: 560 (distr.); García-Morales et al., 2014: 105 (distr.); Monné, 2018: 672 (cat.).

Redescription. Male. Head black dorsally and laterally except large yellowish brown macula on each side of vertex, covering nearly all the area behind upper eye lobes, and entire clypeus, labrum and genae; large central area of gulamentum dark brown anteriorly, gradually lighter toward prothorax, yellowish-brown laterally (more brownish toward prothorax). Mandibles yellowish-brown except black inferior margin and distal area. Maxillary and labial palpomeres reddish-brown except dark brown distal palpomere. Antennae black. Pronotum mostly yellowishbrown, with large, longitudinal black band centrally from base to apex, slightly narrowed from middle to posterior margin, and narrow black area laterally. Sides of prothorax black. Prosternum mostly yellowish-brown, with sides narrowly black (this dark area projected, gradually lighter, along sides of anterior margin and close to procoxal cavities); prosternal process yellowish-brown. Ventral surface of mesothorax mostly black, with mesoventral process yellowish-brown. Ventral surface of metathorax mostly black, with anterocentral area yellowish-brown. Scutellum black. Elytra mostly yellowish-brown, with large, transverse, nearly rhomboid black macula dorsally before midlength, black on posterior third. Pro- and mesocoxae mostly brownish, with area close to trochanter more yellowish; metacoxae mostly reddish-brown; femora, tibiae and tarsi black.Abdominal ventrites black except yellowish-brown intercoxal process.

Head. Frons with narrow, transverse, slightly elevated central plate close to clypeus; slightly depressed on each side of central area; finely, abundantly punctate except nearly smooth central plate; with short, decumbent brownish setae not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect black setae. Area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes with narrow, slightly elevated, longitudinal carina centrally; finely, abundantly punctate; with short, decumbent brownish setae not obscuring integument, interspersed with a few long, erect black setae. Remaining dark area of vertex finely, moderately abundantly punctate; with short, decumbent brownish setae not obscuring integument; yellowish area on vertex and behind upper eye lobes with short, conspicuous, decumbent yellow setae not obscuring integument. Dark area behind upper eye lobes minutely, abundantly punctate close to eyes, finely, moderately abundantly punctate toward prothorax (punctures slightly coarser than on vertex; with minute, decumbent brownish setae not obscuring integument. Area behind lower eye lobes smooth close to eyes, finely, moderately sparsely punctate toward prothorax (punctures coarser than on vertex); glabrous on wide superior area, with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish setae inferiorly on area close to eye, glabrous toward prothorax; with long, erect yellowish-brown setae close to eye inferiorly.Antennal tubercles with sculpturing and setae as on frons except smooth, glabrous distal area. Postclypeus with conspicuous, decumbent, abundant yellow setae on wide central area, glabrous laterally; with a few long, erect pale yellow setae on sides of wide central area. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus at posterior third, inclined at anterior 2/3; glabrous on narrow area close to anteclypeus, with long, erect, moderately abundant pale yellow setae on remaining surface (longer laterally). Genae with decumbent, moderately sparse yellow setae except glabrous distal area, interspersed with a few long, erect yellow setae ventrally. Gulamentum finely, very sparsely punctate on posterior half, with short, erect yellowish-brown setae emerging from each puncture; anterior area slightly depressed, finely, moderately abundantly striate-punctate, with short, erect yellowish-brown setae. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.67 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 1.11 times length of scape. Antennae (only one specimen measured) 1.3 times elytral length, almost reaching elytral apex. Antennomeres III–V with tuft of dense and long setae in posterior half; antennomere VI with tuft of dense and long setae in entire ventral surface. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.25; pedicel = 0.33; IV = 1.03; V = 1.44; VI = 1.64; VII = 1.28; VIII = 1.11; IX = 0.97; X = 0.83; XI = 1.03.

Thorax. Prothorax rounded laterally; anterior margin narrower than posterior margin. Pronotum with large, slightly elevated gibbosity on each side of posterior half; with slightly elevated elongate carina along central region, slightly more distinct posteriorly; transversely, widely depressed on anterior half; moderately coarse, shallowly, abundantly punctate (punctures more distinct on dark central band); with short, decumbent brownish setae on dark area, not obscuring integument; with short, decumbent yellow setae on light areas, denser on some areas; with moderately short, erect, sparse brownish setae throughout. Sides of prothorax moderately finely, abundantly punctate; with short, decumbent brownish setae not obscuring integument, distinctly sparser posteriorly; with a few moderately short, erect dark setae. Prosternum with short, slightly bristly, abundant pale yellow setae not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect setae of some color, except in narrow anterior area with a few short, decumbent pale yellow setae. Ventral surface of mesothorax with short, decumbent yellowish-white setae, not obscuring integument, especially on center of mesoventrite. Metanepisternum with short, decumbent, moderately abundant yellowish-white setae not obscuring integument. Metaventrite with short, decumbent, moderately abundant yellowish-white setae laterally, sparser centrally; with long, erect, sparse yellowish-white setae centrally. Scutellum with short, decumbent, very sparse yellowish setae. Elytra. Slightly widened from midlength; finely, moderately abundantly punctate throughout; with short, decumbent setae not obscuring integument, yellow on light area, brownish on dark area; with short, erect, sparse setae throughout, longer in basal third, yellowish on light area, brownish on dark area. Legs. Femora finely, densely punctate except sparsely punctate basal half of profemora; with short, decumbent brownish setae not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect brownish setae. Tibiae finely, abundantly punctate; with decumbent brownish setae interspersed with long, erect dark setae.

Abdomen. Ventrites with decumbent, moderately sparse yellowish-white setae, slightly denser laterally, interspersed with long, erect setae of same color (more brownish on ventrite V); base of ventrite V distinctly wider than twice its length.

Female. Antennae (only one specimen measured) as long as elytra, slightly surpassing base of posterior third of elytra. Base of ventrite V distinctly narrower than twice its length.

Variation (male and females). Parts of clypeus and labrum dark brown; ventral surface of head entirely yellowish-brown; ventral surface of head dark brown anteriorly and laterally (this area narrow or wide), yellowish-brown posteriorly; ventral surface of head entirely reddish-brown; apex of genae dark brown; distal area of palpomeres yellowish-brown; antennomeres VII–XI dark brown; black central area of pronotum slightly widened centrally, parallel-sided, slightly narrowed anteriorly, or with sides divergent from anterior margin to posterior third (from slightly to strongly widened from anterior margin to posterior third), then distinctly narrowed; sides of prosternal process brownish; black lateral area of prosternum larger; margins of mesoventral process brownish; mesoventral process entirely reddish-brown; central area of metaventrite widely yellowish-brown from base to apex (sometimes, this area narrowed posteriorly); central area of metaventrite yellowish-brown anteriorly, gradually brownish toward apex; elytra with dark dorsal band before midlength more brownish and triangular, with elongate, irregular brownish band on each side; elytra yellowish-brown on basal half, third or quarter, black on remaining surface (black area triangularly projected or not forward dorsally, reaching or not scutellum); elytra nearly black, with large, nearly triangular yellowish-brown band involving humeri, and wide, transverse, irregular yellowish-brown band near middle (black anterior area reaching or not epipleural margin); coxae from entirely black to entirely reddish-brown or with irregular light and dark areas; femora entirely dark reddish-brown, or gradually blackish toward apex; abdominal ventrites black laterally, gradually dark brown toward center, yellowish-brown central area of ventrite I (gradually brownish toward apex), and brownish anterocentral area of ventrites II–IV; abdominal ventrites dark brown laterally (this area from narrow to moderately wide), reddish-brown on remaining surface; abdominal ventrites reddishbrown with narrow dark brown band laterally and posteriorly; abdominal ventrites entirely dark brown or black; abdominal ventrites yellowish brown, with wide, transverse dark brown band posteriorly; area of vertex close to prothorax with narrow, transverse band with sparse, decumbent yellow setae; area behind upper eye lobes close to prothorax with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish setae; posterior half of gulamentum slightly transversely striate laterally; posterior half of gulamentum smooth and glabrous; anterior area of gulamentum with both, decumbent and sub-erect, moderately abundant yellowish setae, more abundant laterally; sides of prothorax forming obtuse angle about or after midlength; pronotal punctures sparser; anterior margin of prothorax from equal to slightly wider than posterior margin; pronotal punctures entirely obscured by pubescence; yellow setae on light areas of pronotum dense throughout; erect setae on pronotum almost absent; erect setae on pronotum yellowish; elytra more distinctly widened from midlength; sutural angle of elytra slightly projected.

Dimensions (mm), males/females (7 males, 6 females). Total length, 9.55–12.05/8.40–14.60; prothoracic length, 1.55–1.85/1.30–2.10; anterior prothoracic width, 1.70–1.75/1.30–2.30; posterior prothoracic width, 1.65– 2.00/1.45–2.30; maximum prothoracic width, 2.05–2.40/1.70–2.75; humeral width, 2.45–3.00/2.30–3.80; elytral length, 7.20–8.90/6.30–11.60. According to Bates (1880), males and females 6–7 lin. (≈ 12.72–14.84 mm).

Material examined. MEXICO, Jalapa, 1 male, 4 females, no date indicated, W. Schaws col. ( MZSP) . Veracruz: 14-16 km W Sontecompan , 3 males, 10-13.IV.1993, J.E. Wappes col. ( MZSP) . Chiapas: Lagos des Colores , 1 male, 14.VI.1969, D.E. Bright col. ( MZSP) ; P. N. Montebello (5,000’), 1 female, 30.V.1969, no collector indicated ( MZSP) . GUATEMALA, Zapote , 1 female, C. Champion col. ( DZUP, former Bates collection) . El Progreso: 2 km S Albores (4500’), 1 male, 21.X.1990, E. Giesbert col. ( MZSP) . Baja Verapaz: San Jerónimo , 1 male, no date indicated, Champion col. ( DZUP, former Bates collection) .

Distribution. Pteroplatus quadriscopulatus is known from Mexico (Veracruz, Tamaulipas, Chiapas), Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Type. Lectotype female from Guatemala (Sacatepéquez, Capetillo ), designated by Chemsak (1967), deposited at BMNH.

Remarks. This species is very similar to P. variabilis but, as already reported by Bates (1880), “it differs, however, constantly in both sexes in having the antennal joints from the third to the sixth furnished on one side with a long and very dense brush of silky hairs, Pt. variabilis having such a brush only on the sixth joint.”

Figures

FIGURES 18–23. Pteroplatus quadriscopulatus: 18) Dorsal habitus, male, specimen 1; 19) Ventral habitus, male, specimen 1; 20) Head, frontal view, male, specimen 1; 21) Head, frontal view, female, specimen 1; 22) Dorsal habitus, female, specimen 1; 23) Ventral habitus, female, specimen 1.

FIGURES 24–30. Pteroplatus quadriscopulatus: 24) Lateral habitus, male, specimen 1; 25) Lateral habitus, female, specimen 1; 26) Dorsal habitus, male, specimen 2; 27) Dorsal habitus, male, specimen 3; 28) Dorsal habitus, male, specimen 4; 29) Dorsal habitus, male, specimen 5; 30) Dorsal habitus, female, specimen 2.