Caraphia woodruffi Wappes and Santos-Silva, 2018

Wappes, James E. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2018, A synopsis of American Caraphia Gahan, 1906 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lepturinae) with description of two new species, Insecta Mundi 683, pp. 1-17 : 11-13

Caraphia woodruffi Wappes and Santos-Silva , new species

( Fig. 16–21 , 26 , 32 )

Description of male holotype. ( Fig. 16–18 ). Integument mostly dark brown; palpi dark reddishbrown; posterior area of gulamentum reddish-brown; antennae gradually reddish-brown toward distal segments; tibiae gradually dark reddish-brown toward apex.

Head. Frons moderately coarsely, densely punctate; with very short, narrow, decumbent, moderately abundant yellowish-brown scales not obscuring integument. Vertex with sculpturing and scales as on frons (scales sparser). Area behind upper eye lobes with sculpturing and scales as on vertex. Area behind lower eye lobes with sculpturing and scales as on vertex in wide area close to eye, finely, sparsely punctate, glabrous close to prothorax; with one long, erect yellowish seta close to upper eye lobe. Antennal tubercles with sculpturing and scales as on frons except smooth, glabrous, narrow distal area. Median groove distinct from clypeus to level of posterior margin of eyes, deeper between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes. Genae finely, moderately sparsely punctate; with very short, moderately sparse yellowish-brown scales. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous posteriorly, moderately coarsely, shallowly, confluently punctate, with thick, short, decumbent, sparse white setae in wide anterior area. Postclypeus with sculpturing as on frons; scales as on frons posteriorly, gradually shorter, sparser toward anterior area; with a few long, erect yellowish-brown setae on sides of anterior area. Labrum coplanar with clypeus posteriorly, inclined anteriorly; finely, moderately sparsely punctate posteriorly close to inclined area; with long, erect yellowish-brown setae laterally. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.65 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.90 times length of scape. Antennae 1.9 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex near midlength of antennomere IX; scape moderately coarsely, densely punctate, with short, decumbent, moderately abundant, narrow yellowish-brown scales; antennomeres III–V with very short, decumbent yellowish scales interspersed with shorter whitish scales, and a few long, erect yellowish setae at apex; remaining antennomeres with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; antennomeres VI–X with a few long, erect yellowish setae at apex; outer side of antennomeres III–IV not carinate; outer side of antennomeres V–VIII carinate in distal third; outer side of antennomere IX carinate in posterior half; outer side of antennomeres X–XI entirely carinate. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.86; pedicel = 0.17; IV = 0.93; V = 1.14; VI = 1.03; VII = 1.03; VIII = 0.95; IX = 0.95; X = 0.91; XI = 1.00.

Thorax. Prothorax about as long as wide; subparallel-sided in posterior fifth, distinctly swollen from this point to about anterior third (anterior part of swollen area distinctly convergent forward, with moderate constriction between swollen area and anterior quarter, slightly tumid in anterior quarter, followed by narrow constriction near anterior margin. Pronotum coarsely, abundantly punctate; with narrow, short, sparse, arched yellowish and whitish scales; with transverse band of very short scales close to anterior and posterior margins (yellowish close to anterior margin, whitish close to posterior margin). Sides of prothorax with sculpturing as on pronotum; with short, narrow, sparse, arched whitish scales, gradually shorter toward prosternum. Prosternum coarsely, moderately abundantly punctate in posterior 2/3, sparser in anterior third; with short, narrow, moderately sparse, slightly arched whitish scales in posterior third, distinctly shorter, sparser in anterior third; postcoxal processes glabrous except very short, sparse whitish scales close to procoxal cavity. Prosternal process with scales as in posterior area of prosternum. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with short, narrow, slightly arched whitish scales, more abundant than on prosternum, especially laterally. Scutellum with very short, thick whitish setae centrally, glabrous on remaining surface. Elytra. Coarsely, deeply, abundantly punctate in basal half, gradually finer, sparser toward apex (punctures nearly 8-shaped in anterior half); with moderately long, narrow, arched whitish scales partially aligned in rows ( Fig. 16, 19 , 31, 32 ); with longitudinal row of narrow, short whitish scales along suture and epipleuron; with minute yellowish scale inside most punctures. Legs. Femora and tibiae with moderately abundant, narrow, short, decumbent whitish scales, interspersed with minute yellowish-white scales; tibiae interspersed with fine yellowish setae ventrally in distal third of ventral surface and along apex.

Abdomen. Ventrites finely, moderately abundantly punctate; with narrow, short, slightly arched scales not obscuring integument (gradually more seta-shaped toward V); apex of ventrite V truncate, slightly, widely emarginate centrally.

Female. ( Fig. 19–21 ). Antennae slightly shorter, 1.75 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at distal end of antennomere IX.

Variation. (Male and female). Gulamentum entirely dark brown; elytra dark reddish-brown with dark brown band along suture; femora dark reddish-brown; tibiae entirely dark brown or entirely dark reddish-brown; abdominal ventrites dark reddish-brown; distal area of clypeus and posterior area of labrum reddish-to yellowish-brown; labrum entirely yellowish-brown; scales on frons moderately sparse; scales in area behind lower eye lobes sparser than on vertex; setae on gulamentum more yellowish; prothorax slightly longer than wide; scales on sides of prothorax yellowish; scales on elytra more yellowish depending on light intensity.

Dimensions (mm), holotype male/ paratype males/ paratype female. Total length 10.40/9.10– 11.65/10.35; prothoracic length 2.00/1.70–2.15/1.80; anterior prothoracic width 1.30/1.10–1.45/1.20; posterior prothoracic width 1.80/1.55–2.10/1.70; maximum prothoracic width 2.00/1.65–2.30/1.90; humeral width 3.20/2.50–3.50/2.90; elytral length 6.80/5.90–7.50/6.85.

Type material. Holotype male from GUATEMALA, Izabal: E. of Morales (Sierra del Merendon; Finca Firmeza ; 1 km W Honduras; 1250 m; at light; cloud forest), 27–28.V.2003, R. Woodruff & J. Monzon col. ( FSCA) . Paratypes – GUATEMALA, Izabal: Morales (600 m), 1 male, VI.2000, J. Monzon col. ( DJHC) ; 25 km SE Morales (2800’), 1 male, 21-24.V.1996, E. Giesbert & J. Monzon col. ( FSCA); (900 m) , 1 male, 31.V-2.VI.1997, E. Giesbert & J. Monzon col. ( FSCA) ; E. of Morales (Sierra del Merendon; Finca Firmeza ; 1 km W Honduras; 1250 m; blacklight/mercury vapor; cloud forest), 1 male, 27-28.V.2003, R. Woodruff & J. Monzon col. ( ACMT) ; 1 female, 13-14.VIII.2005, R. Woodruff & J. Monzon col. ( FSCA) ; Sierra del Caral ( Cerro Negro Norte , 1180 m, 15°21′52″ N / 88°41′28″ W), 1 male, 18.VII.2001, R. D. Cave col. ( RDCC) . HONDURAS, Copan: 6 km NW San Agustin , 2 males, 19.V.2002, R. Turnbow col. (1 male RHTC, 1 male MZSP) ; Yoro: Sinai (5.3 km NW San Francisco Campo, 1410 m, 15°25′46″ N / 87°21′43″ W), 1 male, 4.VI.2002, R. D. Cave col. ( RDCC) .

Etymology. Named for Bob Woodruff, one of the collectors of the holotype and long-time Coleoptera curator at the Division of Plant Industry, Florida State Collection of Arthropods (now retired).

Remarks. Caraphia woodruffi sp. nov. is similar to C. lingafelteri but differs by the elytral scales distinctly sparser and partially aligned in rows ( Fig. 16, 19 , 32 ), while in the latter they are more abundant and distinctly not aligned ( Fig. 10 , 30 ). The new species also differs from C. seriata , which has elytral scales aligned in rows and a noticeably shorter prothorax.

Figures

Figures 16–21. Caraphia woodruffi. 16–18) Holotype male: 16) Dorsal habitus. 17) Ventral habitus. 18) Lateral habitus. 19–21) Paratype female: 19) Dorsal habitus. 20) Ventral habitus. 21) Lateral habitus.

Figures 22–26. Head and pronotum. 22) Caraphia squamosa, male. 23) Caraphia seriata, male. 24) Caraphia lingafelteri, female. 25) Caraphia warneri, holotype female. 26) Caraphia woodruffi, holotype male.

Figures 27–32. Scales of elytra. 27–28) Caraphia squamosa, male. 27) Anterior area of the elytra. 28) Posterior half of elytra. 29) Caraphia seriata, male. 30) Caraphia lingafelteri, female. 31) Caraphia warneri, holotype female. 32) Caraphia woodruffi, holotype male.

Figures 10–12. Caraphia lingafelteri, female. 10) Dorsal habitus. 11) Ventral habitus. 12) Lateral habitus.