Cylicasta mariahelenae, Nearns & Tavakilian, 2012

Nearns, Eugenio H. & Tavakilian, Gérard-Luc, 2012, A new genus and five new species of Onciderini Thomson, 1860 Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) from South America, with notes on additional taxa, Insecta Mundi 2012 (266), pp. 1-23 : 3-4

Cylicasta mariahelenae , sp. nov.

( Figures 1 a-d)

Description. Male. Length 8.0-14.0 mm (measured from vertex to elytral apices), width 2.6-5.0 mm (measured across humeri). Habitus as in Fig. 1a. General form elongate-oblong, small to moderate-sized. Integument brown to ferrugineous with brown, ochraceous, and testaceous pubescence; portions of head, pronotum, scutellum, and venter with white pubescence; basal portions of antennomeres III-XI distinctly paler than apices; apical 1/5 of elytra distinctly darker, with irregularly-shaped testaceous maculae against a field of dark brown pubescence.

Head with frons elongate, about width of 1.5 lower eye lobes; surface deeply punctate (as in Fig. 1c). Eyes with lower lobes moderate-sized, oblong; narrowest area connecting upper and lower eye lobes about 3 ommatidia wide. Genae elongate, about as tall as lower eye lobes; genae with distinct, curved, glabrous sulcus extending from lower eye lobe to base of mandibles.

Antennae nearly 3 times longer than body; antennal tubercles prominent, narrowly separated, contiguous at base; tubercles not armed at apex; scape clavate; antennomeres V-X slightly curved; antennomere XI sinuate. Antennal formula based on antennomere III: scape=0.73; II=0.1; III=1; IV=0.97; V=0.83; VI=0.76; VII=0.77; VIII=0.85; IX=1.03; X=1.16; XI=1.8.

Pronotum subcylindrical, slightly transverse, sides feebly arcuate ( Fig. 1a, d); disk with surface densely punctate, with relatively large, deep punctures; basal transverse sulcus shallow; base of disk with small, oval, glabrous region anterior to basal sulcus.

Scutellum transverse, apex rounded.

Elytra about 2.2 times as long as width at humeri ( Fig. 1a), about 3.3 times as long as pronotal length, about 1.3 times broader basally than pronotum at widest (at middle); lateral margins nearly straight, sides roughly parallel, slightly attenuate, gradually rounded to apices at apical 1/3, apices jointly rounded; basal 1/2 with surface densely punctate, with relatively large, deep punctures; humeri slightly prominent, anterior margin arcuate.

Venter with procoxae large, globose, not uncate; apex of prosternal process subtriangular. Mesosternal process about half as wide as mesocoxal cavity; mesosternal process moderately emarginate. Fifth abdominal sternite slightly longer than IV.

Legs moderate in length; femora robust; metafemora clavate apically; tibiae slightly expanded apically; metafemora about 1/3 as long as elytra; tarsomere V slightly shorter than as I-IV combined.

Female. Length 10.0- 13.5 mm (measured from vertex to elytral apices), width 3.7-5.0 mm (measured across humeri). Similar to male except antennae nearly 2 times longer than body.

Material Examined. Holotype, male ( Fig. 1 a-d), “[ French Guiana] Route de Kaw pk33, 15 Février 1985, piégeage lumineux, G. Tavakilian leg., 1418” ( MNHN) . Allotype, female, “Piste Tibourou pk7, G.Fr., 02/04/2006 Eclos” ( PHDC). Twenty-two paratypes all from French Guiana: one female, same data as allotype except “ 26/03/2006 ” ( PHDC); one male, same data except “ 03/08/2006 ” ( PHDC); one female, same data except “pk7 (4), 22/02/2006 ” ( PHDC); one male, same data except “ 04/02/2006 ” ( PHDC); one male, same data except “ 12/02/2006 ” ( PHDC); one male and one female, “ Pt de vue La Fumée , Saül G.Fr., 11/01/2006 Eclos ” ( PHDC); one female, “ Saül Grand Beouf , Mort G.Fr., 3/2/2008 Ex Larva ” ( PHDC); one female, same data except “ 11/1/2008 ” ( PHDC); one male, same data except “ 7/1/2008 ” ( PHDC); one female, “ Counami pk22, Counamama. 26/12/2007 Ex Larva ” ( PHDC); one male, same data except “pk25, 16/1/2008 ” ( PHDC); one female, “ Mgne des Singes , Kourou, G.Fr., 16/01/2006 Eclos ” ( PHDC); one male and one female, “ Mtgne des Singes , Kourou (20), G.Fr., 07/02/2006 Eclos ” ( PHDC); one male, same data except “ 12/02/2006 ” ( PHDC); two males, “ Mt des Singes , Kourou, G.Fr., 25/02/2006 Eclos ” ( PHDC); one male, “ Bélizon pk 15+17, G.Fr., 01/03/2006 Eclos ” ( PHDC); one male, “ Bélizon pk15+20, G.Fr., 28/01/2006, Ex Larva ( RCO)” ( PHDC); one male, “pk30 rte de Kaw, G.Fr., 29/01/2004 Eclos ” ( PHDC); one male, “ Environs de Saül, G.Fr., 28/01/2006 Ex Larva ( RCO)” ( PHDC) .

Etymology. We are pleased to name this species in honor of Maria Helena M. Galileo, for her many contributions to the study of Neotropical Cerambycidae . The epithet is a noun in the genitive case.

Diagnosis and Remarks. This species is distinguished from its congeners by the combination of the following characters: body with ochraceous pubescence; pronotal disk and basal 1/2 of elytra with surface densely punctate, elytral surface with relatively large, deep punctures; genae with distinct, curved, glabrous sulcus extending from lower eye lobe to base of mandibles. Cylicasta mariahelenae is described from 24 specimens: 15 males and nine females.