Colyphus monzoni Rifkind, 2023

Rifkind, Jacques, 2023, Two new species of Guatemalan Colyphus Spinola (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae), Insecta Mundi 2023 (3), pp. 1-4 : 3-4

Colyphus monzoni Rifkind , new species

( Fig. 5 )

Type specimen. Holotype male. Guatemala, Suchitépequez Dept., Univ. del Valle de Guatemala Res Stn. nr Aldea Adelaida / Finca Panama, Sta. Barbara, 1550 m, 28 May, 2022, 14°32.881′N, 91°11.620′W, J. Monzón collr., light traps. The holotype is deposited in WSUC.

Description. Length: 6.75 mm. Form: elongate; elytra subparallel ( Fig. 5 ). Color: Black; each elytron with an elongate eburneous marking as in Fig. 5 , laterally extended at middle, very narrowly interrupted at suture and at base, rectangularly incised baso-medially; rounded posteriorly; femora, tibia and abdominal ventrite VI, reddish. Head: surface finely, densely, shallowly punctate; moderately densely clothed with adpressed, short, silvery setae, interspersed with fewer, more elongate, erect black setae. Antennae: rather long, surpassing posterior margin of pronotum when laid alongside; antennomeres 8–11 forming a gradually enlarged club. Pronotum: subflattened above, transverse impression broadly arcuate, distinct; surface shining, finely, densely punctate and shallowly, transversely rugulose, moderately densely but inconspicuously clothed with short suberect whitish setae, intermixed with longer erect whitish setae and a few longer dark setae; vestiture more densely arrayed laterally than medially. Scutellum densely clothed with silvery setae. Elytra: elongate (more than 2× as long as wide); subcylindrical; subflattened above; humeri quadrate; sides subparallel, feebly inflected at middle; apices separately rounded; posterior slope gradual. Surface shining, shallowly, transversely, rather coarsely rugose/punctate and sparsely set with fine, infuscate, asetiferous punctations. Vestiture inconspicuous except on apices; anterior 4/5 rather sparsely clothed with a mixture of short to medium length suberect and erect dark setae; apical 1/5 densely set with short, suberect silvery setae. Metasternum: surface finely, shallowly granulate/punctate, densely clothed with fine, silverly, reclinate setae. Abdomen: surface shining, shallowly rugulose/punctate, densely clothed with adpressed silvery setae. Ventrite V with posterior margin truncate; ventrite VI small, scutiform, distinctly concave below. Genitalia: not examined.

Variation. Known only from the holotype.

Etymology. This species is named for José Monzón, collector of the holotype.

Distribution. Suchitépequez Departamento, Guatemala.

Diagnosis. Colyphus monzoni is easily distinguished from congeners on the basis of its unique coloration and elytral pattern. It appears most similar to the recently described Oaxacan species C. martinezi Rifkind ( Rifkind 2020) , but the two species differ markedly in coloration and in the composition and distribution of their elytral vestiture. Although Colyphus martinezi has variable elytra coloration, none of its phena exhibit a large, eburneous or pale dorsal marking. Also, by comparison with Colyphus martinezi , the elytra of the new species are less conspicuously setose, bearing a visibly dense array of vestiture only at the very apices.

Figures

Figures 1–5. Colyphus spp. 1–3) Colyphus zacki, new species. 1) Habitus of holotype. 2) Living specimen, photographed in Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, Coban, July 2015, by J. Monzón. 3) Aedeagus of holotype. 4) Aedeagus of C. artus. 5) Habitus of holotype of Colyphus monzoni, new species.