Paraniophis, Dalens & Touroult, 2014

Dalens, Pierre-Henri & Touroult, Julien, 2014, New taxa and new records of Oemini Lacordaire, 1868 and Ectenessini Martins, 1998 from French Guiana (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae), Insecta Mundi 2014 (359), pp. 1-12 : 6-7

Paraniophis gen. nov.

Type-species: Paraniophis signatipes sp. nov.

Description. Slender habitus. Mandibles short, dorsally carinate. Frons transverse and flat. Maxillary palpi slightly longer than labials. Upper interocular space wide, more than twice wider than one upper lobe. Antennae with 12 articles in both sexes; antennal tubercles barely projected and acuminate; antennomere IV longest, more than twice as long as scape.

Prothorax subcylindrical, surface homogeneous, without tubercle. Prosternal process laminiform, interrupted before posterior margin of procoxa. Mesosternal process broad, about half wide as a mesocoxa, with rounded apex and without notch, interrupted just before posterior margin of mesocoxae. Mesosternum without sulcus; mesepimera reduced, triangular. Elytra without carina. Legs slender; femora flattened dorso-ventrally, not pedunculate; metatarsi shorter than metatibiae; metatarsomere I clearly longer than II+III. First urosternite without postcoxal carina.

Sexual dimorphism discreet: antennae shorter, prothorax and elytra wider (female); sexual punctation weakly visible laterally on prosternum (male); last ventrite triangular in male, largely truncated in female.

Diagnosis. In the key by Martins (1998), this new genus is closer to Niophis Bates, 1867 of which it is close by the antennae with 12 segments. However, it can be distinguished by the following characters: maxillary palpi just longer than the labial ones; shape of the prothorax, subcylindrical, mesosternal process half wide as a mesocoxa and without any notch.

Remarks. Parameres of tegmen of Niophis coptorhina Bates, 1867 and Niophis brusteli sp. nov. were examined (respectively, Fig. 18, 17 ) and compared with parameres of Paraniophis signatipes sp. nov ( Fig. 16 ). Paraniophis signatipes shows very short, totally fused parameres, with two thin brushes of relatively short setae at apex, whereas in the genus Niophis parameres are quite long, partially fused in N. brusteli sp. nov. (with a deep notch reaching half-length of tubercles and 3 long divergent setae on each side), or nearly totally fused in species N. coptorhina (with a short notch at apex, with 3 long straight setae on each side).

Etymology. The name of the genus Paraniophis refers to the similarity with the genus Niophis Bates, 1867 , from the Greek “para”, close to. Masculine genus.

Figures

Figures 16–18. Parameres of tegmen of Ectenessini. 16) Paraniophis signatipes sp. nov. 17) Niophis brusteli sp. nov. 18) Niophis coptorhina Bates, 1867.