Coleoxestia beckeri, Galileo, Maria Helena M., Martins, Ubirajara R. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2015

Galileo, Maria Helena M., Martins, Ubirajara R. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2015, New species and new records in Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) of the state of Bahia, Brazil, ZooKeys 517, pp. 99-110 : 100

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cerambycidae

Coleoxestia beckeri sp. n. Figs 1-7

Description.

Holotype male (Figs 1-6). Integument dark brown, almost black on head and prothorax; elytra black on narrow band along suture and apical spines; scutellum blackish, with reddish-brown macula about center; antennomeres dark reddish-brown, except for narrow blackish area on apex of III–VI.

Head. Frons coarsely, confluently punctate, laterally with narrow carina from anterior margin to antennal tubercle (more distinct towards the latter); with very short, sparse setae. Area between antennal tubercles somewhat finely punctate; with very short, sparse setae. Area between upper eye lobes with elongate, smooth, glabrous tubercle, narrowed towards vertex; on each side of tubercle moderately coarsely, confluently punctate, with short, sparse setae. Vertex coarsely, partially confluently punctate, punctures finer towards prothoracic margin; with very short, sparse setae. Longitudinal sulcus distinct from clypeus to area between antennal tubercles, deeper towards the latter. Area behind upper eye lobes coarsely, confluently punctate; with very short and sparse setae, denser, interspersed with some long setae close to superior margin of eye. Area behind lower eye lobes longitudinally sulcate about middle; area close to eyes finely, abundantly punctate, with short setae interspersed with long setae; area close to prothorax moderately finely and sparsely punctate, almost glabrous. Antennal tubercles moderately finely punctate (frontally punctures finer, denser). Gula laterally transversely sulcate, moderately finely, sparsely punctate (center smooth). Submentum opaque, finely, abundantly punctate, interspersed with coarse punctures; anteriorly transversely sulcate close to anterior margin; anterior margin narrow, elevate; with short, abundant setae. Postclypeus moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate close to frons, laterally and anteriorly smooth; area close to frons depressed; punctate area with short setae and one long seta on each side. Labrum finely punctate; centrally with short setae, anteriorly and laterally with long setae. Mandibles laterally coarsely, moderately abundantly punctate; with short setae interspersed with some long setae. Distance between upper eye lobes equal to 0.40 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes, in frontal view, equal to 0.65 times length of scape. Antennae as long as 1.6 times elytral length; reaching the apex at middle of antennomere XI. Scape slightly enlarged towards apex; shiny, moderately coarsely, densely, confluently punctate on base, gradually finer, sparser towards apex (apex dorsally smooth and glabrous); with short moderately sparse setae interspersed with some long setae. Antennomeres III–IV straight, nodose at apex; outer side without carina and distinct sensorial area; finely, abundantly punctate (punctures denser, coarser laterally and ventrally), except for smooth apex; with short setae, ventrally and around apical smooth area interspersed with long setae. Antennomere V somewhat microsculptured, apex nodose, laterally slightly carinate; sensorial area slightly distinct at distal third; setae as on III and IV (short setae slightly denser). Antennomeres VI-X microsculptured, pubescent; outer apex dentate (slightly at VI); outer side carinate; sensorial area wide, from base to apex (dorsally less distinct on basal third of VI). Antennomere XI microsculptured, pubescent; not distinctly divided at area of constriction of outer side. Antennal formula (ratio) based on antennomere III: scape = 0.62; pedicel = 0.15; IV = 0.64; V = 0.73; VI = 0.76; VII = 0.76; VIII = 0.73; IX = 0.73; X = 0.71; XI = 1.00.

Thorax. Prothorax as long as 0.95 times largest width; laterally with three, not strong gibbosities. Pronotum coarsely punctate (vermiculate on some areas), except for smooth central sub-elliptical callosity, from basal fifth to about anterior third; around sub-elliptical callosity, punctures notably coarse, with fine punctures inside (mainly on anterior half); punctures denser on posterolateral sides; with very short, sparse setae, laterally denser. Lateral sides of prothorax coarsely vermiculate-punctate, except for anterior area finely punctate, interspersed with coarse punctures; with short, moderately sparse setae. Basal half of prosternum laterally coarsely, abundantly punctate, with short setae; center of basal half smooth, glabrous; anterior half coarsely, transversely striate, with short, very sparse setae. Prosternal process centrally smooth, glabrous on basal half; remaining surface with short setae; apex vertically inclined, concave in lateral view. Mesosternum and mesepisterna pubescent. Mesepimera pubescent towards elytra, distinctly less so towards procoxal cavity. Mesosternal process without tubercle, pubescent. Metepisterna pubescent. Metasternum with narrow band of pubescence close to metepisterna, meso- and metacoxal cavities; remaining surface with very short and sparse setae, interspersed with some long setae; finely, sparsely punctate. Scutellum triangular. Elytra. Shiny, finely, moderately abundantly punctate (mainly on basal half), except for narrow, slightly coarser, denser punctate area close to apex; with very short, sparse setae (invisible depending on angle of light); apex with two spines with similar size. Legs. Femora with short, sparse setae, longer, more abundant on ventral side of peduncle (mainly on metafemora); apex of femora rounded.

Abdomen. Ventrites I–IV centrally smooth, glabrous (ventrite I with long, very sparse setae; IV with very short, sparse setae and fine, sparse punctures), laterally with short setae close to margin. Ventrite V slightly shorter than IV; finely, sparsely punctate, interspersed with some coarse punctures; with short, sparse setae, laterally and posteriorly denser, somewhat longer; apex widely sub-truncate.

Female (Fig. 7). Antennae as long as 1.4 times elytral length; reaching elytral apex. Ventrites I–IV with long, sparse setae, laterally narrowly pubescent. Ventrite V slightly longer than IV; moderately finely, abundantly punctate (distinctly sparser on center of basal half); apex rounded. Mesepimera pubescent.

Variation. Integument reddish-brown (mainly elytra); scutellum without reddish-brown macula; mesepimera in male pubescent throughout; legs totally or partially reddish-brown.

Dimensions in mm

(holotype/male/female). Total length, 17.8/14.2 –17.8/19.2– 22.0; length of prothorax at center, 3.1/2.5 –3.0/3.3– 3.7; largest width of prothorax, 3.3/2.8 –3.3/3.6– 4.0; anterior width of prothorax, 2.5/2.1 –2.6/2.7– 3.0; posterior width of prothorax, 2.9/2.3-2.9/3.0-3.4; humeral width, 3.8/3.3-4.0/4.4-5.1; elytral length, 12.6/9.9 –12.7/13.7– 15.3.

Type material.

Holotype male from BRAZIL, Bahia: 9 km W Boa Nova ( “Caatinga”, 14°36'S, 40°26'W, 750 m), 4-8.XII.2013, V. O. Becker col. (MZSP). Paratypes (all from BRAZIL, Bahia): same data as holotype, 8 males (CVOB); Porto Seguro (Arraial d’Ajuda; 16°27'S, 39°03'W; 40 m), 3 males (CVOB), 4 females (3 CVOB, 1 MZSP), 23.XI.2013, V. O. Becker col. (MZSP); Aracatu ("Fazenda Lagoa do Tamburi", Caatinga, 14°30,961'S, 41°27,512'W), female, 18.X.2012, A. S. Ferreira col. (MZSP).

Etymology.

Named after Vitor Osmar Becker, collector of the type series.

Remarks.

Coleoxestia beckeri sp. n. is similar to Coleoxestia nigropicea (Bates, 1870), but differs as follows: frons coarsely, abundantly punctate; apex of scape not projected; pronotum with short setae; pronotum (Fig. 6) less coarsely punctate; elytra shiny. In Coleoxestia nigropicea (see figs. 309-312 by Martins and Monné 2005; or fig. 14 by Fragoso 1993) the frons is not coarsely punctate, the scape is projected at inner side of apex, the pronotum is glabrous and coarser punctate, and the elytra is opaque on base. It differs from Coleoxestia atrata (Gounelle, 1909) by the vertex more abundantly punctate, by the antennae in male distinctly surpassing the elytral apex, and by the pronotum not transversely sulcate and with short setae. In Coleoxestia atrata the vertex is sparsely punctate or almost smooth, the antennae in male not surpassing the elytral apex, and the pronotum is transversely sulcate and glabrous.

Coleoxestia beckeri can be included in the alternative of couplet “33” from Martins and Monné (2005), considering the elytra as “black” (translated; modified):