Erythroplatys simulator Gounelle, 1911

Clarke, Robin O. S., 2012, Bolivian Rhinotragini V: New Species Of Erythroplatys White, 1855, Rhinotragus Germar, 1824, Ornistomus Thomson, 1864, And Aechmutes Bates, 1867 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 52 (5), pp. 55-79 : 59-62

Erythroplatys simulator Gounelle, 1911

Figs. 2A, 2B

Erythroplatys simulator Gounelle, 1911:16 ; Monné & Fragoso, 1990:730, fig. 3; Monné & Hovore, 2006:116; Wappes et al., 2006:17 (distr.).

Diagnosis: E. simulator can be immediately separated from Erythroplatys cardinalis Monné & Fragoso, 1990 by the two moderately large, scarlet fascia on basal half of each elytron, and angular fascia across apical half (in E. cardinalis elytra almost entirely scarlet, only humeri with small black fascia); and from the other species of the genus, which have black elytra with numerous orange to yellow spots.

Description of male: colour opaque black and scarlet. The following black: apex of mandible; antennal segments I-IX; humeri; and apex of abdomen. The following scarlet: antennomeres X and XI (in figure 2A missing, but almost certainly scarlet as in female); on basal half of each elytron most of epipleuron; tulipshaped fascia shared by both elytra; and angular fascia crossing margin of apical half of both elytra. Mouthparts testaceous.

General pubescence: usually yellowish. Upperside almost glabrous, except microscopic, setiferous punctures (the hairs white and recumbent) present on prothorax, as follows: oval fascia at sides of pronotum (representing the sexual puncturation), and scattered patches throughout basal constriction. Underside with similar pubescence on the following: triangular fascia at centre of prosternum (absent in female); mesosternum (including its process); golden hairs on mesepimera; narrow fascia on latero-posterior margins of urosternites. The following with moderately sparse, suberect, longer pubescence: orange hairs on mentum-submentum and sides of pronotum; scarlet hairs on metasternum, metepisterna; and on abdomen (but more disperse). Scape, pedicel, and antennomeres III-VI with thick, black setae ventrally. Legs generally covered with reddish setae; sparser on femora; denser on meso- and metatibia; dense and golden on protibia and tarsal pads.

Surface ornamentation: puncturation on almost all surfaces of dorsad rugose, dense, confluent, and semi-alveolate. On head: frons with large punctures (anteriorly permeated by longitudinal carination, on interocular space with transverse carination), becoming smaller on vertex. On disc of pronotum carinated towards apex, and at centre of basal constriction. On elytra without carination and less confused, the punctures smaller at base, more bevelled towards apex. Pronotal disc with calli: discrete, narrow, callus just behind centre of midline (this callus strongly carinated); and two large rounded calli to either side of midline (these less carinated, but heavily and closely punctured). Puncturation on the underside as follows: area of mentum-submentum multicarinate with small individual punctures, and rows of contiguous punctures; on pro- and mesosterna similar to that found on pronotum; on midline of metasternum a broad band with a mixture of dense, somewhat bevelled, shallow punctures of various sizes, and prominent, granulate, smooth punctures; to sides of metasternum and on metepisterna becoming sparser, uniform and shallow; on abdomen surface generally smooth with sparse micro-punctures, interrupted at midline (especially on urosternite V), and here and there laterally, by groups of shallow, dense, small punctures.

Structure: moderately large and broad; elytra widening towards rounded apex; forebody slightly longer than abdomen (7.70 mm). Head with eyes (2.40 mm) distinctly narrower than width of prothorax. Rostrum long (1.35 mm) and parallel-sided. Labrum moderately large, projecting, rectangular (with rounded sides and narrowly emarginate apex); more than twice as wide as long; almost impunctate. Clypeus almost impunctate; at middle, separated from frons by moderately deep, densely punctured, U-shaped depression. Eyes small; inferior lobes (0.95 mm) about half as long as genae; their proximal margins lying on frons, distal margins oblique; width of one inferior lobe 1.3 times interocular space (0.60 mm). Superior lobes of eye with 15-16 rows of fine ommatidia, separated by (0.8 mm) about three times their own width. Antennal tubercles with rounded apices, the distance between them 1.5 times width of scape. Antennae short, reaching to about middle of urosternite I; antennomeres moderately robust; VI-IX sub-serrate, the apical angles rounded; scape widening from base to apex, shorter (1.3 mm) than antennomere III; pedicel oval (0.4 mm); III cylindrical, longer (1.6 mm) than rest; IV shorter (0.9 mm) than V; V longer (1.25 mm) than VI; VI (1.05 mm); VII (0.90 mm); VIII (0.8 mm); IX (0.7 mm). Prothorax: transverse; widest at middle; sides rounded to middle, straighter to base; hind angles almost right-angled; front margin narrower (2.5 mm) and more strongly bordered than hind margin (3.25 mm); apical constriction weak (but front margin elevated), basal constriction with rather shallow fovea laterally, narrow, strongly declivous with disc of pronotum. Pronotum irregularly convex with calli. Prosternum abruptly declivous with prominent front margin; well inclined to prosternal process. The latter strongly arced; base short, moderately narrow (0.25 mm), about one fifth width of coxal cavity; apex upturned, subtriangular, long (but not wide), sides slightly rounded, apical margin rather deeply excavate, apical angles projecting and rounded. Procoxal cavities ovate, closed at sides and behind. Mesosternal declivity moderately deep and abrupt. Mesosternal process depressed to midline; broad (0.90 mm), almost as wide as coxal cavity (1.10 mm); apex of process bilobed, the lobes short, almost parallel-sided, and separated by deep notch. Mesocoxal cavity moderately widely open to mesepimeron; the latter moderately broad and constricted at middle. Scutellum slightly elongate, rounded at apex, depressed to middle. Elytra 2.3 longer than width of humeri, reaching apical third of urosternite IV; broad (and completely hiding sterna); sides parallel for basal third, distinctly widened for middle third, and for apical third rounded and contracted to apex; apices broadly rounded (unarmed), and moderately dehiscent for apical quarter. Surface of elytron somewhat irregular; obliquely bisected (almost to apex) by change in curvature along line of obsolete humero-apical costa; mesally flattened and slightly depressed across apex of basal third; laterally strongly declivous to epipleuron for basal third, incrementally less declivous and more explanate towards apex. Humeri well demarcated (but rounded), weakly prominent, and not projecting. Sides of metathorax rounded, apical margin oblique towards sides. Metasternum large, convex, more so behind (and more prominent than mesocoxae); longitudinal suture complete (albeit very shallow and narrow to front). Metepisterna wide, widest at base, moderately narrowing to apex. Abdomen robust, very broad and strongly depressed, widest at middle of urosternite II. All urosternites strongly transverse, with slightly rounded sides; II and III equal in length (1.60 mm); IV (1.40 mm); and V (1.00 mm) trapezoidal, narrower at base than apex of IV, rather strongly convex, and slightly explanate at sides; apical margin truncate. Abdominal process planar with abdomen; triangular; sides raised; apex intimately inserted between metacoxae. Apical tergite trapezoidal; apex broadly rounded and overlapping apex of urosternite V. Legs moderately robust; ratio length front to hind leg 1.0:1.3:1.6. Pro- and mesofemora strongly pedunculate-clavate, metafemora less abrupt and less tumid; peduncles moderately robust. Front leg (9.10 mm); femoral peduncle short (about one third length of clave); protibia (3.50 mm) as long as femora, sides obliquely excised at apex; pro- and mesotarsi robust, tarsomere I quadrate, II transverse, III broad and slightly transverse, lobes narrowly separated. Middle leg (11.80 mm); femoral peduncle curved and flattened latero-mesally, about as long as clave; mesotibia (4.15 mm) shorter than mesofemur, flattened and curved, and abruptly thickened for apical half. Hind leg (14.7 mm); peduncle cylindrical, about as long as clave; metatibia (5.50 mm) slightly shorter than metafemur, moderately flattened, slightly sinuate, and gradually thickened to apex; metatarsi longer (3.1 mm) and more slender than others, metatarsomere I elongate (widening to apex), II trapezoidal, III quadrate (but not widened); I (1.0 mm) not as long as II + II (1.3 mm).

Description of female ( Fig. 2B ): colouration not significantly different from male. Antennomeres X and XI ochraceous-yellow [ Gounelle (1911) says base of VII-XI rufous]. Pubescence and puncturation generally reduced in female. As in male, short, dense pubescence present on mesothorax and abdomen, absent elsewhere; the longer, more erect, rufous pubescence much as in male. General puncturation on head, mesothorax, metathorax and abdomen much as in male, somewhat less dense, especially on abdomen. Prothoracic sculpturing very different from male: uniform, consisting only of deep, large punctures permeated by dense network of longitudinal carinae (lacking all the fine, dense punctures between the calli in males).

Structure: forebody 1.13 longer than abdomen (8.7 mm). Rostrum slightly narrowed at middle. Eyes slightly smaller; width of one inferior lobe 0.80 times interocular space (1.00 mm). Antennae short, reaching as far as middle of metacoxae; antennomeres VI-X subserrate; X shorter (0.65 mm) than XI; XI (0.80) narrower than X, and with apical cone; scape only slightly shorter (1.45 mm) than antennomere III (1.55 mm). Pronotum equally transverse [Gounelle says slightly longer than wide]; more convex at midline; calli larger and more prominent (the lateral ones projecting beyond sides, to give a more sinuate profile to sides). Base of prosternal process longer than in male; apex subtrapezoidal; apical margin not excavate. Lobes of mesosternal process more dilated at sides. Scutellum more elongate [Gounelle says quadrate], and apex moderately acuminate. Elytra reaching middle of urosternite IV; 2.2 longer than width of humeri; epipleura not as strongly explanate, and lateral margins slightly less sinuate. Metasternum less tumid behind. Abdomen more convex than in male, otherwise very similar to male (which is rather female-like in structure); base of urosternite I declivous, leaving most of abdominal process well below surface of abdomen; and urosternites III and IV fossate at sides (in male, these fossae are represented by semi-circular sulci delimiting rounded, slightly raised areas, on urosternites II-IV).

Measurements (mm): 1 male / 1 female: total length 18.9/20.8; length of pronotum 2.90/3.15; width of

pronotum 3.40/3.70; length of elytra 11.00/11.80; width at humeri 4.75/5.40.

Material examined: BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, Hotel Flora & Fauna, 5 km SSE of Buena Vista , 17°29’96”S/ 63°39’13”W, 430 m, 1 male, 21-25.X.2000, R . Morris col. ( FSCA); Reserva Natural, Potrerillo de Guenda , 40 km NW Santa Cruz, 17°40’26”S / 63°27’43”W, 370 m, 1 female, 09-28. XI.2006 Dozier & Romero col. ( ACMT) .

Discussion: Monné & Hovore (2006) record this species from Brazil, Goiás (Jataí, the type locality) and Peru; Wappes et al. (2006) added Bolivia.

Since full descriptions and photographs of both sexes of this species have not been published before, the opportunity to do so is taken now.

Biology: Since both specimens had golden coloured, pollen grains lodged amongst the mouthparts and elsewhere, it would seem the species is anthophilous.

Figures

FIGURES 1‑2: 1, Erythroplatys boliviensis sp. nov.: A male holotype, B female paratype.2, Erythroplatys simulator Gounellle, 1911: A male, B female.