Rhinotragus antonioi, Clarke, 2012

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 : 62-65

Rhinotragus antonioi sp. nov.

Figs. 3A, 3B

Holotype male: 11.95 mm. Deposited at MNKM.

Diagnosis: R. antonioi sp. nov. is similar in colour, and colour distribution, to Rhinotragus bizonatus Gounelle, 1911 (a male, probably a cotype from Jatahy in the MZUSP collection, was used for comparison), but easily separated from the latter as follows: antennae, protibia and protarsus almost entirely yellowish (in R. bizonatus entirely black); prothorax entirely black (in R. bizonatus prosternum mostly yellow for apical half and laterally, leaving sides of pronotum entirely yellow); elytra black with creamy-white fasciae (in R. bizonatus black with yellowish fasciae). General puncturation in R. antonioi is sparser; most noticeably on the following: pronotum, where the punctures are semialveolate and only contiguous in patches (leaving the broad, slightly raised midline, and pair of low calli towards sides, impunctate); metasternum, where the interstices between punctures are mostly broader than diameter of punctures; and abdomen, which is smooth, with a few larger punctures at midline of urosternite I, and small, dense punctures at centre of V. In R. bizonatus general puncturation is denser, especially on the following: pronotum, where it is rugose, the punctures alveolate and entirely contiguous, only leaving the raised, narrow midline impunctate; metasternum, where the interstices are much narrower than diameter of punctures on basal half; and abdomen, which is liberally sprinkled with punctures of different size. Structurally, the most noticeable difference between the two species is the appearance of the pronotum: in R. antonioi pronotal surface lacks prominent calli, and sides are almost regularly rounded (in R. bizonatus calli are numerous and moderately prominent; and, together with the granular nature of the punctures, renders the surface strongly irregular, and the sides bisinuate in appearance. These differences affect the appearance of the head of each species: in R. antonioi it looks more prominent and narrow-necked, and the width of head with eyes distinctly wider than apical margin of pronotum (in R. bizonatus pronotum with pair of distinct lateral calli adjacent to apical margin, giving the latter a broader appearance, and leaving width of head with eyes narrower than apical margin of pronotum, and the appearance of the head retracted and broad-necked).

Separation of R. antonioi from R. monnei , and other species of Rhinotragus recorded for Bolivia, is set down with the description of the latter.

Description of holotype: colour opaque black and translucent ochraceus-yellow. Head (including base of submentum, gula and mandibles) black; rostrum and labrum orange-yellow; palps testaceous; antennae ochraceus yellow, antennomeres VIII-XI incrementally fuscous towards apex. Prothorax, mesothorax (including scutellum), metathorax and abdomen black. Elytra black with two broad, creamy-white bands (one across basal fifth, the other across middle). Coxae black. Front leg mostly ochraceous-yellow; dorsal surface and apex of femora black; apex of protibia black mesally; apex of tarsomere III and onychium fuscous. Middle leg (except tarsomere I and II partly yellowish), and hind leg, black.

General pubescence: Body almost entirely glabrous with patches of moderately dense, short, yellowishwhite, recumbent pubescence on the following: narrow, elongate band at extreme sides of pronotum; centre of prosternum and all of prosternal process; most of mesosternum (including its process); all of mesepimeron; front margin and midline of metasternum; and latero-apical margins of urosternites I-III. Sides of pronotum, most of metasternum, sides of urosternites, and femora, with sparse, semi-recumbent, longer hairs. Protibiae densely clothed with short, shining, golden pubescence mesally. Antennae weakly setose; short and less conspicuous on segments I-III, longer on IV-VI.

Surface ornamentation: dorsad with conspicuous, moderately dense, punctures (only alveolate on vertex and elytra). Head: rostrum irregularly and finely punctured (towards sides becoming carinate), but midline smooth with row of five large punctures; interocular space with scattered pairs of confluent punctures; vertex densely punctured adjacent to superior lobes of eyes, the punctures separated anteriorly by smooth, elongate callus; mentum-submentum with moderately dense, confluent punctures (anteriorly becoming impunctate, posteriorly carinate). Pronotum with midline, and arced callus to either side of midline, impunctate, otherwise closely punctured; the punctures moderately deep, large, and mostly contiguous or confluent; sides of pronotum seem to lack sexual puncturation. Elytra smooth with moderately dense, large, round punctures throughout; alveolate on basal two-thirds (shallow on basal fifth), somewhat asperate on apical third. Sterna with moderately dense, large, round punctures; the interstices strongly reticulate on pro- and mesosternum, smooth on metasternum and metepisterna; apical quarter of prosternum impunctate and finely, transversely carinate; on mesosternum punctures shallow and partially obliterated by rugose reticulation towards centre; on metasternum punctures moderately deep on anterior third, but becoming scattered, shallower and small- er towards sides and posteriorly; on metepisternum puncturation characteristic (small and restricted to mesal half, leaving lateral half completely smooth). Abdomen largely smooth and shining, with scattered micro-punctures, the latter slightly larger and denser towards sides and apex of urosternite V; urosternite I with a few larger punctures scattered along midline. Legs generally smooth and impunctate to sparsely punctate; femora with sparse, small, bevelled, setose punctures; tibiae similar, but denser towards apices; and tarsi densely micro-punctate.

Structure: medium sized species; with elytra slightly widening to apex; forebody about 1.2 longer than abdomen (4.85 mm). Head with eyes (1.75 mm) distinctly narrower than width of prothorax. Rostrum long (0.70 mm); widest (1.05 mm) at apex. Labrum projecting; moderately large (wider than apex of clypeus); rectangular (with rounded sides and excavate apex); ca. 1.5 wider than long; with scattered, shallow punctures at base. Clypeus almost planar with frons, without distinct punctures. Eyes rather small, rounded and very convex; inferior lobes of eyes shorter (0.60 mm) than genae; their proximal margins lying close to sides of genae, distal margins slightly oblique; width of one inferior lobe 1.8 times interocular space (0.40 mm). Superior lobes of eyes with 12-13 rows of fine ommatidia; separated by (0.55 mm) slightly less than twice their own width. Antennal tubercles with rounded apices, the distance between them ca. twice width of scape (0.40 mm). Antennae short, reaching base of urosternite I; antennomeres somewhat thickened and serrate (the apical angles moderately acute); V-VII more strongly than VIII-X; scape fusiform, almost impunctate, shorter (0.85 mm) than antennomere III; pedicel small (0.25 mm) impunctate and depressed from base to near apex of dorsal surface (a character found in both sexes and other species of the genus); III cylindrical, longer (1.00 mm) than rest; IV short (0.45 mm); V (0.70 mm); VI and VII (0.75 mm); VIII-X progressively shorter; X (0.50 mm); XI (0.65 mm) with small apical cone. Prothorax slightly transverse, 1.07 wider than long (2.15 mm); widest at middle; sides strongly rounded, more contracted in front (1.50 mm wide) than behind (2.10 wide); apical constriction indistinct; basal constriction distinct, narrow and deep, with large fovea adjacent to hind angles; the latter almost right-angled. Pronotum distinctly convex, the surface slightly irregular; front margin broad and moderately elevated; midline (from apex to basal constriction) represented by broad, slightly raised callus; low, crescent-shaped callus to either side of midline (situated between apical third and basal constriction); and sides (from basal angles towards middle of basal constriction) somewhat tumid, and rugose with heavy puncturation. Prosternum convex (without transverse depression) and almost planar from front margin to middle of prosternal process, the latter arced, with apical half moderately inclined upwards. Base of prosternal process with raised borders, relatively wide (0.25 mm), about one third width of procoxal cavity; apical half large and triangular (with slightly emarginate apical margin). Procoxal cavities almost ovate, closed at sides and behind. Mesosternum with deep, abrupt declivity. Base of mesosternal process strongly depressed along midline; sides elevated and thickened anteriorly; relatively wide (0,50 mm), more than two-thirds width of coxal cavity; apex of process bilobed, the lobes moderately short, slightly diverging and separated by short notch. Mesocoxal cavities moderately widely open to epimerum. Mesepimera wide at base and narrow towards apex, sinuate and hardly constricted at middle. Scutellum small, rounded and convex; sides very slightly constricted at base. Elytra depressed between humero-apical costae (leaving basal margin slightly more prominent than humeri, and mesally more projecting than humeri); moderately declivous with epipleura; hiding sterna; elongate (apex just reaching apex of urosternite V) and moderately wide, 2.83 longer than width of humeri (2.70 mm); humeri not prominent, nor projecting, but almost right-angled; elytra not dehiscent, but from basal fifth with increasingly wider gape, leaving apices moderately wide apart. Each elytron slightly narrowed to middle and slightly widened towards apex, then rounded to obtuse angle with side of apex; apex truncate with small tooth on sutural angle. Sides of metathorax subparallel, hind margin oblique. Metasternum convex (flattened towards midline), almost planar with pro- and mesocoxae; with complete longitudinal suture (deep behind, but shallow and narrow to front). Lateral margin of metepisternum hidden by elytra; moderately wide, widest at base, moderately acuminate to apex. Abdomen moderately robust, not very deep, regularly narrowing to apex; urosternites II-III subequal in length, IV slightly shorter; II-IV strongly transverse, with weakly rounded sides; V slightly shorter than IV, trapezoidal, undifferentiated (without horseshoe-shaped depression, raised sides, or projecting apices), apical margin straight. Abdominal process planar with abdomen; triangular; sides hardly raised; apex moderately acuminate, not intimately inserted between metacoxae. Apical tergite just overlapping apex of urosternite V; trapezoidal; rather broad; sides slightly excavate; apical margin slightly rounded. Legs moderately robust, and relatively short; ratio length front to hind leg 1.0:1.2:1.4. Front and middle legs strongly pedunculate-clavate (sides of mesofemoral peduncle and lateral side of clave flattened). Hind leg more cylindrical and relatively short; clave long and fusiform (somewhat abrupt), apex reaching middle of urosternite IV; peduncle cylindrical ca. one third length of clave; protibia with apex obliquely excised laterally, slightly shorter (2.15 mm) than mesotibia (2.3 mm); metatibia (3.1 mm) shorter than metafemora (3.5 mm), bisinuate, gradually thickened to apex (the latter clothed with short, dense, brownish pubescence mesally). Protarsus shorter (1.55 mm) than mesotarsus (1.75 mm), both shorter than metatarsus (1.90 mm); metatarsomere I much shorter (0.50 mm) than II + III (0.85 mm).

Variation in males: colour distribution seems to be limited to small differences, as follows: in all five male paratypes dorsal surface of antennal scape is dusky or black; in one, antennomere VII has dusky apex, in another, only IX-XI; in two, most of mesotibia is yellowish mesally (and one of these, with small, round fascia of the same colour on mesal surface of mesofemoral clave). Structural differences: scutellum more elongate in all paratypes; apex of elytra more rounded in one male, and lacking sutural tooth in three .

Description of female ( Fig. 3B ): colour and surface differences from the male are minor. In both female paratypes, interocular space, and callus occupying midline of vertex, are yellow. In one female, only the apex of scape is black; in the other, all dorsal surface of scape and base of antennomere III are black. In one female, extreme sides of pronotum with two, small, yellow fascia.

Structure: most structural differences limited to sexually dimorphic ones usual in species of this tribe. Both female paratypes are larger and distinctly more robust than males. In one, shape of rostrum as male, but considerably longer (0.90 mm); in the other, hardly longer than male, but parallel-sided. Width of one inferior lobe of eye equal to interocular space (0.65 mm). Superior lobes separated by ca. 2.5 their own width. Antennae shorter, not passing metacoxal cavities; segments I-VII setose. Prothorax 1.08 wider than long, slightly more transverse than in males. Mesosternal process not much narrower (0.65 mm) than width of coxal cavity (0.75 mm). Abdomen more robust, and distinctly less convex than in males; and urosternite V more triangular, but well rounded at apex. Legs not as short as those of males (but hind femora also reaching middle of urosternite IV); ratio length front to hind leg 1.0:1.3:1.5; metatarsomere I slightly longer than in male, 0.65 length of II + III.

Measurements (mm): 7 males / 2 females: total length, 11.65-12.75/13.60-14.00; length of pronotum, 2.10-2.30/2.40-2.55; width of pronotum, 2.15-2.40/2.60-2.75; length of elytra, 7.55-8.00/8.70-8.95; width at humeri, 2.40-2.90/3.15-3.25.

Type material: Holotype male, BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, Hotel Flora & Fauna, 5 km SSE of Buena Vista , 17°29’96”S/ 63°39’13”W, 430 m, 12.XI.2005, R. Clarke & S. Zamalloa col., on/flying to flowers of “Sama blanca” ( MNKM).

Paratypes with same data as holotype : 2 males, 09.XI.2005 ( RCSZ) ; 1 male, 12.XI.2005 ( MZUSP) ; 1 male, 25.XI.2005 ( MNRJ) ; 1 male, 26.XI.2005, R. Clarke & S. Zamalloa col. ( ACMT) ; 1 male, 07.XII.2005 ( RCSZ) .

Paratype with same locality as holotype, different collecting data: 1 female, 02.XI.2004, at UV light, R. Clarke & S. Zamalloa col. ( MZUSP); 1 female, 15.XII.2010, on/flying to flowers of “Sama blanca chica”: 1 male, 08.XI.2011, R. Clarke & S. Zamalloa col. ( RCSZ); 2 males, 11.XI.2011, R. Clarke & S. Zamalloa col. ( RCSZ); 1 male, 12.XI.2011, R. Clarke & S. Zamalloa col. ( RCSZ); 1 male, 27.XI.2011, R. Clarke & S. Zamalloa col. ( RCSZ) .

Paratype with different data from holotype: road to San Javier , 420 m, 12 km ENE Buena Vista, 1 female, 08.XII.2005, on/flying to flowers of “Colorodillo de barbecho”, R. Clarke & S. Zamalloa col. ( RCSZ) .

Discussion: Wappes et al. (2006) record R. bizonatus from Bolivia, but these records are almost certainly referable to R. antonioi since all the specimens were collected at the Hotel Flora & Fauna.

Etymology: this species is named in honour of Dr. Antonio Santos-Silva for his work on the Parandrinae .

Figures

FIGURES 3‑4: 3, Rhinotragus antonioi sp. nov.: A male holotype, B female paratype. 4, Rhinotragus monnei sp. nov.: A male holotype, B female paratype.