Cymatoderella collaris (Spinola, 1844)

Burke, Alan & Zolnerowich, Gregory, 2017, A taxonomic revision of the subfamily Tillinae Leach sensu lato (Coleoptera, Cleridae) in the New World, ZooKeys 179, pp. 75-157 : 103-107

Cymatoderella collaris (Spinola, 1844) Figs 3B, 6F, 9D, 19B

Synonyms.

Tillus collaris Spinola, 1844. Clérites I, Lec. Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. New York V, 1849.

Type material not examined.

Type locality.

l’Amérique Septentrionale. Type depository: Italy, Torino, Museo Regionale di Scienze Naturali (MRSN).

Distribution.

USA: AL, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, OH, SC, TN, TX; Mexico: Chiapas, Estado de Mexico, Jalisco, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Tamaulipas, Veracruz.

Differential diagnosis.

Cymatoderella collaris is most similar to C. morula . The two species can be differentiated based on the structure of the antennae. Antennomeres 2-4 of C. collaris are short, cylindrical and subequal in length, and antennomeres 5-10 are elongate, robust and moderately serrate (Fig. 9D). In contrast, Cymatoderella morula has antennomeres 2-3 short, cylindrical and subequal in length, and antennomeres 4-10 elongate, robust and moderately serrate (Fig. 9E). The geographic distribution of these species may also serve to differentiate them; C. collaris is widely distributed from the eastern and southern USA south to El Salvador, while C. morula is found in southwest Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Redescription.

Male. Form: Body short, robust, elytra gradually expanded toward apex, then abruptly narrowing behind distal fourth. Color: Pronotum uniformly testaceous to ferruginous throughout its surface to bicolored, if bicolored, ranging from testaceous to ferruginous in the median region and piceous on the margins; legs, antennae, thorax, elytra piceous; abdomen piceous to dark testaceous; head and mouthparts with various of piceous tones. Elytral disc devoid of any bands or fasciae (Fig. 3B).

Head: Including eyes wider than pronotum; eyes of moderate size, taller than wide, conspicuously bulging laterally, finely faceted, emarginate posteriorly; antennal notch located in front of emargination; frons impressed; integument shiny, punctate, punctations coarse; sparsely clothed with fine, pale, semirecumbent and semi-erect setae; antennae composed of 11 antennomeres; antennomeres 2-4 short, robust, subequal in length; fourth antennomere about 2.5 × the length of fifth antennomere; antennomeres 5-10 robust, slightly serrate, approximately the same size; last antennomere elongate, robust, obtusely rounded, slightly longer than tenth antennomere (Fig. 9D); terminal labial palpi securiform; terminal maxillary palpi cylindrical, compressed distally.

Thorax: Pronotum bisinuate, widest at middle; sides constricted subapically, more strongly constricted behind middle, slightly constricted in front of middle; surface shiny, smooth, vested with fine, long pale, semirecumbent setae intermixed with some long semierect, fine, pale setae; in some individual vestiture is more abundant on the posterolateral area of the pronotum; finely punctate; punctations small and shallow; anterior transverse depression and subbasal tumescence absent, abruptly compressed on posterior margin. Prosternum conspicuously wider than long; smooth; polished, devoid of punctation in most individuals, some specimens very feebly punctate, punctations coarse and shallow; vested with fine, pale, semi-erect setae. Mesoventrite shiny, smooth, vested with fine, pale, semi-erect setae. Metaventrite strongly convex, surface shiny to finely rugulose, inconspicuously vested with fine, pale, recumbent setae; longitudinal depression and metaventral process present. Metepisternum hidden throughout its length. Scutellum ovoid, compressed medially, clothed with pale, fine, recumbent setae to glabrous.

Elytra: Broader than pronotum, elongate; broader than long; humeri indicated, rounded; sides subparallel, gradually broadening toward distal end, broadest behind middle, then abruptly narrowing toward apex on posterior fourth; surface shiny, rugulose; apices subtriangular; inconspicuously dehiscent; elytral declivity moderately steep; surface clothed with fine, short, recumbent, pale setae interspersed with some pale, fine, long, semi-erect setae; surface strongly, coarsely punctate; sculpture consisting of coarse, deep punctations arranged in regular striae that gradually reduce in size toward elytral apex, disappearing on posterior fourth; interstices at elytral base about 3 to 4 × the width of punctation; interstices shiny to moderately rugulose.

Legs: Femora shiny, smooth; punctate, posterior and middle femora swollen, anterior femora more swollen; clothed with some pale, fine, semirecumbent and semi-erect setae uniformly located throughout the femoral surface; tibiae slender, punctate, longitudinally rugose, vestiture consisting of pale, recumbent setae interspersed with semi-erect setae.

Abdomen: Six visible ventrites. Ventrites 1-4 shiny; smooth; convex; subquadrate; punctate; vested with fine, long, pale, recumbent setae; not compressed laterally; posterior margins truncate. Fifth visible ventrite subtriangular; shiny; smooth; polished; surface convex; weakly clothed with fine, long, recumbent setae; lateral margins strongly oblique, arcuate; posterior margin broadly, shallowly emarginate to almost truncate in some individuals. Sixth visible ventrite small, rugulose; feebly convex; moderately, finely punctate; clothed with some erect and semierect, long, piceous setae; conspicuously broader than long; lateral margins strongly oblique; posterior margin broadly, shallowly emarginate to almost truncate; posterolateral angles broadly rounded. Fifth tergite subquadrate, convex; rugulose; glabrous; slightly punctate; posterior margin truncate. Sixth tergite subtriangular; rugulose; wider than long; convex; clothed with fine, pale, recumbent setae; integument punctate; lateral margins oblique, posterior margin truncate to rounded; posterolateral angles moderately to strongly rounded; some long, erect, pale, stout setae located along the posterior margin. Sixth tergite extending beyond apical margin of sixth visible ventrite, fully covering sixth ventrite in dorsal view.

Aedeagus: Phallobasic apodeme present; phallus with copulatory piece tapered at apex; phallic plate unarmed, denticles absent; intraspicular plate present, elongate, rounded; phallobasic apodeme short, expanded distally; phallobase subparallel; parameres free; tegmen incomplete, partially covering phallus; parameres pointed distally; endophallic struts long, as long as the length of tegmen; endophallic struts in horizontal position in relation to tegmen when in horizontal view; endophallic struts robust distally (Fig. 19B).

Sexual dimorphism: Females of C. collaris can be distinguished from males based on the shape of the last abdominal segment. Females have the sixth visible ventrite conspicuously long and broad, appearing as a semicircle, rather than short, subtriangular in shape, and broadly and shallowly emarginate posteriorly, as observed in males.

Material examined.

USA: 5 males, 9 females: Hidalgo Co., TX, III-26-1953, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 2 females: Hidalgo Co., TX, III-26-1956, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male, 1 female: Hidalgo Co., TX, 07-IV-1961, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 3 females: Hidalgo Co., TX, IV-03-1961, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male, 3 females: Mobile, AL, V-20-1922, H. P. Loding; 2 males, 4 females: Starr Co., TX, III-20-1952, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male: Spring Hills, AL, 10-V-1918, H. P. Loding; 1 female: Gadsden Co., FL, V-8-1939, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 female: TX, Apple Springs, 13-V-1974, R. Reeve; 1 male: Jefferson Co., AL, Birmingham, 5-VII-1956, H. R. Steeves Jr., at light; 1 female: Ft. Mount, GA, IX-7-1937, P. W. Fatting; 2 female: Hidalgo Co., TX, 07-V-1957, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 males: Morehead, KY, 21-VI-1949, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male, 2 females: Great Smoky Mountains Nat. Park, TN, VI-14-1942, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 2 males: Hidalgo Co., TX, III-29-1953, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 6 males, 1 female: Starr Co., TX, III-28-1950, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male: Stone Mt., GA, VI-17-1949; P. W. Fattig; 1 male: Jefferson Co., AL, Vestavia, VII-18-1981, T. King, at light; 1 female: Starr Co., TX, III-31-1963, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male, 2 females: Jefferson Co., AL, Birmingham, Shades Mts., VI-15-1982, T. King, at light; 1 male: Walker Co., AL, Jasper, X-09-1978, T. King, at light; 1 female: Walker Co., AL, nr. Jasper, Devil’s Ladder, 04-VII-1981, T. King, at light; 2 females: Clinch Co., GA, N of Homerville at Atkins Co. line, V-28-2004; beating in cypress bog, P. Skelley; 1 male: Liberty Co., FL, Torreya State Park, VII-17-1987, Matthews and Skelley, at light; 1 male: Dixie Co., FL, 3.5 mi N of Old Town, RT. 349, IV-27-1980, M. C. Thomas; 1 male: Alachua Co., FL, Hwy. 241 at Santa Fe River, IV-5-1989, C. W. Mills III, on bark on Carya illionensis ; 2 females: Starr Co., TX, IV-5-1963, D. J. and J. N. Knull; 1 male: Liberty Co., FL, Torreya State Park, V-6-1989, R. Turnbow; 2 males, 1 female: Bexar Co., TX, Leon Valley, VI-14-1971, G. H. Nelson, beating Diospytos texana . MEXICO: 2 females: Mexico, San Luis Potosi, 41 mi N of San Luis Potosi, 26-VI-1965, G. H. and D. E. Nelson; 1 male, 1 female: Mexico, San Luis Potosi, 25.7 km W of Rio Verde, 4100', 2-VI-1987; 1 male: Chiapas, Mexico, La Sepultura, V-2-2008, A. Burke; 2 males: Veracruz, Mexico, 2 km S Jalapa, VII-1985, J. Peña; 1 male: Jalisco, Mexico, Mismaloya River, 5 km E of Hwy. 200, VI-8-1991, W. B. Warner; 1 female: Estado de Mexico, Mexico, Temascaltepec, Bejucos, VII-1993, H. E. Hinton, R. L. Usinger; 1 male, 1 female: Nayarit, 3 mi NW Santa Maria del Oro, June 27, 1963, J. Doyen. 2 males, 1 female: Nuevo Leon, Mexico, 28 km SW Linares, VIII-12-2009, A. Burke, D. Cibrian.

Remarks.

After examination of material of Cymatoderella collaris , we observed that the morphology of this species is generally consistent throughout its geographical range. Certain characters, however, may vary in accordance to the collecting locality; this variation is apparent when comparing material collected in southeastern USA and the Florida peninsula with specimens collected elsewhere. Such variation is observable in the integument color of the abdomen of both sexes. Material collected in the southeastern USA and the Florida peninsula have the abdomen uniformly piceous; while those individuals collected in the mid-southern USA, Mexico and Central America have the abdomen moderately fuscous to dark testaceous. Remaining characters were constant for all individuals studied.