Lecontella striatopunctata (Chevrolat, 1876) Chevrolat, 1876

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 : 120-122

Lecontella striatopunctata (Chevrolat, 1876) comb. n. Figs 4A, 10B

Synonyms.

Cymatodera striatopunctata Chevrolat, 1876, Mémoire sur la famille des Clérites. Buquet, Paris, 51 p.

Type material not examined.

Type locality.

“Mexique”. Type depository: Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, Paris (MNHN).

Distribution.

Mexico: Jalisco, Morelos, Nayarit, Oaxaca; Central America: Guatemala.

Differential diagnosis.

Lecontella striatopunctata is most similar to L. brunnea . The two species are parapatric in distribution and can be misidentified as each other; however, males of L. striatopunctata have the antennomeres 2-10 conspicuously compacted and robust, and the eleventh antennomere is 3-4 × the length of tenth antennomere (Fig. 10B). Males of L. brunnea have the antennae compacted, antennomeres 3-10 gradually increasing in width toward the distal end, and the eleventh antennomere is 4-5 × the length of the tenth antennomere (Fig. 9F). Males and females of these species can also be differentiated based on the shape of the epipleural fold. Lecontella striatopunctata has the posterior portion of the epipleural fold smooth, while L. brunnea has the same portion of the epipleural fold moderately crenulate.

Redescription.

Male. Form: Small to large individuals, moderately robust. Color: Head, pronotum, thorax, scutellum, legs, antennae and elytra light testaceous to dark brown; mouthparts fuscous, last fourth of mandibles piceous to black; abdominal segments testaceous to piceous; elytral disc devoid of any bands or fasciae (Fig. 4A).

Head: Including eyes wider than pronotum; eyes large, taller than wide, bulging laterally, coarsely faceted, emarginate posteriorly; antennal notch located in front of emargination; frons bi-impressed; integument coarsely, conspicuously, shallowly punc tate; clothed with fine, pale, recumbent setae intermixed with some erect, pale setae; antennae consisting of 11 antennomeres; second antennomere moderately robust, slightly shorter than third antennomere; antennomeres 3-10 serrate, conspicuously robust and compacted, about the same length; last antennomere of males sexually dimorphic, conspicuously elongate, somewhat robust, parallel, cylindrical, posterior portion rounded 4-5 × longer than length of tenth antennomere.

Thorax: Pronotum bisinuate, widest at middle, slightly short in length; sides constricted subapically, more strongly constricted behind middle and feebly constricted in front of middle; surface conspicuously punctate, elytral disc with punctations small, shallow; clothed with fine, short, pale, recumbent setae interspersed with some long, semierect, fine, pale setae; long setae more abundant on anterior and lateral area of pronotum; anterior transverse depression present; subbasal tumescence absent; posterior margin of pronotum feebly compressed. Prosternum conspicuously wider than long; moderately to strongly punctate, punctation fine, deep; surface vested to glabrous. Mesoventrite surface smooth, vested with fine, pale, semi-erect setae; moderately to coarsely punctate, punctations wide, deep. Metaventrite surface smooth to finely rugulose, convex; numerously, rather punctate, punctations coarse, shallow; clothed with fine, pale, recumbent setae; longitudinal depression and metaventral process present. Scutellum wide, clothed with pale, fine, semirecumbent setae, compressed medially.

Elytra: Broader than pronotum; elongate; humeri indicated, rounded; sides inconspicuously broadening toward distal end, broadest on posterior 1/4, then abruptly narrowing toward apex at posterior 1/4; surface rugose to rugulose at interstices; elytral apices subtriangular; inconspicuously dehiscent; elytral declivity moderately steep; surface vested with fine, short, pale, recumbent setae and some pale, fine, long, erect setae; conspicuously, coarsely punctate, punctations arranged in regular striae; sculpturing consisting of coarse, deep, wide punctations arranged in regular striae that decrease in size in posterior fourth, punctation reaching elytral apex; interstices at elytral base 0.5 × the width of punctation; interstices smooth. Epipleural fold gradually narrowing toward apex, not crenulate.

Legs: Femora rugose; slightly swollen on distal end; clothed with some pale, fine, semirecumbent setae mixed with some semi-erect setae; surface conspicuously punctate; punctations small, shallow. Tibiae rugulose, punctate; punctations shallow and small; vestiture consisting of fine, recumbent and semirecumbent setae.

Abdomen: Six visible ventrites. First ventrite rugulose. Ventrites 2-4 moderately to strongly rugulose, convex, subquadrate, punctate, vested with fine, long, pale, recumbent setae; not compressed laterally; posterior margins truncate. Posterior margin of first and second visible ventrites elevated with a transverse carina, this carina originating next to posterolateral angles producing a broad, elevated, arcuate emargination. Fifth visible ventrite subtriangular; surface rugulose, convex, moderately punctate, punctations shallow, small; vested with fine, pale, recumbent setae; lateral margins oblique, feebly arcuate; posterior margin broadly, shallowly emarginate. Sixth visible ventrite small, shape subtriangular; rugulose to rugose; surface convex; finely punctate; clothed with short, pale, fine, recumbent setae; as broad as long; lateral margins strongly oblique, arcuate; posterior margin short, somewhat acuminate, very shallowly emarginate. Fifth tergite subquadrate, surface convex, rugulose; posterior margin truncate. Sixth tergite subtriangular; finely to moderately rugulose; surface moderately convex; clothed with fine, pale, recumbent setae; lateral margins oblique; posterior margin truncate. Sixth tergite extending beyond apical margin of sixth visible ventrite, covering sixth ventrite in dorsal view.

Aedeagus: Phallobasic apodeme present; phallus with copulatory piece swollen at apex; phallic plate unarmed, devoid of denticles; intraspicular plate present, elongate; phallobasic apodeme long, expanded distally; phallobase subparallel; parameres free; tegmen complete, covering phallus; parameres pointed distally; endophallic struts long, slender distally (Fig. 20A).

Sexual dimorphism: Females of L. striatopunctata differ from males in the shape of the last abdominal segment. Females have the lateral and posterior margins of the sixth abdominal segment broadly rounded. Males have the lateral margins of the sixth abdominal segment subtriangular in shape, strongly oblique, and the posterior margin is short, almost acuminate and shallowly emarginate. In addition, females have the eleventh antennomere short, robust, obtusely rounded, and approximately 2 × longer than tenth antennomere, while males have the same antennomere cylindrical, not compressed medially and 4-5 × longer than the tenth antennomere.

Material examined.

1 male, 1 female: Morelos, Mexico, Tepalcingo, N El Limón, 18°32'18.3"N 98°56'01.7"W, 1272 m, Selva baja caducifolia, trampa de luz, VI-6-2008, M. De León; 1 male: Mexico, Jalisco, Estacion Biologica Chamela, VIII-1-2-1991, E. Giesbert; 1 female: Guerrero, Mexico, Highway 95, 5.6 km S Milpillas, [no collector data]; 3 females: Jalisco, Mexico, Estacion Biologica Chamela, VII-10-20-1985, E. Giesbert; 1 male, 1 female: Jalisco, Mexico, Estacion Biologica Chamela, X-1-2-1991, E. Giesbert; 1 male: El Progreso, Guatemala, Highway 17, vic. Morazán, 1700', V-29 to VI-2-1989, E. Giesbert; 1 female: Zacapa, Guatemala, 12-14 km S San Lorenzo, 1000-2000', VI-3-6-1989, E. Giesbert; 1 male: Jalisco, Mexico, Estacion Biologica Chamela, X-15-21-1987, E. Giesbert; 1 male, 1 female: Mex., Jalisco, Mexico, Chamela Estacion UNAM, X-1-2-1991, J. E. Wappes; 2 males: Jalisco, Mexico, Chamela vic. E. B. UNAM, VII-9-19-1993, J. E. Wappes; 3 females: Jalisco, Mexico, vic Chamela, 15-VII-1990, J. E. Wappes; 1 female: Zacapa, Guatemala, 12-14 km S San Lorenzo, 1-2000', VI-3-6-1989; 1 female: Mexico, Jalisco, 17.6 km N Chamela, VII-16-1987, R. Turnbow, 2 males: Mexico, Jalisco, vic Estacion de Biologia Chamela UNAM, VII-9-14-1993, Black Light, Morris, Huether, Wappes.

Remarks.

Chevrolat (1876) described Cymatodera striatopunctata from material collected in Mexico (type locality not specified). This species is here transferred to Lecontella based on the compacted and serrate condition of the antennae (Fig. 10B), the broadly and deeply excavated elytral punctations that reach the elytral apex (Fig. 4A), and the overall similarities observed in the aedeagus of C. striatopunctata (Fig. 20A), L. brunnea (Fig. 19E) and L. gnara (Fig. 19F). Other characters similar in these species are the uniformly brown to dark brown integument color, the moderately to strongly punctate pronotum, and the male pygidium subtriangular in shape.