Sympagus cedrelis Hovore and Toledo

Hovore, Frank T. & Toledo, Víctor H., 2006, Review of the genus Sympagus Bates, 1881 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae: Acanthocinini), Zootaxa 1252, pp. 49-61 : 57-59

Sympagus cedrelis Hovore and Toledo , new species

( Fig. 3 )

Type material

Holotype male: MEXICO: Chiapas: 12 Km NO Berriozábal, “Pozo La Pera”, 16º55’27’’ N, 93º19’19’’ W, Alt. 917 m, 20­VII­2001, V.H. Toledo & A.M. Corona / oviponiendo en Cedrela sp. (deposited in Instituto de Biologia, UNAM). Paratypes: MEXICO (14 specimens, same data as holotype except): 1 female and 3 males, 19­XII­ 2001, 1 female 20­VIII­2002, A. Rodríguez; 2 females and 4 males, 20­VII­2001, V.H. Toledo & A.M. Corona / oviponiendo en Cedrela sp.; Veracruz: 1 male, Los Tuxtlas, vic. Balzapote, 29 April–06 May 1989, E. Giesbert; 1 male, vic La Perla de San Martin, 3000’, 10–13 April 1993, E. Giesbert; GUATEMALA: Peten: 1 male, Tikal Parque, 08/ 09 June 1991, J.E. Wappes. Paratypes deposited with: Essig Museum of Entomology ( EMEC), U. C. Berkeley; Colección Entomológica de la Universidad de Morelos ( CEUM), Mexico; Florida State Collection of Arthropods ( FSCA); F. T. Hovore; J.E. Wappes.

Diagnosis

This species and S. laetabilis have similarly configured dorsal patterns, but the coloration (bright yellow and brown in S. laetabilis ), overall size, and shape of the elytral apices will easily separate the two taxa. At present, S. cedrelis is known only from southern Mexico and the adjacent Peten region of northern Guatemala, while S. laetabilis occurs from southern Guatemala to Panama.

Description

Male: form stout, moderately robust, feebly depressed dorsally; integument red­brown to piceous; body pubescence fine, appressed, dorsal pattern ornate, clearly­defined, pale ashy­white (sometimes tinged with yellow) and dark brown with purplish reflections. Head piceous, front evenly convex, thinly pale­pubescent, sides behind eye lobes densely pale pubescent, vertex pale pubescent at sides, blackish medially, antennal tubercles strongly transverse, antennae surpassing elytral apices by about 6 segments, dark redbrown, ventral face of scape and apices of segments piceous, basal portion of scape and second segment pale pubescent. Pronotum dark red­brown, disk and sides densely pale pubescent with a broad, parallel­sided median dark brown vittae from base to apex, surface impunctate except for a few scattered punctures in basal impression, sides obtusely rounded at basal 1/3; prosternum thinly pale pubescent, prosternal process plane between coxae, about 3/5 as wide as procoxa, apex expanded behind coxae, cavities closed; mesosternum thinly pale pubescent medially, denser laterally, mesocoxal process arcuate, 1.2 times wider than mesocoxa; metasternum thinly pale pubescent, denser laterally, slightly inflated at sides, plane medially. Scutellum broadly rounded behind, piceous. Elytra about twice as long as humeral width, pale pubescent with contrasting pattern formed by dark brown­purple pubescence, consisting of a broad, irregular sutural vitta from scutellum to middle, then expanding laterally to form a broad, undulating transverse fascia, extending anteriorly on epipleura into a narrow, undulated line to near humeral angles, apex of line sometimes detached, forming a small dark post­humeral macula, humeral angles with a narrow dark macula, and two irregular maculae in pale area on apical 1/3, apices rotundate­truncate or feebly emarginate, outer angle obtusely angulate or at most feebly dentate, sutural angle rounded. Legs stout, femora moderately strongly clavate, dark red­brown, piceous beneath, thinly clothed with pale pubescence; tibiae dark red­brown, piceous apically; tarsi piceous. Abdomen red­brown, sparsely pale pubescent, apical sternite feebly emarginate, angles rounded, apical tergite rotundate­truncate. Length: 6.5–8.0 mm.

Female. Similar to male in form and coloration; apical sternite feebly emarginate, apical tergite rounded at apex. Length: 7.7 mm.

Etymology

The specific epithet relates to the name of the presumed larval host, Cedrela odorata , an economically valuable Neotropical hardwood commonly known as “ Cedrela ”. Individuals of this species were observed laying eggs on a plant of this species (V.H. Toledo, A.M. Corona).

Remarks

Within the type series, the marginal undulations and extent of the dark dorsal pattern are somewhat variable, but the overall coloration and arrangement of the markings is consistent and diagnostic. The dorsal coloration and pattern is similar to that of Stenolis angulata , but the two taxa may be easily differentiated on the basis of their respective ranges and defining generic characters.

Figures

FIGURE 1 – 7. 1. Sympagus bimaculatus (Gilmour), male, Ecuador. 2. Sympagus buckleyi (Bates), male, Bolivia. 3. Sympagus cedrelis Hovore and Toledo, male paratype, Mexico. 4. Sympagus monnei Hovore and Toledo, holotype female, Panama. 5. Sympagus favorabilis Tippmann, male, Ecuador. 6. Sympagus laetabilis (Bates), male, Costa Rica. 7. Sympagus laetabilis (Bates), female, Costa Rica.