Hovorodon, Santos-Silva, Antonio, Swift, Ian P. & Nearns, Eugenio H., 2010

Santos-Silva, Antonio, Swift, Ian P. & Nearns, Eugenio H., 2010, Division of the genus Nothopleurus Lacordaire, 1869 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Prioninae), Zootaxa 2643, pp. 1-44 : 21-22

Hovorodon gen. nov.

Etymology. We are pleased to name this genus in memory of the late Frank T. Hovore for his friendship and many contributions to the study of Cerambycidae . Masculine gender.

Type species. Cerambyx maxillosus Drury, 1773 .

Description. Medium (ca. 24.0 mm) to large (ca. 52.0 mm) size, variable intraspecifically. Integument shining, dark-brown.

Male. Head large ( Figs. 28, 30, 32 , 34 ), without mandibles, distinctly shorter than prothorax; not elongated behind eyes. Longitudinal dorsal furrow of head well marked from base to near occiput, accommodated in deep depression between antennal tubercles (occasionally to posterior of upper ocular lobes). Dorsal region of head without sub-smooth area between eyes; punctation coarse, dense and anastomosed laterally to entirely; setation short and disperse, more distinct near eyes. Lateral area behind eyes coarse and anastomosed punctate at area closer to apex of upper ocular lobes and rugose in the remainder. Antennal tubercles large, distinct, sub-conic, with apex projected laterally. Clypeus long, with punctation moderately dense, coarse and shallow, not notably elevated laterally; setation moderately long and dense (sometimes more abundant at middle-apical region). Labrum sub-triangular (occasionally with central region strongly elongated), vertical; central area depressed; setation long and dense. Eyes moderately large, elongated; upper ocular lobes placed more than two times width of single lobe, often three; lower ocular lobes placed more than three times width of lobe. Ocular carina narrow, distinct to slightly indistinct. Hypostomal area with variable structure, but always with region closer to mentum distinctly depressed throughout ( Figs. 30, 32 ) or only at central area ( Fig. 28 , 34 ); setation disperse to very disperse throughout, moderately dense on depressed area. Hypostomal carina slightly elevated at region closer to mentum ( Figs. 28, 30, 32 , 34 ), elevated throughout, obliterated near gula by elevation of hypostomal area, or not elevated. Maxillary palps not notably long; palpomere III as long as, or shorter than IV; palpomere IV slightly securiforme. Apex of labial palps not attaining to surpassing base of maxillary palpomere IV. Galea short, moderately setose, not surpassing the apex of maxillary palpomere I to just surpassing. Mandible variable intra- and interspecifically; dorsal carina elevated to strongly elevated; inner face with moderately long and dense setae. Antennae filiform, just surpassing the middle of elytra; scape variable intraspecifically, generally attaining or just surpassing posterior edge of eyes; antennomere III as long as or just longer than IV; antennomeres X–XI wholly striated.

Prothorax transverse. Pronotum finely and very densely punctate (sexual punctation – sexual dimorphism), with impunctate and shining facets on disc (rarely absent in some specimens), rugose-punctate laterally; anterior margin with slight emargination medially; anterior angles wide, distinctly projected forward, or feebly projected; lateral angles placed nearly at same level of posterior angles, distinct, subspinose to rounded or sub-rounded; posterior angles absent or almost so; lateral margins crenulated. Prosternum finely and very abundantly punctate throughout; central region tumid. Apex of prosternal process somewhat narrow, sub-rounded. Scutellum glabrous, variable interspecifically: uniformly rounded to pentagonal. Elytra glabrous or with short and sparse setae on basal one-third, finely to micro-punctate; carinae slightly elevated; apex uniformly rounded (sometimes, sub-truncated); sutural angle with short spine. Metasternum with large setose area, finely, densely punctate and not strongly different from sub-triangular central area, where punctation is distinctly sparser, and setation shorter and less dense, mainly close to the metasternal suture. Metepisterna narrow (largest width of middle region at most 0.25 times length), with inner margin straight to sub-straight; setation moderately long and very dense. Ventrites I–IV sub-smooth and shining at central area, microsculptured, opaque and with granules laterally (occasionally granules absent); setation disperse, more distinct laterally (occasionally nearly absent). Legs moderately short to proportionally longer. Ventral face of tibiae without brush of setae [except in Hovorodon santacruzensis (Hovore & Santos- Silva, 2004) that has brush at apical one-fourth of meso- and metatibiae]. Tarsomere V shorter than I–III together.

Male genitalia ( Figs. 69, 73, 74 ): length of lateral lobes approximately 0.12 times length of tegmen; latero-lower margin of lateral lobes with emargination ( Figs. 73, 74 ); dorsal face of lateral lobes with moderately short and dense setae throughout to only on apical one-third, more dense and long towards apex; apex of lateral lobes with long setae, occasionally as long as lobe; ventral face of lateral lobes excavated or not, with moderately long and dense setae throughout, longer and dense on apical one-third; roof shorter than lateral lobes, to very shorter; basal piece longer than lateral lobes and roof together (ca. 0.4 times length of tegmen); parameres with 0.7 to 0.8 times total length of tegmen. Median lobe longer or approximately as long as tegmen; apex of dorsal lobe rounded and with small central emargination; ventral lobe uniformly narrowed towards apex, slightly projected beyond apex of dorsal lobe; length of apophyses approximately 0.7 times total length of median lobe.

Female. Head ( Figs. 29, 31 , 33, 35 ) narrower than in male. Distance between lower ocular lobes slightly less than twice width to 2.5 times width of lobe. Antennae reaching or slightly surpassing the basal one-third of elytra. Mandibles always shorter than in males (except when compared with minor males). Hypostomal carina uniformly sloped from gula to mentum (occasionally somewhat concave). Metasternum as in males. Metepisterna as in males, but width at middle area larger (at most 0.30 times length, but frequently around 0.25 times).

Included species. Hovorodon bituberculatum (Palisot de Beauvois, 1805); H. maxillosum ( Drury, 1773) ; H. subcancellatum ( Thomson, 1867) ; H. santacruzensis ( Hovore & Santos-Silva, 2004) .

Geographical distribution ( Fig. 75 ). Genus with distribution restricted to America .

Comments. Hovorodon gen. nov. is similar to Mallodon Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville, 1830 , from which it differs almost exclusively by the narrow metepisterna (largest width of middle region equal to at most, 0.25 times of length in males and 0.30 in females). In Mallodon the metepisterna are distinctly wider (largest width of middle region equal to at least, 0.30 times the length in both sexes).

The concept of Lameere (1902, 1913, 1919), that considered Nothopleurus a subgenus of Stenodontes Audinet-Serville, 1832 , which also included Mallodon as subgenus, is not inadmissible. In some species, particularly in females, the metepisternum is not distinctly narrower than in some species of Mallodon .

Figures

FIGURES 21 – 32. Head and prothorax, ventral view. 21. Nothopleurus castaneus, male; 22. idem, female; 23. N. lobigenis, male; 24. idem, female; 25. N. subsulcatus, male; 26. N. madericus, paratype male; 27. idem, female; 28. Hovorodon subcancellatum, male; 29. idem, female; 30. Hovorodon bituberculatum, male; 31. idem, female; 32. Hovorodon maxillosum, male.

FIGURES 33 – 56. 33 – 35, head and prothorax, ventral view: 33. Hovorodon maxillosum, female; 34. H. santacruzensis, paratype male; 35. idem, paratype female. 36 – 52, mandibles: 36. Nothopleurus castaneus, male, dorsal view; 37. idem, female, dorsal view; 38. N. lobigenis, male, dorsal view; 39. idem, female, dorsal view; 40. N. subsulcatus, male, lateral view; 41. N. madericus, male, lateral view; 42. idem, female, dorsal view; 43. Hovorodon subcancellatum, male, dorsal view; 44. idem, male, lateral view; 45. idem, female, dorsal view; 46. H. bituberculatum, male, dorsal view; 47. idem, male, lateral view; 48. idem, female, dorsal view; 49. H. maxillosum, male, dorsal view; 50. idem, female, dorsal view; 51. H. santacruzensis, male, dorsal view; 52. idem, female, dorsal view. 53 – 56, metatarsus: 53. Mallodon downesii Hope, 1843, male, dorsal view; 54. idem, lateral view; 55. M. arabicum, male, dorsal view; 56. idem, male, lateral view.

FIGURES 66 – 74. 66 – 69. Tegmen, lateral view: 66. Nothopleurus castaneus; 67. N. lobigenis; 68. N. subsulcatus; 69. Hovorodon subcancellatus. 70 – 74. Lateral lobes, lateral view: 70. Nothopleurus castaneus; 71. N. lobigenis; 72. N. subsulcatus; 73. H. subcancellatum; 74. H. bituberculatum.

FIGURES 75 – 78. Maps. 75. Distribution of Nothopleurus and Hovorodon; 76. Nothopleurus lobigenis (circle), N. castaneus (square), N. madericus (star); 77. Hovorodon subcancellatum (circle), H. santacruzensis (square); 78. H. bituberculatum (square), H. maxillosum (star), Nothopleurus subsulcatus (circle).