Lingafelterellus, Santos-Silva, Antonio & Galileo, Maria Helena M., 2017

Santos-Silva, Antonio & Galileo, Maria Helena M., 2017, Description of a new genus of Elaphidiini with two new species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Cerambycinae), Zootaxa 4247 (3), pp. 346-350 : 346-347

Lingafelterellus gen. nov.

Type species: Lingafelterellus clarkei sp. nov.

Etymology. The genus is named for Steven W. Lingafelter, for his contribution to knowledge of Elaphidiini (“Lingafelter” with the Latin suffix “ellus” = small, relating to the small size of the type species. Masculine gender.

Diagnosis. The finely granulated eyes, antennomeres III–VI with short spine at inner apex, prothorax unarmed laterally, procoxal cavities closed behind and closed and angulate laterally, and elytra coarsely and abundantly punctate distinguish this genus.

Description. Frons finely, abundantly punctate, depressed toward coronal suture (widely V-shaped). Fronto-clypeal sulcus well-marked. Postclypeus shiny, smooth, strongly projected centrally toward frons (triangularly shaped).Coronal suture distinct from clypeus nearly to area between antennal tubercles and upper eye lobes. Eyes finely granulated; lower eye lobes about 1.5 times longer than gena; distance between upper eye lobes nearly equal to entire length of one lobe (from lower eye lobes to its apex); upper eye lobes gradually and distinctly narrowed toward apex (subacute). Genal apex rounded. Last maxillary palpomere in male somewhat flattened dorsoventrally, slightly widened at midlength, with apex truncate; cylindrical, fusiform in female. Last labial palpomere in male as last maxillary palpomere in female subfusiform, with apex narrowly truncate. Antennae 11- segmented, almost reaching distal third of elytra; scape gradually enlarged toward apex, slightly longer than antennomere III, with dorsally asperities on distal third (mainly in males); antennomeres III–VI ( Figs 5–6 ) with short spine at inner apex. Prothorax cylindrical, longer than wide, laterally unarmed. Prosternal process centrally very narrow (laminiform). Width of mesosternal process about 1/3 of mesocoxa. Procoxal cavities from distinctly closed to open behind (variable including intraspecifically), and angulate laterally. Pronotum with short, decumbent, moderately abundant setae on basal quarter, with long, erect, sparse setae on remaining surface; without tubercles or gibbosities. Elytra parallel-sided; apex from rounded to slightly truncate (outer angle always rounded; sutural angle unarmed); coarsely, abundantly punctate throughout; with long, erect, sparse setae. Femora pedunculate-clavate (profemora less so). Metatarsomere I slightly longer than II–III together.

Remarks. Two of the characters of Elaphidiini pointed out by Lingafelter (1998) are present in the new genera: antennomeres with spine at apex and narrow metepisternum with longitudinal keel. However, the last palpomeres is not notably enlarged toward apex, although they are expanded. This latter character was also listed by Martins & Galileo (2005) as a character of the tribe. However, the shape of the last maxillary and labial palpomeres is quite variable in Elaphidiini . Frequently males have the last palpomeres distinctly securiform, while in females of the same species they are fusiform. Furthermore, even in males of the same genera the shape of the last palpomere could be strongly securiform, slightly securiform or very slightly widened toward apex.

Lingafelterellus belongs to a small group of Elaphidiini genera with eyes finely granulated ( Lingafelter 1998): Championa Bates, 1880 (currently in incertae sedis, Lingafelter 1998); Sphaerionillum Bates, 1885 ; Tropimerus Giesbert, 1987 ; Stenosphenus Haldeman, 1847 ; and Ironeus Bates, 1872 . It differs from Championa mainly by the absence of transverse ridges on pronotal disc. It differs from Tropimerus , Stenosphenus and Ironeus by the procoxal cavities closed behind (open in those genera). It can be separated from Sphaerionillum primarily by the cylindrical prothorax (distinctly widened laterally in Sphaerionillum ) and the coarsely and abundantly punctate elytra (finely and sparsely punctate in Sphaerionillum ).

Martins & Galileo (2005) considered the eyes in Pseudomallocera Zajciw, 1961 as finely granulated, while Lingafelter (1971) considered them coarsely granulated. We find the eyes in Pseudomallocera to be distinctly finely granulated, and the gena almost as long as the lower eye lobe. Pseudomallocera is notably different from Lingafelterellus (pubescence, elytral punctures, shape of the legs, etc.) (see photographs at Bezark 2017).

Lingafelterellus can be included in the alternative of couplet “28” from Martins & Galileo (2005) (translated; modified):

28(27). Antennomere III with long blunt spine ...................................................................................................... Psyrassa Pascoe, 1866 - Antennomere III with short acute spine................................................................................................................................... 28’ 28’(28).Antennomere III longer than scape; pronotum with central tubercle; apex of metafemora nearly reaching elytral apex.............

.......................................................................................................................................................Iauca Martins & Galileo, 2000 - Antennomere III shorter than scape; pronotum without central tubercle; apex of metafemora ending well short of from elytral

apex ....................................................................................................................................................... Lingafelterellus gen. nov.

And it can be included in the alternative of couplet “87” or “88” from Lingafelter (1998) (modified):

87(86). Posterior procoxal cavities open .............................................................................................................................................. 88 - Posterior procoxal cavities closed............................................................................................................................................ 87’ 87’(87). Median pronotal callus present; elytra with pattern of large, pale maculations................................ Sphaerionillum Bates, 1885 - Median pronotal callus absent; elytra without large, pale maculation .................................................. Lingafelterellus gen. nov. 88(87). Elytral apex rounded, at most subtruncate, without spine........................................................................................................ 88’ - Elytral apex from truncate to spinose at apices.......................................................................................................................... 89 88’(88).Elytral apex distinctly elongate and tapering toward apex ...................................................................... Tropimerus Bates, 1885 - Elytral apex not elongate and tapering toward apex............................................................................ Lingafelterellus gen. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 10. 1 – 5, Lingafelterellus clarkei sp. nov., holotype female: 1, dorsal habitus 2, ventral habitus 3, lateral habitus 4, head, frontal view 5, scape and basal antennomeres. 6 – 10, Lingafelterellus birai sp. nov., holotype male: 6, scape and basal antennomeres 7, head, frontal view 8, dorsal habitus 9, ventral habitus 10, lateral habitus.