Poeciloxestia plagiata (Waterhouse, 1880)

Nascimento, Francisco Eriberto de Lima, Santos-Silva, Antonio & Hernández, Juan José Ramírez, 2018, Description of the female of Poeciloxestia plagiata (Waterhouse, 1880), and of the male of Iuati spinithorax Martins & Galileo, 2010 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 58, pp. 1-8 : 1-4

Poeciloxestia plagiata (Waterhouse, 1880) ( Figs. 1-6 )

Description: Female: Integument mostly black; mouthparts dark brown except dark reddish brown apex of palpomeres; antennae dark brown from antennomere VII; each elytron with two large orange maculae: one oblique, irregular, placed on basal half, not reaching lateral margin norsuture; another elongate, placed on sides of posterior half, not reaching lateral margin, almost reaching apex.

Head: Frontal plate not well-delimited; frontolateral depressions moderately deep; frontolateral ridges distinct, moderately elevated; entire frontal surface coarsely, confluently punctate except narrowed longitudinal smooth area, slightly elevated, in which the median groove is insert-

ed; punctures with minute whitish setae. Vertex coarsely, abundantly punctate between antennal tubercles and area between upper eye lobes (punctures as on frons between antennal tubercles, coarser on remaining surface), except smooth, longitudinal central area, slightly finer, more abundant close to prothoracic margin; nearly all punctures with minute whitish setae. Area behind central area of upper eye lobes coarsely, confluently punctate (punctures as on area of vertex close to prothoracic margin); superior area with sculpturing as on vertex; inferior area smooth on nearly triangular area close to eye (this area reaching superior area of lower eye lobe), coarsely, slightly sparsely punctate close to prothorax; nearly all punctures with minute whitish setae. Area behind lower eye lobes coarsely, moderately shallowly and abundantly punctate on tumid area close to eye, coarsely striate-punctate close to prothorax, deeply longitudinally sulcate between these areas; part of punctures on tumid area with minute whitish setae, and area between punctures with sparse, long, erect yellowish-white setae on inferior half. Antennal tubercles coarsely, shallowly punctate (punctures finer than on frons), except finely punctate apical area; punctures with minute whitish setae. Median groove distinct from near clypeus to area between antennal tubercles. Postclypeus coarsely, shallowly, confluently punctate on wide central area, except moderately deeply, well-delimited punctures close to smooth lateral sides; with minute, very sparse whitish setae on punctate area, long, erect golden setae on sides of wide central area, and moderately short, sparse yellowish-white setae on sides of inclined area close to anteclypeus. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus on posterior half, distinctly inclined, depressed on anterior half; posterior half finely, sparsely punctate, with minute, sparse whitish setae centrally, and long, erect, moderately abundant golden setae laterally; depressed area of anterior half with long, erect, dense golden setae. Genae coarsely, partially shallowly punctate; with short, decumbent, sparse yellowish-white setae; with a few long, erect golden setae. Gulamentum glabrous, coarsely, transversely striate on posterior half; depressed on anterior half, coarsely, shallowly, confluently punctate, with short, moderately sparse yellowish-white setae interspersed with long, erect setae of same color. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.47 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.85 times length of scape. Antennae 1.27 times elytral length, reaching posterior 1/10 of elytra. Scape nearly parallel-sided; finely, abundantly punctate dorsally and laterally, rugose ventrally; with minute whitish setae emerging from nearly all punctures; with a few moderately short, erect yellowish setae dorsally, a few long, erect setae laterally, and both short and long, erect yellowish setae ventrally, slightly more abundant on posterior half. Pedicel very finely, sparsely punctate; with minute whitish setae emerging from punctures dorsally and laterally, and long, erect, sparse yellowish setae ventrally. Antennomere III finely, moderately sparsely punctate except smooth distal area; with minute whitish setae emerging from nearly all punctures, and long, erect, moderately abundant yellowish setae ventrally, sparser dorsally. Antennomeres IV-X with fine punctures, gradually denser toward X (becoming densely micropunctate) except smooth distal area, and short yellowish-brown pubescence, gradually denser toward X; erect setae as on III, but shorter toward X. Antennomere XI densely micropunctate; with yellowish-brown pubescence interspersed with long, moderately short, sparse yellowish setae (sparser dorsally). Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.69; pedicel = 0.13; IV = 0.57;V = 0.68;VI = 0.67;VII = 0.65;VIII = 0.61; IX = 0.60; X = 0.57; XI = 0.69.

Thorax: Prothorax 1.4 times wider than long; anteriorly and posteriorly abruptly constricted, anterior constriction distinctly narrower than posterior constriction; with narrow transverse sulcus surrounding area adjacent to anterior constriction. Pronotum coarsely, abundant punctate, except smooth central area and narrow area close to anterior margin, distinctly confluent laterally (becoming strongly rugose); with minute yellowish setae emerging from some punctures on anterior half and center of posterior half, with long, erect setae emerging from some punctures on sides of posterior half. Sides of prothorax coarsely, densely, confluently punctate (becoming strongly rugose) except smooth narrow area close to anterior and posterior margins; with a few long, erect yellowish setae emerging from some punctures. Prosternum coarsely, confluently punctate between procoxal cavities and anterior constriction (becoming rugose), nearly smooth from constriction to anterior margin; with moderately narrow sulcus close to anterior margin of procoxal cavities; with short yellowish setae emerging from some punctures, and long, erect setae emerging from some other punctures. Prosternal process with sides and central area elevated; with sparse yellowish-white pubescence on sides of area between coxae, distinctly more abundant on apex. Metaventrite with sparse yellow pubescence (more whitish depending on light intensity); mesanepisternum with yellowish pubescence partially obscuring integument (more whitish depending on light intensity); mesepimeron with yellowish pubescence not obscuring integument, distinctly denser, yellower on narrow area close to metanepisternum. Metanepisternum and sides of metaventrite with yellowish pubescence nearly obscuring integument, and remaining surface of metaventrite with minute, sparse yellowish setae except glabrous central area. Scutellum minutely, densely punctate laterally, smooth centrally; with yellowish-white pubescence along lateral margins, glabrous centrally. Elytra: Somewhat opaque; very finely, abundantly punctate, with each puncture surrounded by surface finely reticulate; with minute, sparse whitish setae near humeri, and a few short, erect yellowish setae near apex; anterior 2/3 parallel-sided, and posterior third gradually narrowed toward apex; apex rounded,sutural angle very slightly projected. Legs: Femora finely, sparsely punctate, slightly finer, more abundant toward apex; with minute, sparse whitish setae dorsally and laterally, and long, erect, sparse yellowish setae on basal half of ventral side. Tibiae moderately finely and abundantly punctate; with short, sparse yellowish setae, distinctly longer, denser, yellowish-brown on distal half of lateral and ventral surface.

Abdomen: Ventrites finely, sparsely punctate; with short yellowish setae emerging from some punctures, and a few long, erect yellowish setae emerging from some oth- er punctures, especially on distal third; apex of ventrite V rounded.

Dimensions (mm), one female: Total length, 36.10; prothoracic length, 5.50; anterior prothoracic width, 5.40; posterior prothoracic width, 6.25; maximum prothoracic width, 7.60; humeral width, 9.15; elytral length, 25.60.

Material examined: PERU, Loreto: Agua Blanca (03°56’S, 73°28’W), 1 female, 16.I.2011, J.J. R. Hernandez col. ( JJRH). New country record.

Remarks: Poeciloxestia plagiata was described and was known only from a single male specimen from Ecuador (Gualaquiza, Morona-Santiago). The female collected in Peru agrees very well with the photograph and original description of the male.

The female of P. plagiata ( Figs. 1-4 ) differs from the male ( Figs. 5-6 ) by the antennae distinctly shorter, not reaching elytral apex, pronotal sculpturing more sparsely punctate on central area, anterior orange elytral macula not reaching lateral margin, elytra more distinctly narrowed at distal third, and sutural angle of the elytra only slightly projected. In the male, the antennae are distinctly longer than body, pronotal sculpturing denser on central area, anterior orange elytral macula reaching lateral margin, elytra less narrowed on distal third, and the sutural angle of the elytra has a short spine.

The discovery of the female of P. plagiata allows updating the alternative of couplet ‘9’ from Martins & Monné (2005) (translated):

9(8). Elytral apex unarmed in both sexes; antennae in male reaching elytral apex at about apex of the antennomere IX; anterior orange macula of the elytra fused with posterior one in both sexes. Peru, Bolivia, Brazil (Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro)............. ......................................................................... P.melzeri Lane,1965

— Elytral apex with short spine at sutural angle in male, slightly projected in female; antennae in male reaching elytral apex before apex of antennomere VII; anterior orange macula not fused with posterior one in either sex. Ecuador, Peru......................................... ......................................................... P.plagiata (Waterhouse,1880)

Note: According to Martins & Monné (2005), the antennae in the male of P.plagiata reach the elytral apex at the middle of antennomere VIII. Actually, we observed that they reach the apex before the apex of antennomere VII.

According to Martins & Monné (2005) (translated): “FRAGOSO (1982) transferred P. plagiata from Criodion , and considered it very similar to P. melzeri , but with a different antennal formula. Actually, males of P. plagiata have elongated III-V antennomeres, while those of P.melzeri are short and robust; in P. plagiata , the antenna of the males reaches the apex of the elytra at the end of the antennomere VII and the antennae are markedly longer than in P. melzeri (reaching the apex of the elytra at the end of the antennomere IX);” and“FRAGOSO (1978a: 135) examined specimens from the following places: Peru, Junín: Satipo. Brazil, Espírito Santo: Condurú, Guandú, Itapemirim, Linhares, Matilde, Vagem Alta; Minas Gerais: Manhuassu; Rio de Janeiro: Rio de Janeiro (Horto Florestal, Represa Rio Grande). Bolivia, Santa Cruz: Buena Vista. The same author, in 1982, questioned whether the specimens examined from Peru and Bolivia belonged to P. plagiata or P.melzeri . In case this assumption is correct, P. melzeri occurs in the Atlantic Forest.” It is probable that P. melzeri really does not occur in Peru.

Figures

Figures 1-6. Poeciloxestiaplagiata: (1) Dorsal habitus, female;(2) Ventral habitus,female; (3) Lateral habitus, female;(4) Head,frontal view,female; (5) Holotype male, dorsal habitus,photo byJesus Santiago Moure;(6) Holotype male,from Larry Bezark photograph collection.