Thomsonista Nearns and Nascimento, 2019

Nearns, Eugenio H. & Nascimento, Francisco E. de. L., 2019, A new genus and seven new species of Onciderini Thomson, 1860 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) from Central and South America, Insecta Mundi 688, pp. 1-16 : 13

Thomsonista Nearns and Nascimento , gen. nov.

( Figures 5 a–e)

Type species. Thomsonista antonkozloƲi, sp. nov., here designated.

Description (male). General form elongate-oblong, moderately sized. Habitus as in Fig. 5a . Head with frons quadrate. Eyes with lower lobes large, oblong; area connecting lobes narrower than upper eye lobe. Genae subquadrate, distinctly shorter than lower eye lobes. Antennal tubercles prominent, widely separated, slightly modified at apex. Antennae distinctly longer than body; scape clavate, distinctly shorter than antennomere III, without cicatrix at apex; antennomere III longest, almost straight, filiform; anten- nomere IV longer than scape; antennomere XI about as long as X. Prothorax transverse, swollen laterally before and behind middle, slightly wider basally than apically, sides with blunt, distinct tubercle before middle. Pronotum with distinct gibbosities. Mesosternal process without tubercle. Apex of mesosternal process feebly emarginate. Elytra parallel-sided; humeri slightly prominent; disk without gibbosities or tubercles basally; apices individually rounded. Legs moderate in length; procoxae without projection; femora robust, clavate; metafemora about 1/3 as long as elytra; tibiae gradually expanded to apex.

Etymology. The genus is named in honor of the excellent longicornist James Thomson (1828–1897), who published extensively on Cerambycidae and designated the tribe Onciderini (“Thomson” with the Latin suffix “ista”, meaning one who practices, believes, or follows). Masculine gender.

Diagnosis and remarks. This genus closely resembles Ischiocentra Thomson, 1861 , but differs as follows (male), considering the type species, I. claƲata Thomson, 1861: antennal tubercles not distinctly modified at apex; antennomere XI about as long as X; prothorax not cylindrical, with lateral tubercles more distinct; humerus with small tubercle; elytra distinctly parallel-sided. In Ischiocentra the antennal tubercles are distinctly modified at apex, the antennomere XI is longer than X, the prothorax is cylindrical, with lateral tubercles less distinct, the humerus has large tubercle, and the elytra is less parallel-sided. Ischiocentra appears to be not monophyletic, including species with different antennal tubercles (with or without distinct projection), prothorax with lateral tubercles notably distinct or not, humeri with large tubercle or not in male, and the elytra ranging from slightly parallel-sided to distinctly attenuate toward apex. The new genus also resembles Hesychotypa , but can be differentiated especially by the almost straight antennomere III (remarkably sinuous in Hesychotypa ).

Thomsonista gen. nov. can be included in the alternative of couplet “41” from Dillon and Dillon (1945):

Figures

Figure 5. Thomsonista antonkozloƲi sp. nov., holotype male: a) Dorsal habitus. b) Ventral habitus. c) Lateral habitus. d) Close-up of head. e) Close-up of head in lateral view.