Tropidion birai, Galileo, Maria Helena M., Santos-Silva, Antonio & Tirant, Stephane Le, 2015

Galileo, Maria Helena M., Santos-Silva, Antonio & Tirant, Stephane Le, 2015, New species of Cerambycidae (Coleoptera) from South and Central America, ZooKeys 530, pp. 101-111 : 102-103

Taxon classification Animalia Coleoptera Cerambycidae

Tropidion birai sp. n. Figs 1, 2, 3, 4

Description.

Male. Integument brown, except for: apex of mandibles black; parts of head reddish-brown; base of scape dark-brown, remaining surface orangish-brown; pedicel and antennomeres dark-brown, gradually lighter toward distal antennomeres (but with apex of antennomeres blackish); two large, yellowish maculae on each elytron; most of peduncle of femora dark-brown; most femoral club orangish-brown; apex of femoral club brownish; tibiae dark-brown, except for reddish area inside of longitudinal sulcus; ventrites orangish-brown.

Head. Frons punctate-rugose; with short, moderately abundant setae, not obliterating integument. Area between antennal tubercles and eyes microsculptured, interspersed with coarse, sparse punctures. Area between posterior ocular edge and prothorax moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate (punctures denser near prothorax). Area behind lower eye lobes with punctures slightly distinct; with long, sparse setae close to eye; area under lower eye lobes with short, moderately abundant, yellowish-white setae. Area between anterior emargination of eyes and antennal fovea with short, dense yellowish-white pubescence. Genae moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate; with short setae interspersed with moderately long, sparse setae. Coronal suture distinct from clypeus to level of posterior ocular edge. Antennal tubercles notably projected upward, in frontal view, horn-like. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.55 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes 1.2 times length of scape in ventral view, 0.8 times length of scape in frontal view. Submentum not well-delimited, transversely striate, moderately coarsely, abundantly punctate; with short, moderately abundantly setae (not obliterating integument), interspersed with long, sparse setae. Antennae as long as 3.0 times elytral length; reaching elytral apex at basal quarter of antennomere VII; scape dorsally with distinct sulcus from base to about middle, with short, sparse setae, interspersed with very long setae; antennomere III dorsally longitudinally sulcate, pubescent, with fringe of long setae on inner lateral side; remaining antennomeres pubescent, with fringe of setae on inner lateral side gradually sparser; antennal formula (ratio) based on antennomere III: scape = 0.52; pedicel= 0.18; IV = 0.94; V = 1.11; VI = 1.15; VII = 1.02; VIII = 1.02; IX = 1.02; X = 0.82; XI = 1.39.

Thorax. Prothorax cylindrical, 1.7 times as long as wide; basal and distal sixth somewhat enlarged. Pronotum finely, sparsely punctate, except for basal sixth, where punctures are slightly coarser, distinctly denser; with five tubercles: one, subrounded, on each side of basal third; one, subrounded, on each side just after middle; one, subconical, on center; one each side, with wide band with yellowish-white pubescence, wider at base, that does not reach anterior margin; remaining surface with short, very sparse setae, interspersed on distal half by long setae. Prothorax laterally glabrous, finely, sparsely punctate, except for anterior sixth with transverse, fine striae. Prosternum finely, transversely striate on anterior half; each side of basal half with band with yellowish-white pubescence, divergent, narrowed from procoxal cavity to just after middle. Prosternal process longitudinally sulcate (mainly on distal half), pubescent; distal portion subcordiform. Mesosternum without tubercle, almost glabrous centrally, pubescent laterally (pubescence not obliterating integument). Mesepisterna and mesepimera densely pubescent (obliterating integument). Metasternum laterally and posteriorly pubescent (not obliterating integument); remaining surface with moderately sparse pubescence, except for glabrous central area near mesocoxal cavities. Metepisterna densely pubescent (partially obliterating integument). Scutellum densely pubescent. Elytra sparsely punctate, nearly all with a moderately long, yellowish setae (on circum-scutellar region punctures are blackish, part of them asperate-like); apical margin concave, with long spine at outer angle and projected at sutural angle. Legs. Femora clavate, very finely pubescent, with long, sparse setae; apex rounded on both sides. Tibiae longitudinally sulcate on both sides. Metatarsomere I as long as II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites I–IV pubescent laterally, centrally with short, sparse setae, interspersed with some long setae. Ventrite V with short, very sparse setae on basal third; distal two-thirds pubescent, interspersed with long setae; apex truncate, slightly emarginate.

Dimensions in mm

(holotype male). Total length (from mandibular apex to abdominal apex), 11.80; prothorax: length, 2.70; anterior width, 1.65; posterior width, 1.70; humeral width, 2.30; elytral length, 7.70.

Type material.

Holotype male from BOLIVIA, Yungas, 1-28.VI.2005, Y. Callegari col. (MZSP).

Etymology.

The new species is named after the late Ubirajara Ribeiro Martins de Souza (Bira).

Remarks.

Tropidion birai sp. n. is similar to Tropidion centrale (Bates, 1872), a species very variable in color, but differs mainly by the pronotum with longitudinal bands of pubescence and with distinct tubercles. Tropidion centrale has pubescence on pronotum only on narrow transverse basal band, and does not have distinct tubercles on pronotum. From Tropidion abditum Martins, 1968 by the pronotum with bands of pubescence (not pubescent in Tropidion abditum ), and by the apex of elytra with distinct spine at outer angle (unarmed in Tropidion abditum ). It differs from Tropidion bituberculatum (Audinet-Serville, 1834) by the antennal tubercles acute at apex (not so in Tropidion bituberculatum ), by the inner side of antennomere III with abundant and long setae (short and sparse in Tropidion bituberculatum ), and by the central tubercle of pronotum very distinct (slightly distinct in Tropidion bituberculatum ). It can be separated from Tropidion buriti Martins & Galileo, 2012 by the pronotum with distinct tubercles (slightly conspicuous in Tropidion buriti ) and with bands of pubescence (without bands of pubescence in Tropidion buriti ), and by the apex of elytra with distinct spine at outer angle (unarmed in Tropidion buriti ). From Tropidion carinicolle (Bates, 1872), Tropidion intermedium (Martins, 1962), and Tropidion flavum (Martins, 1962) it differs mainly by the presence of yellowish maculae on elytra (absent in those species). Tropidion birai differs from Tropidion festivum (Martins, 1962) and Tropidion validum (Martins, 1962), by the basal antennomeres distinctly dark (uniformly reddish in those species), by the elytral maculae distinctly large, mainly the posterior. It differs from Tropidion jolyi Martins & Galileo, 2012 by the antennomere III distinctly carinate in male (not so in Tropidion jolyi ), and by the presence of bands of pubescence on pronotum (absent in Tropidion jolyi ). It differs from Tropidion hermione (Thomson, 1867) mainly by the pronotum with bands of pubescence (absent in Tropidion hermione ). From Tropidion mirabile Martins, 1971 and Tropidion praecipuum Martins, 1971 it differs by the posterior yellowish band of elytra oblique to the suture (transverse in those species).

Tropidion birai can be included in the alternative of couplet “70”, from Martins and Galileo (2007) (translated):