Blabicentrus similis, Bezark & Santos-Silva, 2019

Bezark, Larry G. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2019, Synonymies and seven new species in Lamiinae from the Neotropical Region (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Zootaxa 4648 (1), pp. 92-110 : 102-104

Blabicentrus similis sp. nov.

( Figures 28–31 )

Description. Female. Integument mostly black; ventral surface of head dark brown laterally, gradually dark reddish-brown toward central area (lighter toward prothorax); mouthparts dark reddish-brown, except yellowish-brown apex of palpomeres and apex of glossa; anteclypeus dark reddish-brown laterally, dark brown centrally; labrum dark brown posteriorly, gradually yellowish-brown toward anterior margin; scape dark brown; pedicel brown; antennomere III orangish-brown basally, gradually brown toward apex; antennomeres IV–VIII orangish-brown, except brown apex; antennomeres IX–X orangish-brown (antennomere XI missing); elytra black basally, dark brown on remaining surface, except reddish-brown sides of posterior half; femora reddish-brown basally; abdominal ventrite I black, except dark reddish-brown distal area; abdominal ventrite II almost black basally, gradually reddish-brown toward apex; abdominal ventrites III–IV reddish-brown, except yellowish-brown distal area; abdominal ventrite V black. Long and erect setae dark, more orangish depending on light intensity.

Head. Frons finely, sparsely punctate toward vertex, smooth toward clypeus; with abundant white pubescence not entirely obscuring integument, with long, erect, moderately abundant setae interspersed. Vertex and area behind eyes finely, sparsely punctate, with white pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae interspersed. Antennal tubercles finely, sparsely punctate frontally, nearly smooth on remaining surface; with white pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae interspersed. Genae almost four times shorter than lower eye lobe; minutely rugose except smooth distal area; with sparse white pubescence, except glabrous smooth area. Postclypeus finely, sparsely punctate on wide central area close to frons, smooth close to anteclypeus; pubescence as on frons on wide central area, distinctly sparser close to anteclypeus and laterally; with long, erect setae interspersed. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus on posterior quarter, gradually inclined centrally, distinctly inclined at anterior quarter; with long, moderately sparse yellowish-white setae directed forward, and dense fringe with yellow pubescence anteriorly. Gulamentum smooth, glabrous, except narrow depressed anterior area, with a few short white setae. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.14 times length of scape; in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.63 times length of scape. Antennae 1.5 times elytral length (up to apex of antennomere X), reaching elytral apex at near middle of antennomere IX. Scape coarsely, sparsely punctate; with white pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae interspersed throughout. Pedicel with white pubescence not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae interspersed throughout. Antennomeres with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity), with long, erect setae ventrally, except antennomere X with yellowish setae; antennomeres III–IX with long, erect setae at apex of dorsal and lateral surfaces. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 1.09; pedicel = 0.31; IV = 1.22; V = 0.98; VI = 0.90; VII = 0.84; VIII = 0.72; IX = 0.69; X = 0.65.

Thorax. Prothorax about 1.25 times wider than long; widened, rounded laterally. Pronotum slightly gibbous on sides of wide central area; coarsely, moderately sparsely punctate; with white and yellowish-brown pubescence mixed, denser on some areas, sparser on others, not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae interspersed. Sides of prothorax with sculpturing as on pronotum, pubescence of the same color as on pronotum, but denser. Prosternum and prosternal process with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity); narrowest area of prosternal process 0.25 times width of procoxal cavity. Ventral surface of meso- and metathorax with yellowish-white pubescence (whiter depending on light intensity), slightly denser on posterior sides of metathorax, distinctly sparser on central area of mesoventrite; apex of mesoventral process with distinct flap on each side. Scutellum with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument, with yellowish setae interspersed.

Elytra. Nearly parallel-sided on anterior 2/3, gradually narrowed toward truncate apex; coarsely, abundantly punctate on basal half, gradually finer, sparser on remaining surface; with abundant yellowish-brown pubescence nearly obscuring integument on anterior fifth; with wide white pubescent band from apex of anterior fifth to about middle, more projected backward centrally, from suture to epipleural margin; with white pubescent macula laterally about middle, from epipleural margin to beginning of sides of dorsal surface (sparser near epipleural margin); with wide white pubescent band along suture, from anterior white pubescent band to apex (pubescence slightly less dense than anterior white band), widened posteriorly, covering entire distal area; remaining surface of posterior half with yellowish-brown pubescence partially obscuring integument; with long, erect setae throughout. Legs. Femora with long, decumbent white setae not obscuring integument, with long, erect setae interspersed. Tibiae with sparse white pubescence dorsally on basal third (entire dorsal surface of protibiae), nearly glabrous on remaining surface, with long, erect setae throughout.

Abdomen. Ventrites with yellowish-white pubescence not obscuring integument (whiter depending on light intensity). Apex of ventrite V truncate.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 5.60; prothoracic length, 1.15; anterior prothoracic width, 1.20; posterior prothoracic width, 1.30; maximum prothoracic width, 1.45; humeral width, 2.00; elytral length, 4.10.

Type material. Holotype female from PANAMA, Panama: 31 km E. Cañita, 21.V.1991, F. T. Hovore col. ( LGBC, deposited at CASC).

Remarks. Blabicentrus similis sp. nov. is similar to B. capixaba (Martins & Galileo, 1998) ( Figs. 32–35 ), but differs as follows: the antennae distinctly surpassing the elytral apex (at most, reaching in B. capixaba – see photograph of a female from Bolivia in Bezark 2009); setae of the pronotum being of two colors (only dull-yellowish in B. capixaba ), the scutellum mostly with white pubescence (yellow in B. capixaba ); absence of yellowish-brown pubescence interspersed on the dorsal surface of the wide anterior white pubescent band of the elytra (present in B. capixaba ); the prosternal process ( Fig. 29 ) being nearly twice as wide centrally than in B. capixaba ( Fig. 33 ). Additionally, apparently, the white pubescence forms a distinct transverse band on distal third of the elytra in the true specimens of B. capixaba , which is not present in Blabicentrus similis , or in the specimens from French Guiana.

Etymology. Blabicentrus similis is so named because of its similar appearance to B. capixaba .

Figures

FIGURES 28–35. 28–31) Blabicentrus similis, holotype female: 28) Dorsal habitus; 29) Ventral habitus; 30) Lateral habitus; 31) Head, frontal view. 32–35) Blabicentrus capixaba, holotype male: 32) Dorsal habitus; 33) Ventral habitus; 34) Lateral habitus; 35) Head, frontal view.