Boricyrtinus nilseni Micheli, 2003

Micheli, Julio, 2003, New Longhorn Beetles from Puerto Rico (West Indies) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (2), pp. 191-204 : 198-199

Boricyrtinus nilseni Micheli , new species

( Fig. 3 )

Type Series. Holotype, male, PUERTO RICO: Maricao Forest , Rd. 120, Km. 13.8, 26-IV-1980, J. & N. Micheli, coll., beating foliage . Paratypes, 13; 2 females, same data as holotype ; 1 male, same data except, 1-XII-1979, N. Micheli, coll. ; 4 males and 3 females, same data except, 3-V-1980, J. Micheli, coll. , ex dead foliage; 1 male and 1 female, same data except, 10-V-1980 ; 1 male, same data except, 15-VI-1982 .

Holotype male: Length 3.0 mm; width 0.95 mm. Width measured at elytral basal 1/4.

Diagnosis. Very small, broadly elongate, subcylindrical, fully winged; pronotum dull, black, convex, constricted basally, broader at apex than at base. Antennae longer than body. Elytra convex, depressed basally, dull, brownish red anteriorly and along sutural margins, the rest black, decorated with a dense, broad line of recumbent pale yellowish hairs placed, obliquely, postmedially on each elytron. Legs pale yellowish except clava of femora which are blackish.

Description. Male. Head. Front about 1 1/3 as broad as long, feebly convex, with a narrow median groove extending from epistoma to behind vertex; epistoma broad, very short; genae as tall as lower eye lobes, each with 2 long setae; vertex flat between antennal tubercles, tubercles slightly elevated, widely separated, strongly divergent; eyes small, divided, moderately coarsely faceted, lower eye lobes almost round, upper lobes small, crescent-shaped, separated by about 5 times width of lobe; dorsal surface dull, very finely, contiguously granulate, with scattered, long, recumbent whitish hairs; lower surface shining, moderately densely punctured. Antennae about 1/3 longer than body, 7 th segment reaching elytral apices; scape elongate, slightly arcuate, subcylindrical, inflated at base, thence gradually expanded to apex, broadly, slightly compressed ventrally at basal 1/4, about as long as pronotum, lighter in color before middle; 2 nd segment about 1/5 as long as scape, expanded at apex, pale; 3 rd about ½ as long as scape; 4 th slightly shorter than 3 rd; segments 5–11 successively slightly shorter; segments 3–10 slightly arcuate, gradually expanding to apex, slightly paler basally, most conspicuous on basal segments; surface shining, finely punctured, sparsely clothed with pale, fine, recumbent pubescence and a few suberect pale hairs intermixed; scape with a long fringe of moderately long, widely separated hairs ventrally; 2 nd segment with three long suberect setae, segments 3–9, internally with long fimbriate hairs. Pronotum. Black, subcylindrical, about 1 1/5 longer than broad, widest at apical 1/3; globose anteriorly, strongly constricted basally, sides broadly, arcuately rounded from apex to about basal sixth, where there is a deep narrow constriction, thereafter parallel to basal margin; surface of disk and sides dull, very minutely and contiguously granulate, granules subdepressed, with scattered fine punctures and scattered, short, recumbent grayish hairs, surface of basal margin rugose on sides. Scutellum small, subtriangular, broadly rounded at apex, brownish red, feebly shining, grayish pubescent mostly around margin. Elytra. Widest at apical 1/3; width subequal to pronotal length; humeri rounded, not prominent; sides subparallel, feebly, broadly constricted at basal 1/3, then feebly divergent to apical 1/4, thereafter arcuately rounded to apices, apices separately, narrowly rounded; epipleural margin sinuate; disk broadly, slightly depressed at basal 1/4, thereafter convex, with sutural margins slightly elevated from basal 1/4 to apices; surface dull, moderately densely and moderately coarsely punctured basally on disk and lateral declivities, punctures becoming sparser posteriorly; integument brownish red anteriorly and broadly along sutural margins, the rest black or dark, and decorated with a pale area on each elytron extending obliquely forward from lateral margin at apical 1/4 to shortly behind middle, but falling short of sutural margin; this pale area is densely clothed with appressed, short, pale pubescence; the black areas sparsely clothed with appressed, shiny, blackish hairs and a few suberect whitish hairs intermixed. Underside. Prosternum short in front of coxae, almost even, infuscated, surface shining, densely, finely punctured and sparsely grayish pubescent; process narrow between coxae, about 1/5 as broad as a coxal cavity, divergent to apex, apex broadly truncate. Mesosternum moderately long and moderately inflated in front of coxae; surface shining, finely punctured, sparsely grayish pubescent, pubescence denser on sides; process narrow between coxae, about ½ width of a coxal cavity, expanded behind, posterior margin rounded; metasternal surface shining, infuscated anterolaterally, very finely, very sparsely punctured, sparsely, grayish pubescent posterolaterally. Abdominal sterna strongly shining, infuscated; surface sparsely, finely punctured, punctures denser on apical sternite, sparsely finely, grayish pubescent; first sternite longer than next three together; 2–4 gradually shorter; 5 th longer than 4 th, evenly rounded at apex. Apical tergite broadly, evenly rounded. Legs. Femora black with pale peduncles; peduncles feebly arcuate on middle pair, strongly arcuate on posterior pair; surface finely reticulate-punctate, sparsely clothed with short, recumbent pale hairs and some suberect longer hairs intermixed; tibiae pale yellowish, feebly shining, sparsely pale pubescent; tarsi pale yellowish, fourth segment infuscated.

Female. Compared to male: smaller; similar in color, markings, surface texture and pubescence; antennae shorter, segment 9 reaching elytral apices; prosternal process similar in shape to that of the male but about 1/3 as broad as a coxal cavity, mesosternal process similar in shape and proportional width to that of the male; apical abdominal sternite narrower apically, roundly subtruncate at apex; apical tergite broadly, roundly subtruncate; legs slightly shorter in proportion to body size.

Variation. Paratypes vary in body length from 2.25–3.0 mm. Color varies slightly in degree and extent of infuscation, and elytral reddish color is lighter in some specimens, darker in others.

Etymology. This species is named for my oldest son, Nilsen, who collected the first specimen.

Comments. On one occasion, using the brush-beating collecting method, 2 specimens of this species were taken along with 4 specimens of Macromischa isabellae Wheeler , ( Hymenoptera : Formicidae ), one specimen of an undetermined Hymenoptera species, and one specimen of Tilloclytus minutus Fisher , ( Coleoptera : Cerambycidae ). There is a remarkable similarity of color in all these insects, and all, except T. minutus , are very close in size. Future studies of the apparent ecological relationship between these insects is suggested.

Type Material. Paratypes in the following collections: NMNH , 2; EMEC, 1;

FTHC, 1; WIBF, 1.

Figures

Fig. 3. Dorsal habitus of Boricyrtinus nilseni,?. Actual length, 3.0 mm.