Decarthria boricua Micheli, 2003

Micheli, Julio, 2003, New Longhorn Beetles from Puerto Rico (West Indies) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), The Coleopterists Bulletin 57 (2), pp. 191-204 : 200-203

Decarthria boricua Micheli new species

( Figs. 4–5 )

Type Series. Holotype, male, PUERTO RICO: Maricao Forest , Rd. 120, Km. 13.8, 3-V-1980, J. Micheli, coll., ex dead foliage . Paratypes 39; 1 female, same data as holotype ; 1 male, PUERTO RICO: Guilarte Forest , 4-VIII-1979, J. Micheli, coll., beating dead branches ; 1 female, same data , except, 8-XII-1979, beating dead branches and foliage; 2 males, 2 females, PUERTO RICO: Maricao Forest, Rd. 120, Km. 13.8, 26-IV-1980, J. & N. Micheli, coll., beating foliage ; 3 males, 5 females, same data , except, 3-V-1980, J. Micheli, coll., beating dead branches; 8 males, 7 females, same data , except, 10-V-1980, on dead foliage; 6 males, 3 females, same data , except, Km. 12.8, 3-V-1980, J. & N. Micheli, coll., beating foliage .

Holotype male: Length 2.45 mm; width 0.85 mm. Width measured at middle of elytra.

Diagnosis. Very small, broadly elongate, subcylindrical; integument dark brown to blackish brown, becoming paler on base of antennal segments, femoral peduncles and base of tibiae; antennal segments narrow; pronotum feebly shining, micro-granulate, sparsely whitish pubescent; elytra subparallel-sided, surface shining, coarsely punctured, sparsely pubescent, each with a lateral blackish vitta.

This species differs from the other two species of the genus currently known by the lack of long, suberect elytral hairs present in those species. It also differs from D. albofasciata Gahan. in having subparallel-sided elytra; the sides are broadly rounded in D. albofasciata . It also differs from D. stephensi Hope in general coloration, surface texture of the pronotum, arrangement of elytral pubescence, and in having narrower antennal segments.

Description. Male. Head. With dorsal surface feebly shining, very finely, contiguously granulate, with scattered, long, coarse, recumbent whitish hairs; lower surface strongly shining, with few scattered fine punctures; dorsal surface with a narrow median groove extending from epistoma to behind vertex; front about twice as broad as long, feebly convex; epistoma broad and very short; genae distinctly taller than lower eye lobes; vertex flat between antennal tubercles, tubercles prominent, widely separated and strongly divergent; eyes small, divided, moderately coarsely faceted, lower eye lobes round, upper lobes very small, separated by slightly more than 3 times width of lobe. Antennae 10-segmented, nearly 1/3 longer than body, segment 8 extending beyond elytral apices; scape subcylindrical, gradually enlarged to apex, moderately arcuate, moderately long, extending to pronotal basal third, sparsely clothed with recumbent pubescence and a few scattered, erect pale hairs, ventrally with a row of four widely separated short, coarse setae; segments 2–10, subcylindrical, slightly to feebly swollen apically; 2 nd segment about 2/5 as long as scape, 3 rd about 1 3/5 as long as 2 nd, 4 th slightly shorter than 3 rd, 5–8 successively slightly shorter, 8–10 subequal in length; segments 3–10 sparsely clothed with fine, moderately short, recumbent, suberect and erect pale hairs and very long fimbriate hairs, 2 nd segment with two long, stiff, dark hairs, ventrally. Pronotum. Subcylindrical, strongly swollen in profile, about 1/5 longer than broad, subequal in width at base and apex; disk strongly convex anteriorly, strongly, narrowly depressed basally, with a deep, narrow, bisinuate premarginal groove along base; sides broadly, arcuately rounded from apex to basal fifth at which point they are narrowly, roundly constricted, thereafter parallel to basal margin; surface of disk and upper part of sides feebly shining, with a few scattered fine punctures, contiguously micro-granulate, granules subdepressed ( Fig. 5 ), and very sparsely clothed with long, recumbent whitish hairs, mostly toward the sides anteriorly. Scutellum small, subtriangular, broadly rounded at apex, densely clothed with long, recumbent whitish hairs on sides and apex. Elytra. Almost twice as long as basal width and twice as long as pronotum; humeri rounded, not prominent; sides subparallel, feebly, broadly constricted at basal third, feebly expanded postmedially, then arcuately rounded to apices, apices separately, narrowly rounded; epipleural margin almost straight; disk feebly tumid basally in scutellar region, slightly depressed postbasally, moderately convex posteriorly, with sutural margins slightly elevated from middle to apices; surface strongly shining, irregularly, sparsely, moderately coarsely punctured basally on disk and lateral declivities, punctures becoming smaller posteriorly and obsolete beyond apical fourth, very sparsely clothed with long, recumbent whitish hairs forming an indistinct pattern. Underside. Prosternum very short in front of coxae; prosternal process narrow between the coxae, abruptly and very broadly expanded behind, apex truncate; mesosternum, transversely, deeply depressed anteriorly; process broad, subequal in width to a mesocoxal cavity, expanded at apex, posterior margin truncate; surface on thoracic and abdominal sterna strongly shining, very sparsely, finely punctured, with punctures denser on apical abdominal sternite, very sparsely clothed with recumbent and subrecumbent pale hairs, pubescence dense along sides, missing along middle; coxae sparsely clothed with similar hairs; apical abdominal sternite slightly longer than anterior, broadly, evenly rounded at apex. Apical tergite broadly, evenly rounded. Legs. Moderately short; femora strongly pedunculate-clavate, peduncle short on anterior legs, moderate and feebly arcuate on middle pair, longer and strongly arcuate on posterior pair; tibiae subcylindrical, gradually enlarged to apices, middle pair with distinct sinus; tarsi moderately long, first metatarsal segment subequal to next two together; pubescence sparse and consisting of pale, short, scattered, recumbent and erect hairs.

Female. Very similar to male, differing in having slightly shorter and slightly narrower femora, broader prosternal process, and broadly, roundly subtruncate apices of apical abdominal sternite and apical tergite.

Variation. Paratypes vary in body length from 2.00– 2.80 mm. Color varies in the degree and extent of infuscation. Light colored areas are less noticeable in the darker specimens and the pubescent patches are sparser in some specimens, denser in others.

Etymology. The term ‘‘boricua’’ (neuter) is from folklore, in Spanish, meaning Puerto Rican.

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

FTHC, 2; WIBF, 2.

Figures

Fig. 4. Dorsal habitus of Decarthria boricua,?. Actual length, 2.45 mm.

Fig. 5. SEM photo of pronotal surface of Decarthria boricua.