Paracleodoxus simillimus Monné & Monné sp. nov.

(Fig. 4)

Description. Female. Integument dark brown. Body with predominance of appressed dense brownish-gray pubescence. Prothorax and basal ¼ of the elytra covered with grayish-yellow pubescence. Pronotum with short longitudinal blackish fascia on each side of middle. Posterior ¾ of elytra covered with grayish-brown pubescence; apical half with narrow longitudinal fascia of dark-brown pubescence, equidistant from suture and lateral margin. Centro-basal crista of elytra, distal half of tibiae, and tarsi covered with dark-brown pubescence. Antennae more than 2 times length of the body, exceeding elytral apices at apex of segment 6.

Prothorax with lateral tubercles acute, apex slightly directed behind; pronotum with sparse punctures in middle, and row of coarse punctures on posterior margin. Elytra coarsely and densely punctate on entire surface; centro-basal crista with tuft of moderately long setae on the top; apices obliquely truncated, angles not projected. Fifth urotergite and urosternite rounded at apical margin.

Etymology. Latin, simillimus, meaning like.

Measurements (mm) female. Total length, 7.3; prothorax length, 1.2; prothorax width, 2.0; elytral length, 5.5; humeral width, 3.7.

Type material. Holotype, female. Venezuela, Mérida: Carbonera (2300 m), 15.VI.1975, C. Bordon col. (MNRJ). Paratype, 1 female, same data (MNRJ).

Remarks. Paracleodoxus simillimus resembles P. cineraceus in general aspect, differing by the blackish fasciae on each side of the middle of the pronotum; the basal ¼ of the elytra contrasting in color with the rest of the surface; and the centro-basal crista with a tuft of black semierect setae on the top. In P. c i n e r a c e u s the prothorax is a single color, the basal ¼ of the elytra is the same color as the rest of the surface, and the centrobasal crista lacks semierect black setae on the top.