Rhopalophora santacruzensis, Clarke, 2015

Clarke, Robin O. S., 2015, Bolivian Cerambycinae: new anthophilous species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Insecta Mundi 2015 (453), pp. 1-22 : 6-7

Rhopalophora santacruzensis sp. nov.

Fig. 8, 9

Description of holotype. Male, length 5.65 mm. Color black; head from mandibles to frons dark chestnut; prothorax almost entirely orange. The following yellow, front leg (except apical tarsomeres); extreme base of meso- and metafemoral peduncles; apical margin of urosternites I-IV. Border of elytral epipleuron inconspicuously yellowish near base. Head with rather rugose, dense, small, alveolate punctures, and conspicuous, untidy, golden pubescence. Antennal tubercles rounded at apex and widely separated. Antennae with eleven segments, unarmed, not carinate; passing elytra at apex of antennomere IX. Scape cylindrical, moderately long (0.50 mm); without basal depression; with almost uniform, dense, small, alveolate punctures, and inconspicuous short pubescence. Antennomere III (0.75 mm) slightly longer than IV (0.60 mm), hardly longer than V (0.70 mm); VI–X (0.70- 0.40 mm) incrementally shorter; XI as long as X. Prothorax subcylindrical, 1.3 longer than wide; sides widest just in front of middle; weakly rounded for middle half, weakly sinuate and narrowed to apex, distinctly sinuate to base; front margin (0.70 mm) narrower than basal margin (0.80 mm). Pronotum convex, with rather irregular surface, including constriction just posterior to middle; surface details partly obscured by dense pubescence (silky, subrecumbent, and golden colored); with dense, small, alveolate punctures (somewhat rugose towards sides); with two pairs of inconspicuous calli present (large, oval calli occupying sides of disc situated to either side of middle; small, rounded, callus just anterior to, and towards sides of basal constriction). Elytra 3.05 longer than width across humeri, somewhat abruptly narrowed behind humeri, but rather weakly narrowing to middle, widening more strongly to pre-apex; humero-apical costa traceable from humeri to apical third; humeri rounded but projecting, abruptly, but not strongly, prominent laterally; apices subtruncate, oblique, with outer angle spiculate. Elytral surface rather strongly sculptured by lines of moderately large, deep, contiguous, alveolate punctures, and coarse microreticulation; clothed by a mat-like layer of short, ashy pubescence. Mesosternum, mesepisterna, and mesepimera almost entirely hidden below very dense, long, recumbent pubescence. Abdomen cylindrical, about as wide as metathorax; almost uniformly densely punctate; apart from midline clothed with rather dense grey pubescence. Legs with long peduncles and short claves on femora of middle and hind legs; metafemoral peduncle strongly flattened (giving them carinate appearance), and with rather abrupt, short clave (peduncle nearly three times longer than clave). Meso- and metatibia slightly flattened; metatibia slightly arced (when viewed from the side) and thickened from apical third to apex. Metatarsomere I (0.55 mm), slightly longer than length of II+III (0.45 mm).

Male variation. In one paratype prothorax dark chestnut; all of elytral epipleuron below humeri pale chestnut; and antennomere XI slightly shorter than X. In one paratype dorsad of profemur and protibia dusky; prothorax more cylindrical, and 1.5 longer than wide.

Female ( Fig. 9 ). General coloration much as in male; prothorax of one female orange (except for basal and apical margins of pronotum and prosternum), in the other female similar, but pale chestnut; elytral epipleuron yellowish in one female, not in the other. Antennae passing elytra at base of antennomere XI. Antennomere XI (0.45 mm) longer than X (0.35 mm). Elytra 3.35 longer than width across humeri. Abdomen widest towards apex (where distinctly wider than metathorax). Metatarsomere I (0.65 mm), longer than length of II+III (0.45 mm).

Measurements (mm). 3 males / 4 females, total length 5.65–5.90/5.90–7.20; length of pronotum 1.10–1.25/1.25–1.50; width of pronotum 0.75–0.95/1.00–1.10; length of elytra 3.40–3.90/3.70–4.30; width at humeri 1.05–1.20/1.20–1.35.

Diagnosis. This species is closest to Rhopalophora dyseidia Martins and Napp, 1989 , but may be separated from it by the following male characters. In R. santacruzensis front leg and prosternum almost entirely yellow (in R. dyseidia these entirely black); in R. santacruzensis antennae rather short, passing apex of elytra at apex of antennomere IX (in R. dyseidia antennae longer, passing apex of elytra at base of VIII); in R. santacruzensis antennal scape two-thirds length of antennomere III (in R. dyseidia half length of III); in R. santacruzensis peduncle of meso- and metafemora apparently carinate (in R. dyseidia not carinate); in R. santacruzensis apex of metafemora passing apex of elytra at middle of clave (in R. dyseidia metafemora does not reach apex of elytra).

Type material. Holotype male: Bolivia, Santa Cruz , 19°20’S / 63°28’W, 890 m, 83 km N Camiri, Rd to Itai, 17–18.XII.2011, Wappes, Lingafelter & Woodley col. ( MNKM) . Paratype with same data as holotype, female ( MZUSP). Paratype with data nearly as holotype: 19°19’S / 63°25’W, 83 km N Camiri, Rd to Itai, male, 4–5. XII.2012, Wappes, Bonaso & Skilman col. ( ACMT). Paratypes from different localities. Santa Cruz , 18°51’S / 63°22’W, 465 m, 11 km S Cabezas , female, 18.XII.2011, Wappes, Lingafelter & Woodley col. ( ACMT) ; 18°09’S / 63°49’W, 1.300 m, Achira , on flowers of [white blossoming] Acacia tree, male and 2 females 25.XI.2004 ( RCSZ), female ( FSCA) .

Comment. Dr. Napp examined one of the Achira females, labelling it as Rhopalophora dyseidia (?); with four more specimens, including two males from near Itai (in better condition than those from Achira), the status of D. santacruzensis as a new species can be confirmed. Other characters which may be diagnostic for males are as follows. R. santacruzensis is a small species ( R. dyseidia somewhat larger); in R. santacruzensis pronotum 1.32–1.50 longer than wide (in R. dyseidia 1.13–1.15 longer); in R. santacruzensis metafemoral clave rather abrupt (in R. dyseidia less abrupt). In their description of R. dyseidia, Martins and Napp (1989) make reference to the pilosity of the prothorax, “amarello e sedosa” (yellow and silky) on pronotum (in D. santacruzensis golden and silky on pronotum).

Etymology. Rhopalophora santacruzensis is aptly named, since all the specimens were collected in the Department of Santa Cruz (Latin “ensis”, meaning its provenance).

Figures

Figures 4–9. Chrysoprasis and Rhopalophora species. Figures 4-5. Chrysoprasis azurearegina sp. nov., dorsal habitus. 4) male holotype. 5) female paratype. Figures 6-7. Chrysoprasis maryhowardi sp. nov., dorsal habitus. 6) male holotype. 7) female paratype. Figures 8-9. Rhopalophora santacruzensis sp. nov., dorsal habitus. 8) male holotype. 9) female paratype.