Dihammaphora densiserrata, Clarke, 2015

Clarke, Robin O. S., 2015, Bolivian Cerambycinae: new anthophilous species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Insecta Mundi 2015 (453), pp. 1-22 : 13-14

Dihammaphora densiserrata sp. nov.

Fig. 17, 18, 21

Description of holotype. Male length 5.20 mm. Color of dorsal side of body and elytra rufousorange, head and base of elytra more ochreous, and scutellum black; underside of head and prothorax orange (with black process), the rest of underside black (except apical margins of urosternites I–IV yellowish). Antennae black. Front legs dark chestnut, middle and hind legs black.

Surface ornamentation; head clothed with dense, short, recumbent, ashy colored pubescence; clypeus, frons and vertex with small punctures embedded in matrix of dense micropunctures. Pronotum without thick, long setae, but clothed with minute, short setae; uniformly, densely, rather rugosely punctured in matrix of strong microsculpture; punctures alveolate, moderately large, rather deep and confluent. Elytral pubescence microscopic; surface glabrous, strongly reticulate, densely covered by deep, alveolate punctures, in 4–5 rows of non-seriate, moderately large punctures (one puncture row between humero-apical and lateral costae). Underside almost entirely covered by short, recumbent, grey pubescence. Antennae sparsely pubescent basally, denser apically.

Structure. Head with clypeus separated from frons by deep V-shaped suture; frons depressed, bordered at sides. Antennal tubercles separated by about twice width of scape, rounded and weakly projecting. Antennae ten-segmented, subfiliform, moderately robust, passing middle of elytra at middle of antennomere IX. Scape (0.45 mm) moderately robust, with rugose, dense, small punctures. Antennomeres III–V subcylindrical, weakly widened at apex, III–VI equal in length (0.40 mm), VI widening from middle to moderately tumid apex; VII–IX shorter (0.35– 0.25 mm), widening from base to slightly tumid apex; X (0.40 mm) narrow, fusiform. Prothorax 1.53 longer than wide, widest behind middle (0.75 mm); cylindrical (rather abruptly widened for middle fifth, hardly attenuate and slightly excavate to front margin, sinuate to base); width of base about 1.4 narrower than humeri. Pronotal surface uneven; center of disc rather convex, depressed at apical and basal constrictions, latero-basal gibbosities, rather small, but prominent and acute. Elytra three times longer than width across humeri; rather weakly sinuous at sides, narrowest before middle; distinctly depressed at base and on disc. Dorsal costa strong, almost reaching apex. Margins entirely, densely and moderately strongly asperate (with 12–14 asperities/mm). Elytral apices strongly projecting, somewhat oblique, but their shape disrupted by double row of large asperities. Legs rather robust; femoral peduncles weakly bicarinate and sulcate, claves moderately large and abrupt. Apical constriction of metafemora just passing apex of elytra. All tibiae with short projection at inner apex (that of protibia rounded at apex, on mesotibia lanceolate, on metatibia scutate); apex of protibia with small, tooth-like projection laterally. Metatibiae moderately bisinuate (viewed laterally). First segment of metatarsus slightly longer (0.40 mm) than the following two combined.

Male variation. In some males head is not paler than pronotum; in most males mesal two-thirds of elytra ochreous (in another uniformly ochreous); in three males meso- and metasterna, and abdomen rufescent (in one of these the antennae chestnut and legs entirely rufous-orange; in the other two legs rufous-orange, but mesotibia, metatibia and tarsi remain black). Elytral surface may be less reticulate; punctures may be less dense, and less uniform in size; in most males puncture rows across middle of elytra alternate between four and five rows (in some four/row predominate, in others five/row); and lateral asperities always dense, but often reduced in size. Structural variation, especially of the antennae in small specimens, is apparent, but the following are more significant; prothorax 1.3–1.4 longer than wide, may be more attenuate anteriorly, and surface irregularities reduced (in two paratypes not abruptly widened at middle, and hardly more convex on disc); elytra may be shorter (2.6 longer than wide), and humeri vary from square to strongly projecting; elytral apices variable, truncate, strongly oblique, acuminate, but nearly always projecting and strongly asperate.

Female ( Fig. 18 ). Color generally like males, but with less variation. Head not paler than pronotum, antennae, mesosternum, metasternum, abdomen and legs black; only elytra more variable, in two females almost uniformly ochreous (as in Fig. 18 ), in the rest almost uniformly rufous-orange. Antennae more robust than in male (in the largest female substantially more robust); antennomere VI widening from base to apex; apical antennomeres more crassate, and X slightly shorter than in male. Prothorax generally more cylindrical, but also more attenuate than in male. Elytra narrowest well before middle; not as strongly asperate and projecting at apex. Metafemora just reaching apex of elytra. Inner apex of tibiae lacking projections; outer apex of protibia as in male. In some females length of first metatarsomere equal to the following two combined.

Measurements (mm). 12 males / 8 females, total length 4.00–5.85/5.25–7.45; length of pronotum 1.05–1.30/1.25–1.75; width of pronotum 0.70–0.85/0.90–1.20; length of elytra 2.85–3.45/3.30–4.65; width at humeri 1.00–1.15/1.10–1.55.

Diagnosis. This species, with ten-segmented antennae, is closest to D. peruviana Martins, 1981 ; but males may be immediately separated from it (and almost all other species of the genus) by the tibiae which have a distinct, flat projection on their meso-apical surface ( Fig. 21 ). In females tibial apices are somewhat projecting; but unlike males, still bear distinct tibial spurs. Both sexes are easily separated from D. peruviana by the densely asperate elytral margins.

The only other species known to have tibial projections is Dihammaphora espinotibia sp. nov. (described below), but the projections are much longer than in D. densiserrata .

Type material. Holotype male: BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz , 17°29’96"S/ 63°39’13"W, 430m, 5 km SSE of Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna. Flying to/on flowers of “ Bejuco hoja lanuda”, 22.IV.2005 ( MNKM) . Paratypes with same data as holotype, 22–23.IV.2005, male and female ( DZUP) ; 22.IV.2005, 2 males ( FSCA) ; 23.IV.2005, male ( ACMT) ; 22.IV.2005, female ( MNKM) ; 28–30.IV.2005, male and female ( RCSZ), 2.V.2005 male and female ( RCSZ) ; 6.V.2005, male and female ( RCSZ) ; 10.V.2005, female ( RCSZ) ; 18.V.2005, male ( RCSZ) ; 2.V.2005, male and female ( MZUSP) ; 4–6.V.2005, male and female ( USNM) . Paratypes with same data as holotype, but different host flower. Flying to/on flowers of “Sama blanca”, 22.XI.2005, male ( RCSZ). Flying to/on flowers of “Sama blanca chica”, 27.X.2006, male ( RCSZ).

Comment. The diagnosis given for this species assumes that nearly all the other species of the genus lack projections on their tibiae, but in D. densiserrata the projections are short and could be overlooked.

Etymology. The specific epithet, densiserrata , refers to the densely asperate margins of the elytra.

Figures

Figures 16–22. Dihammaphora species. 16) Dihammaphora fosterorum sp. nov., male holotype, dorsal habitus. Figures 17-18. Dihammaphora densiserrata sp. nov. 17) male holotype, dorsal habitus. 18) female paratype, dorsal habitus. Figures 19-20., Dihammaphora espinotibiae sp. nov. 19) male holotype, dorsal habitus. 20) female paratype, dorsal habitus. 21) Dihammaphora densiserrata sp. nov. male holotype, protibia. 22) Dihammaphora espinotibiae sp. nov. male holotype, protibia.