Ecliptoides pseudovicinus, Clarke, 2013

Clarke, Robin O. S., 2013, Bolivian Rhinotragini Vii: Provisional Report Of Higher Altitude Species (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae) With Descriptions Of New Taxa, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 53 (28), pp. 373-406 : 373-406

Ecliptoides pseudovicinus sp. nov.

Figs. 7A, 7B

Holotype male: 6.35 mm. Deposited at MNKM.

Diagnosis: In nearly all males of Ecliptoides basal third of elytra is furnished with long hairs; but in males of E. eunomia and E. pseudovicinus these hairs are lacking (but note, present in females of E. pseudovicinus ). These two species are readily separated by the following: in E. pseudovicinus the prosternum is almost entirely blackish, with only front and hind margins yellowish (in E. eunomia almost entirely yellowish); and in E. pseudovicinus antennomeres are almost uniform pale chestnut (in E. eunomia antennomeres with distinct yellowish annulations).

Ecliptoides pseudovicinus sp. nov. is similar to Ecliptoides vicinus (Melzer, 1927) from Brazil (Minas Gerais), both species closely, minutely and almost uniformly punctured above; with rather short and broad rostrum; prothorax similar in shape, surface of pronotum with longitudinal depressions to either side of midline; with rather broad, short, moderately dehiscent elytra, the apices weakly excavate and truncate; and their overall colouration almost the same. However, the males of the Bolivian species differ from a male cotype of the Brazilian species as follows: in E. pseudovicinus forebody is distinctly longer than abdomen (in E. vicinus forebody is slightly shorter than abdomen); in E. pseudovicinus inferior lobes of eyes are far from contiguous (in E. vicina they are nearly contiguous); in E. pseudovicinus head is almost entirely testaceous (in E. vicinus almost entirely blackish); in E. pseudovicinus antennae are filiform, almost uniform pale chestnut, and without distinct paler annulations on apical segments (in E. vicinus apical antennomeres form a moderate club, scape to antennomere III are entirely blackish, and the rest contrastingly annulated yellowish); in E. pseudovicinus metafemoral peduncle and base of clave are yellow (in E. vicinus only basal half of peduncle is yellow, the rest, and all of clave, dark chestnut).

Ecliptoides pseudovicinus resembles E. schmidi ; but the two species are readily separated by the following: in male E. pseudovicinus the inferior lobes of eyes are rather widely separated (in E. schmidi contiguous); and in E. pseudovicinus antennae are filiform (in E. schmidi apical antennomeres widened to form a distinct club).

Description of holotype: General colour: opaque black and tan. Vertex of head black, rest of head and antennae tan. Prothorax black, the following tan: front and hind margin of prosternum, and all of prosternal process. Meso- and metathorax black. Elytra black with two broad, tan coloured panels from base to middle, each panel cuneate, touching sutural border, further from sides of elytra; epipleur adjacent to humerus tan. Abdomen black, apical third of urosternite I paler. Legs, including coxae, tan, except meso- and metafemoral peduncles yellow, and the following black: sides of mesofemoral club, and all of metafemoral club, apical two-thirds of meso- and metatibia, metatarsus and all onychia.

Structure: Small, moderately narrow, rather longlegged species. Forebody long (3.35 mm) 1.2 longer than abdomen. Head with eyes slightly narrower than prothorax. Rostrum wide (0.7 mm), 2.8 wider than long, the sides subparallel. Labrum small and strongly transverse. Inferior lobes of eyes large, but only moderately convex; spherical, their front margins lying on frons, hind margins transverse; far from contiguous; interocular (0.20 mm) about 1.8 narrower than width (0.35 mm) of one lobe, lying below level of eyes, bisected by deep frontal suture, and, as rest of frons, closely punctured and pubescent. Superior lobes narrow, separated by more than twice their own width (about 0.15 mm). Surface of mentum-submentum somewhat confused by many, arced, narrow carinas and large, irregular punctures. Neck somewhat tumid, and head slightly widening behind eyes. Antennal tubercles weakly prominent, apices rounded, separated by about twice width of scape. Antenna filiform, moderately long, just reaching apex of elytra, only weakly setose from antennomere III to apex of V; scape subcylindrical (length 0.45) and rather narrow (0.15 mm); antennomere III and V longest (0.55 mm), distinctly longer than IV, VI and VII (all 0.40 mm); VIII to X (0.30 mm) incrementally shorter; XI (0.35 mm) acuminate, without demarcated cone. Prothorax lacking smooth areas, uniformly covered by confused, dense, small, alveolate punctures (these, together with some overlying, short pubescence, obliterating much of surface detail); longer (1.20 mm) than wide (1.05 mm), widest just in front of middle, sides moderately bisinuate to front margin, more strongly sinuate to hind margin; front border narrower than hind border (hind angles moderately explanate and rounded). Pronotum irregularly convex; anterior constriction shallow, but wide; basal constriction narrow and rather weak; these constrictions connected by way of two shallow depressions lying to each side of midline (these depressions flanked by pair of ill-defined calli). Sides of prothorax marked by irregular, harp-shaped patch of short, white, recumbent pubescence centred on an elongate callus; this patch and associated surface features may represent the sexual puncturation since the features described are not absent, but much reduced in the female. Prosternum weakly convex, declivous across apical third, basal two-thirds inclined towards coxal cavities; prosternal process almost flat, base laminate (about fifteen times narrower than width of coxal cavity), apex moderately large and trapezoidal. Mesosternum rather short (0.60 mm), two-thirds length of metasternum; moderately strongly declivous to mesosternal process; base of process narrow (about 0.08 mm, five times narrower than width of coxal cavities), apex of process bilobate; mesepimeron rather narrow throughout (mesal and lateral apical thirds only slightly wider, and weakly narrowed to middle); coxal cavities narrowly open to epimera. Elytra flat (and lacking humero-apical costa); 2.70 mm long, 2.5 longer than width of humeri (the latter slightly projecting, but hardly prominent); nearly reaching apex of urosternite II; each elytron rather wide throughout, but weakly narrowing from base to apex, and dehiscent from middle (not strongly, but sufficient to leave the apices of each elytron widely separated); the latter slightly excavate and transversely truncate (with minute, acute tooth marking both sutural and lateral angles). Elytral surface similar to that of pronotum, uniformly and closely punctured and pubescent; but devoid of long hairs. Metasternum tumid and somewhat flattened at centre (but more prominent than mesocoxae), sides subparallel, rounded from base to middle of apex; metepisternum subrectangular (not much wider at base than at middle, weakly narrowed to apex). Abdomen convex, subcylindrical and moderately narrow; widest at middle of urosternite II; lengths of I and III equal, IV hardly shorter; V short and trapezoidal, shallow, surface flattened from base to apex, and with rounded depression towards apex; apical margin truncate. Abdominal process planar with surface of abdomen, triangular, apex pointed and intimately inserted between metacoxae. Legs pedunculate-clavate (claves fusiform and subabrupt, meso- and metafemoral peduncles flattened, the latter rather robust); long, especially middle leg, and metatarsus; ratio length front/middle/hind leg 1.0:1.6:2.5. Front leg 2.70 mm; tibia slightly shorter than femur, narrow basally, apices almost truncate with tooth laterally, tarsomere I elongate and cylindrical (longer than II and III), II trapezoidal, III narrow, with weakly diverging lobes. Middle leg long, 4.20 mm (two-thirds total length of body); tibia slightly shorter than femur; tarsus as protarsus in structure. Hind leg 6.50 mm, as long as body; clave less abrupt than others, 1.2 longer than peduncle; tibia slightly longer (2.70 mm) than femur cylindrical, almost straight, only slightly wider at apex; with rows of long sparse setae on dorso-lateral surfaces; tarsus 1.25 mm, tarsomere I narrow, cylindrical, and long, 2.0 longer than II + III, II and III no wider, but short, III with narrow, hardly diverging lobes.

Genitalia (examined in situ): Lateral lobes of tegmen (parameres) rounded at apex, and apical setae rather short.

Male variation: None of the paratypes differ significantly in colour from the holotype. In two male paratypes elytra 2.6-2.7 longer than width at humeri, just reaching basal third of urosternite III. All the male paratypes lack longer hairs on basal third of elytra.

Description of female: Example size 6.80 mm; general colour almost as male, but the following dusky: frons (in all three paratypes); and in two of them, centre of mentum-submentum; antennomeres IV-VI, and coxae; in one female front and hind margin of prosternum, and all of prosternal process; in the “above Achira” females front legs and femoral claves. In the lowlands (Hotel Flora & Fauna) female elytra’s tan coloured panels shorter (occupying basal third of elytra). Abdomen chestnut to black, apical margins of urosternites paler. In both female paratypes basal third of elytra with long hairs.

Structure: Forebody long (3.50 mm) 1.1 longer than abdomen. Rostrum (0.75 mm) 2.5 wider than long; and in two females (one from higher altitude, the oth- er from the lowlands) with rounded, low callus to either side of midline. Inferior lobes of eyes smaller, less convex and further apart (the width of one inferior lobe equal to interocular distance); interocular with 3-4 rows of dense punctures; antenna fall well short of elytral apex, reaching base of urosternite II. Elytra 2.4-2.6 longer than width of humeri (shortest in the lowland female); reaching from middle of urosternite II (in the lowland female) to apex of three (in the two higher altitude ones). Mesosternum weakly declivous to base of mesosternal process; the latter narrow (about 0.10 mm), four times narrower than width of mesocoxal cavity. Abdomen broadly fusiform; and closely pubescent (as in male).

Legs: Similar to male; ratio length front/middle/hind leg 1.0:1.4:2.5; front and hind leg as long as in male (and hind leg also as long as body), middle leg and hind tarsus shorter than in male; metatarsomere I about 1.9 longer than II + III.

Measurements (mm): 4 males / 3 females: total length 6.15-6.90/6.20-6.75; length of pronotum 1.20-1.25/1.10-1.30; width of pronotum 1.00-1.05/0.90-1.05; length of elytra 2.90-2.95/2.80-3.00; width at humeri 1.10-1.15/1.05-1.25.

Type material: Holotype male, BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, Provincia Florida, Floripondio (east), 18°08’S / 63°44’W, 1914 m, flying to/on flowers of “Sotillo”, 29.XI.2009, Clarke & Zamalloa col. ( MNKM).

Paratypes with slightly different data from holotype: Amboro Rd above Achira, 18°07’43”S /63°47’98”W, 1940 m, 1 male, 14-15.X.2006, Morris & Wappes col. ( RCSZ) ; 1 male, 1 female, 14-15.X.2006, Morris & Wappes col. ( ACMT) ; ditto, 1 male ( MZUSP) ; ditto, 1 female ( RCSZ) .

Paratype with different data from holotype: BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, Prov. Ichilo, Hotel Flora & Fauna, 5 km SSE of Buena Vista , 17°29’96”S/ 63°39’13”W, 440 m, on/flying to flowers of “Ramoneo”, 1 female, 11. VIII .2008, Clarke & Zamalloa col. ( RCSZ) .

Etymology: The species’ epithet, pseudovicinus (which means “the false vicinus ”) draws attention to its similarity to E. vicinus .

Figures

FIGURES 7‑12: 7, Ecliptoides pseudovicinus sp. nov.: A = male holotype, B = female paratype. 8, Stenopseustes lingafelteri sp. nov.: A = male holotype. 9, Tomopterchasia sullivanorum sp. nov.: A = male holotype. 10, Tomopterchasia cuneiformis (Fisher, 1952) comb. nov., A = female. 11, Tegmen of aedeagus: A = Ephippiotragus wappesi sp. nov., B = Ephippiotragus thomasi sp. nov., C = Amborotragus vestigiepimeron sp. nov. 12, Tegmen of aedeagus: A = Isthmiade mariahelenae sp. nov., B = Isthmiade ichneumoniformis Bates, 1870.