Enoclerus delusus Rifkind

Rifkind, Jacques, 2017, New species of Mutillid Mimicking Enoclerus Gahan (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae) from Mexico and Central America, Zootaxa 4231 (3), pp. 409-420 : 411-412

Enoclerus delusus Rifkind , n. sp.

( Figs 2–3)

Diagnosis. Separable from congeners by a unique combination of elytral markings, setation and integumental sculpturing. Although superficially similar to Enoclerus deletus , with which it is sympatric in Costa Rica, E. delusus can be readily separated from the former by virtue of its shining, shallowly micropunctate pronotal and elytral integument, and the presence of a subsagittate array of whitish setae on the anterior third of the elytra ( Fig 3 ).

Description (holotype male). Length: 8.80 mm. Color: black; mouthparts and antenna (in part) reddish brown; elytra with a pair of rectangulate yellow maculae, situated slightly posterior to middle, complete laterally to epipleura, broadly interrupted internally ( Fig. 2). Head: surface shiny, minutely granulate, moderately densely clothed with both reclinate and erect, rather stout whitish setae; antennae moderate in length, club rather gradual, antennomere 11 more than 2x as long as antennomere 10. Pronotum: about as broad as long, narrower than elytra at base; transverse impression broadly V-shaped at middle, subsinuate laterally; disk subflattened; posterior slope rather gradual; surface shining, very finely, rather densely puncticulate and finely, shallowly rugulose; pronotal arch asetiferous (possibly the result of abrasion, as the paratypes do not have this region similarly denuded); disk inconspicuously but rather densely set with rather short, fine, suberect black setae, intermingled with longer, more robust, erect black setae; pronotal posterior slope, basal collar and sides moderately densely clothed with rather long, robust, reclinate and erect whitish setae. Elytra: elongate (almost 2x as long as wide); sides subparallel, slightly expanded posterior to middle, then gradually, arcuately convergent to separately rounded, dehiscent apices; humeral angles subquadrate; subbasal tumescences obsolete, tubercles absent; disk subflattened, surface shining, integument sculpted as on pronotum; vestiture similar to that of pronotal disk except as follows: elytral anterior margin narrowly vested with robust, whitish setae, just posterior to which is a rather broad subsagittate patch of similar setae, these oriented posteriorly; yellow maculae inconspicuously, moderately densely clothed with short, suberect, rather fine orangish setae; each elytron with a moderately broad, slightly oblique subapical band composed of reclinate silvery setae. Legs: rather conspicuously clothed with whitish setae, both reclinate and erect. Mesosternum: posterior median process only feebly elevated; surface rather thickly vested with whitish setae. Metasternum: surface vested as on mesosternum. Abdomen: surface rather thinly clothed with reclinate whitish setae; visible sternite 5 with posterior margin very broadly, very feebly arcuately emarginate; visible sternite 6 small, hind angles rounded, posterior margin rather deeply V-inflected at middle; visible tergite 6 with sides oblique, posterior margin rather broad, slightly arcuately emarginate, distinctly surpassing posterior margin of sternite 6.

Variation. Length of available specimens ranges from 7.5 to 10.0 mm. The female has visible tergite and sternite 6 with their posterior margins conjointly rounded. The Panamanian paratype has somewhat smaller elytral maculae than the Costa Rican examples, and these are eburneous rather than yellow. As mentioned above, the paratype specimens do not exhibit the denuded pronotal arch of the holotype.

Type specimens. Holotype: Costa Rica, Cartago, Turrialba , CATIE, 23–VI–1996, L. M. LaPierre, coll. ( CSCA) . Paratypes: COSTA RICA: 1 ( JNRC) , Cartago, Turrialba , CATIE, May 28–31, 1987, E. Giesbert; 1 ( JNRC) , Cartago Pr., Turrialba , CATIE, 23 June, 1996, F. T. Hovore, coll. ; PANAMA: 1 ( WFBM) , Panamá Prov., 10–15 km N El Llano , 4/ 5 June, 1986, F. T. Hovore, coll., on dead wood.

Distribution. Costa Rica and Panamá.

Etymology. The specific epithet means “deceitful” or “false” and is a reference to this species’ deceptively close resemblance to the sympatric E. deletus .

Figures

FIGURE 3. Detail of elytral anterior dorsum of Enoclerus delusus, showing subsagittate setal pattern. FIGURE 4. Habitus of Enoclerus incanus.