Priocera hovorei OPITZ, 2021

Opitz, Weston, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the West ern Hemisphere checkered beetle genus Priocera KIRBY (Coleoptera, Cleridae, Clerinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 52 (2), pp. 1145-1255 : 1179-1180

Priocera hovorei OPITZ nov.sp. ( Figs 92 , 137 )

HOLOTYPE: ♂. Type locality: Ecuador, Pichincha Prov., Tinalandia , 12-IV-1997, F. Hovore coll. ( CSCA) . PARATYPES: 3 specimens. Colombia: Departamento de Cauca, Valle de Cauca, 4 km NW San Antonio, 4-VII-1958, 1,982 m, A.H. Miller ( EMEC, 1). Ecuador: Provincia de Pichincha, 10 km W Nanegalito, 6-I-2002, F. T. Hovore ( WOPC, 1) ; Provincia de Cotopaxi, 2 km N Las Pampas , 10-12-IV-1997, E. Giesbert & F. Hovore ( FSCA, 1) .

D i a g n o s i s: Cranium, prothorax, and pterothorax castaneous; antennae, proximal 1/2 of femora, distal 1/2 of tibiae, and tarsi testaceous; elytra tricolored, admixture of yellow, brown, and testaceous.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Size: Length 9.0 mm; width 2.2 mm. Form: As in Fig. 137 . Head: Cranium coarsely sculptured, frons about as wide as length of antennal pedicel ( EW /FW 45/11). Thorax: Pronotum finely punctured at middle, shallowly carinose at sides, with 2 very prominent tumescenses and centrally located fissure ( PW /PL 85/140); elytral disc sculptured with substriate, asetiferous punctures that extend slightly beyond elytral basal 1/2, elytral apex rounded ( EL /EW 370/70); metathoracic femur gradually increasing in diameter to femoral apex. Abdomen: Aedeagus examined, then lost.

V a r i a t i o n: Size: Length 9.0-11.0 mm; width 2.2-3.0 mm. Other than body size, the available specimens are quite homogeneous.

N a t u r a l h i s t o r y: Specimens were collected during, January, April, and July at altitudes that range from 1,450 m to 1,982 m.

D i s t r i b u t i o n ( Fig. 92 ): This species is known from Ecuador.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet, hovorei, is a dedicative patronymic that honors Frank T. Hovore for his outstanding contributions to beetle taxonomy.

Figures

Figs 92. Approximate distribution of species as noted.

Figs 136-139. Habitus. Priocera hadrosa nov.sp. (136), P. hovorei nov.sp. (137), P. ipeti nov.sp. (138), P. katarubella nov.sp. (139).