Priocera acrobela 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 : 1156-1157

Priocera acrobela OPITZ nov.sp. ( Figs 25 , 91 , 100 )

HOLOTYPE: ♂. Type locality: SAN ANTONIO de los Altos, m. 1300, (Edo. Miranda, Venezuela). A second label reads: 15-VI-1964, leg. BORDON ( WOPC) . PARATYPES: 19 specimens. Panamá: Provincia de Panamá, Cerro Campana, 29-VI-1974, C. W. & L. O’Brien & Marshall ( WOPC, 1). Venezuela: Estado de Aragua , Tiara , 21-V-1967, 1,200 m, C. Bordón ( WOPC, 1) ; Rancho Grande , 10-IV-1973, 1,100 m, G. Ekis ( BMNH, 1; OXUM, 1; SDEI, 1; SMTD, 1) ; idem, 20 km N Maracay , 22-30-IV-1972, 1,130 m, C. T. Collins ( CASC, 1) ; idem: 6-IsV-1978, 1,100 -1,500, O’Brien & Marshall ( JNRC, 1) ; idem, 13- VIII- 1988, 1,200 -1,400 m, C. W. & L. O’Brien & Wibmer ( CMNH, 1) ; Estado de Miranda, San Antonio de los Altos , 24-XII-1963, 1,300 m, C. Bordón ( AMNH, 1) ; idem, 2-I-1964, C. Bordón ( MCZC, 1) ; idem, 5-V-1963, C. Bordón ( CSCA, 1) ; Estado de Distrito Capital , Caracas,?-?-1921, A. J. C. Rojas ( USNM, 1) ; Los Venados, Parque Nacional Avila , 11- VIII- 1968, 1,600 m, C. Bordón ( WOPC, 1) ; idem, 20- VIII- 1967, 1,600 m, Bordón ( ZMHB, 1) ; 11- VIII- 1968, 1,600 m, C. Bordón ( FMNH, 1) ; El Limón , 20-VI-1965, 1,800 m, C. Bordón ( FSCA, 1) ; Estado de Mérida, 6 km E Las Cruces, 13-VII-1986, R. S. Miller ( WFBM, 1). Colombia: Departamento de Huila , Parque Nacional Puracé, 1-VI-1972,2,300 m, C. Bordón ( WOPC, 1) .

D i a g n o s i s: Forebody and pterothorax castaneous; antenna testaceous; elytra tricolorous, ground color with admixture of testaceous and brown markings, elytral apex yellow; each elytron with 3 yellow markings, one at elytral base, one positioned in front of middle near epipleural margin, one postmedial near sutural margin; legs mostly castaneous, proximal region of femora and distal region of tibiae testaceous, upper margin of femoral capitulum castaneous, tarsi testaceous; abdomen testaceous.

D e s c r i p t i o n: Size: Length 8.0 mm; width 2.0 mm. Form: As in Fig. 100 . Head: Cranium finely punctate; frons about as wide as length of antennal pedicel ( EW /FW 37/7). Thorax: Pronotum finely punctate, with 2 tumescenses ( PW /PL 70/110); elytral disc sculptured with striate asetiferous punctures that extend to elytral distal 3/4 th ( EL /EW 320/60); metathoracic femur gradually increasing in diameter to femoral apex. Abdomen: Aedeagus as in Fig. 25.

V a r i a t i o n: Size: Length 6.0-8.0 mm; width 1.8-2.0 mm. The yellow spots on the elytral disc may be white.

D i s t r i b u t i o n ( Fig. 91 ): This species is known from Panamá, Colombia, and Venezuela.

E t y m o l o g y: The trivial name, acrobela, stems from the Greek belos (= arrow). I refer to the arrow-like shape of the phallobase.

Figures

Figs 91. Approximate distribution of species as noted.

Figs 25-33. Aedeagus. Priocera acrobela (25), P. angulata(26), P. aperturosa (27), P.apicalis (28), P. aurosignata (29), P. batesi (30), P. bibulla (31), P. campbelli (32), P. catalinae (33).

Figs 100-103. Habitus. Priocera acrobela nov.sp. (100), P angulata (101), P. apicalis (102, 103).