Phrynidius nayaritensis, Heffern & Nascimento & Santos-Silva, 2018

Heffern, Daniel, Nascimento, Francisco E. De L. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2018, Descriptions, redescription, notes, and new ranks in American Cerambycidae (Coleoptera), Zootaxa 4531 (1), pp. 59-80 : 70-72

Phrynidius nayaritensis sp. nov.

( Figs 20–24 )

Description. Male. Integument mostly black; apex of palpomeres yellowish-brown; anteclypeus partially reddishbrown; anterior area of labrum partially yellowish-brown. Grayish-brown pubescence, everywhere, may be more yellowish depending on the intensity of light source.

Head. Frons finely, moderately sparsely punctate; with dense grayish-brown pubescence obscuring integument, whitish on small area close to antennal tubercles, and narrow pale yellow pubescent band close to eyes (this band entirely surrounding eyes) interspersed with minute, sparse, curved, white lanceolate setae, more abundant centrally. Vertex finely, sparsely punctate; with grayish-brown pubescence obscuring integument, without lanceolate white setae. Area behind eyes moderately coarsely, sparsely punctate; with dense grayish-brown pubescence obscuring integument, slightly darker than on frons and vertex; with minute, very sparse, curved, white lanceolate setae. Antennal tubercles moderately elevated, slightly separated from each other, together forming Vshaped sulcus; with grayish-brown pubescence obscuring integument, except narrow band with small, decumbent white setae close to apex. Median groove distinct from clypeus to between upper eye lobes. Genae with grayishbrown pubescence obscuring integument, interspersed with minute, moderately sparse (more abundant than on sides of frons), curved, white lanceolate setae; about as long as twice length of lower eye lobe. Wide central area of postclypeus with grayish-brown and grayish-white pubescence not obscuring integument; sides glabrous. Labrum coplanar with anteclypeus at posterior half, inclined at anterior half; posterior half moderately finely, sparsely punctate, with minute, sparse whitish setae interspersed with long, erect yellowish setae; anterior half with short and long golden setae. Gulamentum glabrous except narrow anterior area with grayish pubescence not obscuring integument. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.27 times length of scape (4.4 times width of one lobe); in frontal view, distance between lower eye lobes 0.92 times length of scape. Antenna 1.8 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at base of antennomere XI. Scape cylindrical, slightly widened toward apex; in side view, curved; with dark grayish-brown pubescence except narrow basal ring with sparse lighter pubescence and wide distal ring with pale yellowish pubescence; with minute, curved, abundant dark setae, and sparse, curved, white lanceolate setae, more abundant dorsally. Pedicel with pale yellowish pubescence except nearly glabrous basal area, interspersed with sparse, curved, white lanceolate setae. Antennomeres III–IV with narrow pale yellowish ring anteriorly and posteriorly, and dark grayish-brown pubescence; with minute, curved dark setae, and curved, sparse white lanceolate setae. Remaining antennomeres with minute brownish pubescence nearly obscuring integument, except ring with pale yellowish pubescence posteriorly. Antennal formula (ratio) based on length of antennomere III: scape = 0.90; pedicel = 0.14; IV = 0.78; V = 0.38; VI = 0.34; VII = 0.32; VIII = 0.32; IX = 0.30; X = 0.28; XI = 0.30.

Thorax. Prothorax as long as wide; with irregular tubercle with blunt apex at posterior third; sides moderately widened from anterior margin to lateral tubercles, slightly narrowed from lateral tubercles to posterior margin (both areas irregular). Pronotum entirely rugose; central third elevated, with longitudinal center of this area forming large tubercle with its anterior area distinctly more elevated; with grayish-brown pubescence obscuring integument, except glabrous, wide, longitudinal band on center of posterior area, and irregular area on each side of center. Sides of prothorax moderately coarsely, sparsely punctate, rugose; with grayish-brown pubescence obscuring integument interspersed with a few white, curved, small lanceolate setae. Prosternum with grayish-brown pubescence obscuring integument; prosternal process somewhat rugose; pubescence as on prosternum. Central area of mesoventrite with grayish pubescence not obscuring integument; sides with dense grayish-brown pubescence. Mesanepisternum and mesepimeron with dense grayish-brown pubescence; mesanepisternum coarsely punctate. Metaventrite with dense grayish-brown pubescence obscuring integument (slightly less so toward center), interspersed with minute, curved, white lanceolate setae. Scutellum very narrow, triangular, glabrous. Elytra. Entirely rugose, coarsely, deeply, moderately abundantly punctate on center of basal third, finely, sparsely punctate on remaining surface; widest area (without tubercles) 1.6 times humeral width; with four rows of large conical tubercles, innermost not reaching middle of elytra, one from humerus to near apex (tubercles gradually larger toward posterior curvature, then gradually smaller), one from humerus to about posterior quarter (tubercles gradually larger toward posterior area), one laterally, from anterior margin to near apex (distinctly larger toward posterior curvature, then gradually smaller); with sparse, small conical tubercles along entire surface; with grayishbrown pubescence obscuring integument, except glabrous central area of anterior third; with minute, sparse, curved white lanceolate setae throughout. Legs. Femora and tibiae with grayish-brown pubescence nearly obscuring integument, interspersed with abundant, short, curved, white lanceolate setae, except distal area with grayish-white pubescence, and golden setae as follows: posterior quarter of inferior side of protibiae; inside of dorsal sulcus of mesotibiae (near apex); and fringe at posterior margin of all tibiae. Tarsi with grayish-white pubescence dorsally, not obscuring integument.

Abdomen. Ventrites with grayish-brown pubescence nearly obscuring integument laterally, slightly sparser centrally, distinctly sparser on apex of V; with small white lanceolate setae, more abundant on center of ventrites I– II, and throughout on V; posterior area of V with long, erect brownish setae; apex of ventrite V rounded.

Dimensions (mm). Total length, 10.75; prothoracic length, 3.15; posterior prothoracic width, 2.65; anterior prothoracic width, 2.55; widest prothoracic width (between apices of lateral tubercles), 3.10; humeral width, 2.80; elytral length, 6.50.

Type material. Holotype male from MEXICO, Nayarit: 20 km E Las Piedras (Hwy 200; 730 m), 7.VI.1991, no collector indicated ( TAMU).

Remarks. Phrynidius nayaritensis sp. nov. differs from P. armatus Linsley, 1933 (see photographs of the holotype and allotype at Bezark (2018)) by the slender antennae (antennomeres thicker and shorter in P. armatus ), and antennomere III longer than scape (antennomere III shorter than scape in P. armatus ). The new species can be separated from P. asper Bates, 1885 (see photographs of a paralectotype at MCZ Type Database (2018)) by the slender body (distinctly widened in P. asper ), longer antennae (distinctly shorter in P. asper ), and antennomere III longer than scape (shorter than scape in P. asper ). Phrynidius nayaritensis differs from P. echinoides Breuning, 1940 (see photograph at Lingafelter et al. (2018)) by the body distinctly slender (distinctly widened in P. echinoides ), and by the lower eye lobes notably smaller (“les joues a peine de moitié plus longues que les lobes inférieurs des yeux” [gena 1.5 times longer than lower eye lobe], according to Breuning 1940). It differs from P. inaequalis (Say, 1835) by the longer antennae, distinctly surpassing middle of the elytra (distinctly shorter, not reaching middle of the elytra in P. inaequalis ), antennomere III distinctly longer than scape (distinctly shorter than scape in P. inaequalis ), and pronotum with central tubercle very distinct (slightly distinct in P. inaequalis ). Phrynidius nayaritensis differs from P. echinus Bates, 1880 (see photograph of the lectotype at Bezark (2018)) by the antennae distinctly longer (shorter in P. echinus ), and by the pronotal and elytral tubercles very distinct (not so in P. echinus ). It differs from P. salvadorensis Franz, 1954 by the antennomere III longer than scape (shorter in P. salvadorensis ). Finally it differs from P. singularis Bates, 1880 ( Fig. 18 ; see also photograph of a syntype at Bezark 2018) by the elytral tubercles more abundant and narrower, especially on distal half (sparser and wider in P. singularis ), scape, basal antennomeres, femora and tibiae without dense white pubescence (present in P. singularis ), internal space between ocular lobes narrower ( Fig. 20 ) (wider in P. singularis ( Fig. 19 )).

According to Linsley (1933) there is no variation in the length of antennomere III when compared with the scape. However, we saw that antennomere III, at least in P. singularis , is somewhat variable, from as long as the scape to longer than the scape but, apparently, the difference is not significant.

Etymology. Named for the state of Nayarit in Mexico where the type was collected.

Figures

FIGURES 17–24. 17, Pogonillus subfasciatus, male, dorsal habitus. 18–19, Phrynidius singularis, male: 18, dorsal habitus; 19, Eyes. 20–24, Phrynidius nayaritensis, holotype male: 20, Eyes; 21, Head, frontal view; 22, Dorsal habitus; 23, Ventral habitus; 24, Lateral habitus.