Corynellus lampyrimorphus Swift, 2008

Swift, Ian, 2008, A new genus and two new species of Pteroplatini Thomson from Central America (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae), Insecta Mundi 2008 (45), pp. 1-9 : 5-7

Corynellus lampyrimorphus Swift , new species

( Figure 2 A-C, 3)

Description. Female: as in figure 2A-C, form dorsoventrally flattened, elytra explanate apically, integument black with red-pink pronotum.

Head: densely punctate, clothed with small, appressed pubescence; central frons region glabrous, frontoclypeal suture somewhat obscured, glabrous; eyes emarginate, lower lobe large, rounded, upper lobes moderately narrow, rounded, separated on vertex by about twice the width of the lower lobe, ommatidia fine; antennae attaining about three-quarters of the elytral apices, scape distinctly conical, glossy, with black erect setae, II-VI black, fairly densely clothed with short, erect, black setae of varying sizes and thickness, VII-XI yellow-white, clothed in minute appressed yellow setae.

Thorax: subtriangular in outline, widest below middle, weakly constricted posteriorly, wider than long, integument red-pink with two black maculae at either side of the midline; two unraised glabrous calli at either side lateral to the midline, lacking any tubercles; clothed with short appressed red-pink pubescence evenly throughout; evenly moderately punctate throughout (except calli), punctures spaced from others roughly by their diameter; scutellum equilaterally subquadrate, apical margin somewhat rounded, clothed with short, black, appressed setae; prosternum weakly concave, similar in vestiture to notum, procoxal cavities closed by less than their width, prosternal process narrow, weakly enlarged posteriorly; meso- and metasternum glabrous, flat, glossy, with sparse suberect elongate setae, mesocoxal process narrow, much less that the width of a coxa, parallel-sided with two lobes directed posteriorly.

Elytra: distinctly explanate in outline, becoming so broadly and evenly from the humeri; integument black with short, appressed, suberect black and golden pubescence, the humeri and lateral margins with narrow, linear, yellow-tan vittae, terminating before the middle; punctation moderate, even throughout, upper declivity of punctures broadly rounded, not coarse or abrupt; apices broadly rounded to suture, sutural angle rounded, apical margin sparsely fimbriate with erect black setae, basal margins lacking setae.

Legs: femora abruptly clavate-pedicellate, black with tinges of yellow-tan at base of femora and apex of tibia, glabrous, glossy; metatarsi with two short spines; tarsi yellow-tan except tarsomere III which is black, tarsal claw inserted into III greater than half its length.

Abdomen: black to dark brown, narrowly tapering posteriorly, giving the abdomen a distinct “V” shape (lampyroid), glabrous, with sparse, erect, pale setae; ventrite V fimbriate-ciliate on apical margin, moderately emarginate ventrally and dorsally.

Length: 8.60-8.71 mm, n = 2

Male: unknown.

Type material. Holotype female, deposited in INBio from: Costa Rica, Guanacaste Province, Pitilla Biological Station, 9 km south of Santa Cecilia , 700 m, March 1990, P. Rios, C. Moraga, and R. Blanco collectors.

Additional paratype: one female: Costa Rica, Hamburg Farm [= Hamburgo], Sta. Clara Pr. [= Limon] 23 February 1934, Nevermann Collection ( EMEC) .

Diagnosis. This species is placed in the genus Corynellus , with which it shares several characters, including the smooth, rounded pronotal shape, the broadly explanate and non-carinate elytra, non-penicillate antennae, and abruptly clavate femora. It differs from all members of the genus in having the apical antennomeres yellow-white, elytra entirely black with the exception of the humeri, the red-pink pronotum, and the narrowing V-shaped abdomen.

Within the genus, C. lampyrimorphus shares several characters with C. mimulus Bates , which include the black elytral apices, and black maculae on either side of the middle of the pronotum. Corynellus lampyrimorphus differs, however, by the characters previously mentioned.

Corynellus species are quite rare in collections, and the lack of larger series of most of the species makes differentiation difficult. Confounding this difficulty is the tendency of most mimetic cerambycid species to engage in more than one model ( Linsley 1961a).

Discussion. A Costa Rican paratype of C. cinnabarinus Chemsak and Linsley (1979) that was “tentatively assigned” to that species appears to share several characters with C. ochraceus Bates. It should be considered conspecific with that taxon.

In the Linsley et al. (1961) key to Corynellus , C. aureus Linsley is described as having “penicillate” antennae. Upon examining the holotype, the antennae appear to possess moderately dense erect setae that do not form tufts or “penicilli”. Therefore, this character should not be associated with this genus, as it may cause confusion and create difficulty defining other genera such as Pteroplatus . Although not containing a full description, the characterization of Corynellus by Napp and Martins (2006) in their key should be used to define and diagnose the genus within the tribe.

Figures

Figure 2. Corynellus lampyrimorphus, female. A) Dorsal habitus. B) Ventral habitus. C) Lateral habitus.