Priocera ardis OPITZ, 2021

Opitz, Weston, 2021, Taxonomic revision of the Western Hemisphere checkered beetle genus Priocera KIRBY (Coleoptera, Cleridae, Clerinae), Linzer biologische Beiträge 52 (2), pp. 1145-1255 : 1158-1159

Priocera ardis OPITZ nov.sp. (Figs 81, 91, 104)

HOLOTYPE: ♂. Type locality: Equateur, Loja, Abbé Gaujon ( Ecuador) ( MNHN) . PARATYPES: 4 specimens. Ecuador: Provincia de Loja, Loja, Abbé Gaujon ( MNHN, 2; WOPC, 2) .

D i a g n o s i s: Forebody black, thorax black with slightly reddish hue; antennae, legs, and abdomen testaceous; elytra bicolored, basal 3/4 th mostly dark castaneous, apical 1/4 th yellow, each elytron with 3 yellow spots, one at basal margin, one premedial, proximal to epipleural suture, one postmedial, proximal to sutural margin.

R e d e s c r i p t i o n: Size: Length 9.5 mm; width 2.8 mm. Form: As in Fig. 104 . Head: Cranium coarsely punctate; frons wider than length of antennal pedicel; EW/FW 48/35. Thorax: Pronotum wrinkled at sides, particularly at side of pronotal arch, pronotum proper finely punctate, with 2 tumescenses ( PW /PL 130/180); elytral disc sculptured with striate asetiferous punctures that extend lightly beyond elytral basal 1/2, elytral apex rounded ( EL /EW 420/90); metathoracic femur gradually increasing in diameter to femoral apex. Abdomen: Aedeagus as in Fig. 81.

V a r i a t i o n: The available specimens are quite homogeneous.

D i s t r i b u t i o n ( Fig. 91 ): This species is known from Ecuador.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet, ardis, is a Greek name with a meaning of "point of an arrow". I refer to the shape of the phallobasic lobes.

Figures

Figs 91. Approximate distribution of species as noted.

Figs 104-107. Habitus. Priocera ardis nov.sp. (104), P. aperturosa nov.sp. (105), P. aspera nov.sp. (106), P. aurosignata (107).