Priocera aperturosa 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 : 1157-1158

Priocera aperturosa OPITZ nov.sp. ( Figs 27 , 91 , 105 )

HOLOTYPE: ♂. Type locality: VENEZUELA: Aragua, Rancho Grande, 6-VI-01973, G. Ekis ( FSCA) . PARATYPES: Two specimens. México : Estado de Chiapas, Las Rosas, at lights, 12-III-1963, R. C. Bechtel, E. I. Schlinger ( EMEC) ; 6 km NW Teopisca , 30-VI-1-VII-1977, 1.830 m, E. M. Fisher ( WFBM) .

D i a g n o s i s: Castaneous, except antenna testaceous and elytra tricolorous, mostly castaneous, elytral apical 1/5 th, sides of humeral angle, and basal half of epipleural margin testaceous; each elytron with 3 yellow markings, one spheroid at middle of basal margin, one premedial irregularly shaped near epipleural margin, one transverse, postmedial near sutural margin; 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. 105 . Head: Frons wrinkled, frons wider than length of antennal pedicel; EW/FW 32/26. Thorax: Pronotum wrinkled at sides, coarsely punctate at middle, with 2 tumescenses, slight fissure at middle ( PW /PL 95/130); elytral disc sculptured with striate, asetiferous punctures that extend to elytral apex, latter rounded ( EL /EW 340/80); metathoracic femur gradually increasing in diameter to femoral apex. Abdomen: Inner ventral margin of phallobasic lobe with spine; aedeagus as in Fig. 27.

V a r i a t i o n: Size: Length 8.0- 9.5 mm; width 2.0-3.0 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 March and June, the holotype at 1,000 m.

D i s t r i b u t i o n ( Fig. 91 ): The species is known from México and Venezuela.

E t y m o l o g y: The specific epithet, aperturosa, is a compound name that stems from the Latin aperture (= hole) and the suffix - osus (= abundance). I refer to the extensive distribution of the asetiferous punctures on the elytral disc.

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