Erratamelitta, Clarke & Flora & Fauna & Casilla & de & Sierra & Bolivia, 2016

Clarke, Robin O. S., Flora, Hotel, Fauna, Casilla, de, Santa Cruz, Sierra & Bolivia, 2016, Provisional revision of the genus Epimelitta Bates, 1870 and associated genera, with a brief synopsis of the genus Acorethra Bates, 1873 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), Insecta Mundi 2016 (504), pp. 1-43 : 23-25

Erratamelitta gen. nov.

( Fig. 34-36 )

Type species: Charis erato Newman, 1840 , here designated.

Description of the genus. Rather small species, total length 5.60-10.00 mm, and broad (total length/ width metathorax 5.06-5.88). Forebody (f) shorter than abdomen (a), in male, f/a 0.80-0.96; in female, f/ a 0.93. Head: relatively narrow (widths prothorax/head with eyes in male 1.19-1.27, in female 1.19); rostrum short, in male width/length 3.56-3.60, in female 3.00. Labrum moderately transverse, rounded laterally, about 2.5 times wider than long. Clypeus separated from frons by weak declivity; apex hardly wider than labrum. Apical palpomeres of maxilla and labium fusiform, truncate at apex; maxillary palp rather flat, larger and longer than labial pulp. Galea long, and moderately narrow. Inferior lobes of eyes: subcontiguous in male, widely separated in female (width of one lobe/interocular distance in male 3.80- 4.00, in female 1.13); moderately convex in male, weakly convex in female. Superior lobes of eyes: subparallel-sided, with 8-9 rows of moderately large ommatidia; laterally narrowed by about one third their mesal width; and separated by 2.80-3.00 the width of one lobe in male, in female by 3.60. Antennal tubercles moderately raised, rounded at apex, and separated by 3.14 width of scape in male; 3.25 in female. Antennae: moderately robust and somewhat crassate (slightly more so in female), with all segments elongate (apical ones weakly so), relatively long, apex reaching apical third of urosternite I in male, in female just passing metacoxae. Scape subcylindrical, rather narrow (width 0.20 mm in both sexes), especially at base; antennomere III narrow and filiform; IV and V filiform in male, widened at apex in female. Antennomeres VI-X incrementally crassate and serrate. Antennomere III (0.50-0.65 mm) slightly longer than scape (in E. eliasi ), or as long as scape (in both sexes of E. erato ), about 1.4-1.6 longer than IV and VIII-X, only slightly longer than V-VII; IV about 1.2 shorter than V and VI in male, in female 1.4 shorter than V and hardly shorter than VI; VI-X incrementally shorter in male, in female similar (but VI and VII, and VIII and IX equal in length). Antennomere XI (0.40-0.45 mm) somewhat elongate; slightly longer than IV, 1.3 longer than X; with moderately large apical cone in male, smaller in female. Prothorax: with strongly rounded hind angles; trapezoidal to subtrapezoidal with sides not uniformly rounded (in male E. erato ), or subcylindrical with sides regularly and rather strongly rounded (in male E. eliasi and in female in E. erato ); moderately transverse length/width 0.93 (in male E. erato ), or more quadrate, length/width 0.97-1.00 (in female E. erato and in male E. eliasi ); convex in female, slightly flattened in male; widest in front of middle (prothoracic quotient 2.30 in E. eliasi ), or widest well behind middle, or just behind middle in female (prothoracic quotient in E. erato male 1.47, in female 1.88); basal margin moderately rounded and somewhat juxtaposed between elytral humeri; slightly wider than apical margin (widths apex/base 0.96). Pronotal surface only moderately irregular (in E. eliasi and female E. erato ); more so (in male E. erato ); with pair of wide calli to either side of disc, the anterior one almost evanescent, the posterior one tumid (but not overhanging profile of sides); disc lacking callosities at midline; apical constriction weak, basal constriction narrow and strongly abrupt towards sides (and not fossate). Prosternum: flat, surface almost planar with prosternal process; the latter weakly arced; base of prosternal process narrow, 6-7 times narrower than width of procoxal cavity; apex of prosternal process a short, wide, isosceles triangle in male, almost bilobed in female. Procoxal cavity rather broadly plugged laterally; behind rather narrowly open, the gap between apex of post coxal process and apex of prosternal process about 0.10-0.15 mm. Scutellum: rather short, trapezoidal. Elytra: cuneate, 1.53-1.63 longer than width across humeri; apex reaching middle of urosternite I in both sexes; laterally hardly arced, and hardly divergent apically; but moderately gaping for apical third. Humeri: not hiding mesepimera, not rounded, moderately projecting and prominent. Each elytron gradually and weakly narrowed to rounded, unarmed apex. Translucent panels rather ill-defined, hardly paler than adjacent areas of elytra, or more contrasting (in E. eliasi ), limited to middle half of elytra, weakly depressed, and rather broad towards apex, and only separated from sutural border by a few large punctures. Surface surrounding translucent panel hardly irregular, weakly raised adjacent to, and posterior to scutellum; towards sides abruptly raised at humeri (to leave these narrow and prominent); towards apex panels not separated from sides by carina (as remnants of the humero-apical costa absent). Surface just posterior to translucent panels with weak transverse depression, giving the elytral a weak lobe-like appearance. Mesosternum: center nearly planar with sides; mesosternal declivity moderately deep and abrupt (with about 70º slope) in both sexes. Mesosternal process partially hidden by dense pubescence; base of process moderately wide, widths mesocoxal cavity/process 2.0-2.3 (in male and female E. erato ), or 2.5 (in E. eliasi ); apex lanceolate; sides towards apex slightly widened to blunt tooth (in E. erato ), or sides distinctly widened to sharp spine (in E. eliasi ). Mesocoxal cavity moderately widely open to mesepimerum. Lengths of mesosternum/metasternum: 0.71 (in E. eliasi ), 0.74-0.77 (in male and female E. erato ). Metathorax: moderately wide, body length/width across metasterna 5.1-5.3 (in male and female E. erato ), or 5.9 (in E. eliasi ); sides more or less rounded to middle of metasternal apex; metasternum tumid and weakly flattened, its surface about planar with apex of mesocoxae; metepisternum wide and moderately acuminate at apex. Abdomen: in both sexes convex (not at all flattened), urosternites transverse (less so in female); I longest, II and III subequal, IV shorter than III, longer than IV. In male: nearly cylindrical, weakly annulated (urosternites with slightly rounded sides); rather robust, wide and parallel-sided (in E. eliasi ), or slightly narrowed at apex of urosternite II and IV, and widest near apex of II (in E. erato ). Urosternite V trapezoidal; with deep U-shaped soleate depression occupying most of surface; when viewed laterally with large, triangularshaped wings (in E. erato ), or rhombic-shaped wings (in E. eliasi ); apical margin broadly excavate. In female: abdomen weakly fusiform, almost parallel-sided to base of urosternite V; not annulated (urosternites almost straight-sided); urosternite I broad and subconical, apical segments wider than normal; urosternite V short and trapezoidal, apical half weakly bent downwards, apical margin broadly rounded with weak projection at midline. Abdominal process in male a narrow isosceles triangle, with about 10º slope to surface of urosternite I; and intimately inserted between metacoxae. In female abdominal process a large, wide, equilateral triangle, planar with abdomen. Apical tergite in male cylindrical, strongly convex and rounded at apex; rather long (in E. erato ), or rather short (in E. eliasi ); in female moderately short and flatter. Legs: in both sexes ratio lengths front/middle/hind leg 1.0:1.3:2.4-2.5. Front and middle legs: body length/length of legs about 3.0 and 2.4 respectively. Front leg: femur hardly longer than tibia; tibia moderately slender; narrow at base, rather abruptly widening and almost parallel-sided to apex; when viewed dorsally apical margin oblique, somewhat lanceolate; with small setose tubercle at apico-lateral angle (but not dentate). Middle leg: femur long, about 1.5 longer than tibia; femoral clave moderately robust and tumid mesally (when viewed from above), and long (lengths clave/ peduncle 1.7-1.8); moderately broad in male, rather narrow in female (length of femur/lateral width of femoral clave 3.6-3.8 in male, 4.1 in female); tibia rather slender and gradually widening to apex. Hind leg: robust, body length/length of leg in both sexes 1.2-1.3; femur pedunculate-clavate, 1.5-1.7 longer than tibia; clave long, fusiform, viewed laterally rather robust and abrupt basally, length of femur/width of clave 5.58 (in E. eliasi ), or slender and not abrupt, length of femur/width of clave 6.09-6.22 in male, 6.50-6.89 in female (in E. erato ); sides weakly tumid (when viewed from above); apex reaching base of urosternite IV (in E. eliasi ), basal third of IV (in female E. erato ), middle of IV (in male E. erato ); peduncle cylindrical, moderately long and slender (less so in female); lengths clave/peduncle 1.8 (in both sexes of in E. erato ), or 2.2 (in E. eliasi ). Metatibia: moderately robust; slightly bisinuate (viewed laterally), straight and gradually widening to apex (viewed dorsally). Metatarsus slender, much narrower than apex of metatibia. Metatarsomere I subcylindrical; II not pediculate, weakly trapezoidal, III shorter than II, the lobes narrow, hardly rounded at sides, and weakly divergent. In both sexes: first tarsomere 1.33-1.45 longer than II+III (in E. erato ), 1.27 longer than II+III (in E. eliasi ).

Genitalia. Based on E. erato ( Fig. 57 ). Tegmen and median lobe characteristic: proportions of tegmen similar to Epimelitta scoparia (apical and basal parts of nearly equal length); but the median lobe broader than any other epimelittid examined. Median lobe of aedeagus: moderately long (about 1.5 mm), broad, weakly arced, with acuminate apex; and small dark bodies present. Tegmen: apical and basal parts of nearly equal length. Apical part divided into two finger-shaped lobes, these divergent, relatively short and wide (length/width 2.8), each lobe with strongly curved lateral and mesal margins, at apex hardly wider, symmetrical and subacuminate. Basal part broad and relatively long. Y-piece rather long and broadly, and the stem about as long as the fork.

General pubescence. Much reduced (more so in female). Notable pubescence (dense tufts of long setae) usually absent from body. Less notable pubescence: on upperside: frons, surface surrounding pronotal disc, and basal half of elytra with variable amounts of dense, recumbent, golden or brassy pubescence (and on scutellum dense silver pubescence); and some longer, fine, erect hairs on pronotum. On underside: pubescence silver in color (but dense pubescence almost absent in female); in male prosternum densely clothed with untidy, long hairs; meso- and metasterna rather densely clothed with long, recumbent hairs, on metepisterna replaced by sparser, long, erect hairs; abdomen rather sparsely pubescent, the hairs short and subrecumbent; towards sides of all urosternites narrow arced patches of recumbent hair on latero-basal margins.

General puncturation. On upperside punctures generally setose, very dense, rather small, and alveolate; on pronotum the punctures elongated, giving the surface a striated appearance; on elytra larger, granulate and confluent basally, incrementally larger and more spaced towards apex, at apex mixed with smaller ones. Underside puncturation based on the state of its pubescence (less strong and often beveled in female); the punctures comparatively deep and large on prosternum; generally alveolate, very dense and small to microscopic below patches of dense, recumbent pubescence on mesosternum and metasternum (sparser and larger towards basal margin of latter, and on metepisternum). On abdomen somewhat beveled; in male punctures alveolate, rather small, deeper and denser towards apex (in E. erato ), or generally rather shallower and sparser (in E. eliasi ); in female punctures shallow and sparse away from sides, towards sides not much denser, deeper and less beveled.

Species included in this genus: Erratamelitta eliasi sp. nov. and Erratamelitta erato ( Newman, 1840) , comb. nov.

Figures

Figures 31-36. Genus Charisia revalidated and Erratamelitta gen. nov. Fig. 31-32. Charisia mneme (Newman, 1841): 31) male, dorsal aspect; 32) male, ventral aspect. 33. Charisia ornaticollis Zajciw, 1973, holotype, female. 34.Erratamelitta eliasi sp. nov., paratype, male lateral aspect. Fig. 35-36. Erratamelitta erato (Newman, 1840), dorsal aspect: 35) male; 36) female.

Figures 49-57. Tegmen and median lobe of aedeagus in the genus Epimelitta and related genera. Fig. 49- 54. Magnification x1 (represented by2 mmscale bar):49) Epimelitta scoparia (Klug, 1825);50) Exepimelitta nigerrima (Bates, 1892); 51) Exepimelitta windsori sp. nov.; 52) Charisia melanaria Gounelle, 1911; 53) Charisia mneme (Newman, 1841); 54) Acorethra chrysaspis Bates, 1873. Fig. 55-57. Magnification x2 (represented by 1 mm scale bar): 55) Adepimelitta debilis (Gounelle, 1911); 56) Adepimelitta eupheme (Lameere, 1884); 57) Erratamelitta erato (Newman, 1840).