Exepimelitta windsori, 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 : 15-17

Exepimelitta windsori new species

( Fig. 19, 20 )

Description of male holotype. Rather slender, moderately small (total length 10.4 mm) and broad (total length/width metasterna 4.33). Forebody (f): slightly longer than abdomen (a), f/a 1.05. Color: tegument almost entirely shining black; with rufous infusion (rufous darkening to chestnut with ageing) on the following: apical margin of clypeus; antennal scape; apical third of elytra; hind margins of urosternites (and more extensively on IV and V); mesal surface of metafemora; tibiae and tarsi (especially of front leg, less so on hind leg). The following entirely paler: mouthparts (pale chestnut); antennomeres (brownish); apex of elytra’s translucent panels (semi-vitreous); and onychium of hind leg (pale chestnut). Surface ornamentation: amplified, but setae may be somewhat shorter, and black or sepia in color; and on metatibia brushes brown, and their arrangement as follows: not untidy; on basal third rather sparser dorsally, and long (especially mesally), with a row of short tufts ventrally, on apical twothirds dense and tufted, more so laterally (but this brush interrupted at middle). The less notable, recumbent pubescence with silver color; with presence of dense patch ventrally at apex of metatibia. Puncturation: the following noteworthy: translucent panels of elytra only smooth at apex, the rest very densely punctured; on abdomen very small, almost contiguous, becoming less dense laterally, and absent from broad apical margins of each urosternite. Structure: head comparatively narrow (widths prothorax/head with eyes 1.26); rostrum rather long (width/length 2.75). Inferior lobes of eyes moderately contiguous, width of one lobe/interocular distance 4.67. Superior lobes of eyes separated by 2.86 the width of one lobe. Antennal tubercles separated by 2.40 width of scape. Antennae: comparatively long. Antennomere III short (0.7 mm), 1.07 longer than scape; 1.55 longer than IV; V and VI (0.50 mm); VII and VIII (0.45 mm); IX (0.40 mm); X (0.35 mm); XI (0.50 mm) with moderately long apical cone. Prothorax: length/width 0.85; sides slightly sinuate from widest point to apical margin (apical constriction weak); widest well behind middle (prothoracic quotient 1.74); apical and basal margins equal in width (1.55 mm); pair of arced calli well delimited; but small anterior callosities adjacent to midline weakly defined. Prosternum: base of prosternal process narrow, 14 times narrower than width of procoxal cavity; the gap between apex of post coxal process and apex of prosternal process 0.2 mm. Elytra: rather narrow and long; 1.40 longer than width across humeri; translucent panels almost obliterated by dense puncturation (reduced to a small area at apex); surface posterior to scutellum not raised; apices almost truncate. Mesosternum: mesosternal process comparatively narrow (coxal cavity 1.63 wider than base of process); base of mesosternal process with moderately raised sides; apex of process sublanceolate, hardly excavate, and lateral angles rather pointed. Mesocoxal cavity moderately widely open to mesepimerum. Lengths of mesosternum/metasternum 0.86. Abdomen: urosternite I distinctly longer than II-IV; Urosternites II and III equally long (1.00 mm) and wide (1.85 mm), almost parallel-sided, only slightly wider than base of IV, the latter rather strongly contracted to apex. V slightly shorter (0.60 mm) than IV (0.70 mm), apical margin broadly excavate, lateral angles formed by ill-defined ridge running from sides of disc to apex of angles, leaving the latter characteristically prominent and projecting (when viewed from directly above), but the sides only slightly “winged” (when viewed from the side). Abdominal process moderately inclined to abdomen (slope about 30º). Legs: ratio lengths front/middle/hind leg 1.0:1.2:2.3. Front and middle legs rather long: body length/length of legs 2.8 and 2.4 respectively. Front leg: femur 1.07 longer than tibia; tibia hardly robust; and apical margin weakly oblique. Middle leg: femur 1.46 longer than length of tibia; length of femur/lateral width of femoral clave 2.73. Hind leg: robust, body length/length of leg in both sexes 1.2; femur 1.10 longer than tibia; femoral apex reaching apical third of urosternite IV; length clave/peduncle 2.94. First metatarsomere 0.93 longer than II+III; II and III equal in length (0.35 mm).

Male variation. Color and surface ornamentation of paratypes show little variation; but tibiae and tarsi almost black in some of them, and antennae and metatibial brushes duskier in few. Structural differences limited to minor ones, as follows: in smaller paratypes apical antennal segments less serrate; inferior lobes of eyes less convex in two paratypes; pronotal disc flatter in three; apices of elytra less truncate in some paratypes, and in one subacuminate.

Description of female ( Fig. 20 ). Larger than male and more robust (total length/width metasterna 3.53). Forebody (f): distinctly longer than abdomen (a), f/a 1.21. Head: comparatively narrow (widths prothorax/head with eyes 1.36). Rostrum: slightly longer (width/length 2.45). Inferior lobes of eyes: widely separated (width of one lobe/interocular distance 1.00). Superior lobes of eyes: separated by 2.5 times the width of one lobe. Antennae: reach apex of metacoxae. Prothorax: length/width 0.78, widest near middle (prothoracic quotient 1.95). Prosternum: not depressed across middle; base of process slightly wider than in male (coxal cavity about ten times wider than base of process); apex of process with bisinuate apical margin (giving it a slightly bilobed appearance). Elytra: broad (length/width across humeri 1.26), almost hiding mesepimerum; gape wider than in male. Mesosternum: mesosternal declivity moderately deep and more abrupt than in male; coxal cavity 1.45 wider than width of mesosternal process. Abdomen: with abdominal process very large and wide, much larger than found in any other genus of Rhinotragini among the many that have been examined. Legs: similar to male, the following noteworthy: mesofemora longer, but wider (when viewed laterally) than in male; hind leg longer, 2.5 longer than front leg, apex of femur reaching middle of urosternite V; metatarsus longer, but tarsal formula the same. Surface ornamentation: very similar to male, but frons less densely punctured, these simple and deeper; metasternal pubescence much reduced, and punctures rather sparse and beveled.

Diagnosis. Exepimelitta windsori sp. nov. is close to Exepimelitta lestradei ; but can be separated by the following characters: in E. windsori elytra gape from middle; translucent panels shorter and narrower, not cleaver-shaped, almost obliterated by dense puncturation, impunctate surface reduced to small area at apex (in E. lestradei elytra gape from apical third; translucent panels longer and broader, cleavershaped, less densely punctured, impunctate area more extensive); in female of E. windsori abdomen more ovate, and urosternite V trapezoidal; and in both sexes tufts of setae on urosternite III well developed (in female E. lestradei abdomen somewhat conical, and urosternite V subconical; and in both sexes tufts on urosternite III reduced); in male of E. windsori metatibial brushes black in color (in male E. lestradei brushes are yellow).

Both species may be separated from other species of the genus by the abdominal tufts: in E. lestradei and E. windsori only found towards sides of urosternites II and III (in the remaining species these tufts are present on urosternites II-IV).

Measurements (mm) 20 males / 3 females: total length, 8.00-11.25/10.60-11.90; length of pronotum, 1.50- 1.95/1.95-2.00; width of pronotum, 1.75-2.25/2.45-2.55; length of elytra, 2.65-3.00/3.35-3.40; width at humeri, 1.95-2.40/2.65-2.70.

Type material. Holotype male, BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, 17°27’S / 63°43’W, 5 km W Buena Vista , 1 km W Candelaria, 400 m, on/flying to flowers of Gomphrena vaga : 21.VIII.2007, Clarke & Zamalloa col. ( MNKM).

Paratypes with same data as holotype. Male, 13.VIII.2007 ( FSCA) ; 5 males, 15.VIII.2007 ( RCSZ) ; male, 31.VIII.2007 ( CNMH) ; male, 21.VII.2008 ( ESSIG) ; 2 males, 21.VII, 2008 ( RCSZ) .

Paratypes with different data to holotype. BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, 17º29’96’’S/ 63º39’13’’W, 440 m, 5 km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna, Chiquitano Forest , on/flying to flowers of “Barbasquillo”: male, 23-26.X.2000, Wappes & Morris col. ( ACMT) ; female, 19.VIII. 2005 ( ACMT) ; 4 males, 1-4.VIII.2005; male, 28.VIII.2005; male, 31.VII.2007 ( RCSZ) ; on/flying to flowers of “ Ramoneo ”: male, 10.VIII.2008 ; 2 females, 17.VIII.2008 ( RCSZ) ; on/flying to flowers of “ Sapaimosi ”: female, 16.VIII.2009 ( MZSP) ; on/ flying to flowers of Gomphrena vaga : male, 29.VIII.2014 ( MZSP) .

Etymology. My wife and I chose this species name in recognition of the many ways Donald Windsor has helped us obtain specimens and equipment for our studies.

Figures

Figures 19-24.Exepimelitta gen. nov.and genusCharisia revalidated. Fig. 19-20. Exepimelittawindsori sp. nov., dorsal aspect: 19) male holotype; 20) female paratype. Fig. 21-22. Charisia durantoni (Peñaherrera-Leiva and Tavakilian, 2003), dorsal aspect: 21) male; 22) female. Fig. 23-24. Charisia euphrosyne (Newman, 1840), female: 23) dorsal aspect; 24) ventral aspect.