Charisia Champion, 1892

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 : 18-21

Charisia Champion, 1892 , revalidated

( Fig. 21-33 )

Type species: Charis euphrosyne Newman, 1840 .

Redescription of the genus. Moderately small to large, total length 9.5-17.5 mm, and broad (total length/width metathorax 3.8-4.7). Forebody (f) slightly shorter or longer than abdomen (a), f/a 0.86-1.30, longest in C. bleuzeni . Head: comparatively narrow (widths prothorax/head with eyes 1.23-1.34 in male, 1.26-1.45 in female); rostrum width/length 2.58-3.14, quotient lowest in female C. euphrosyne , highest in male C. mneme and female C. bleuzeni . Labrum moderately transverse, about two times wider than long, hardly rounded laterally (more so in C. mneme ). Clypeus and frons separated by weak declivity; apex hardly wider than labrum. Apical palpomeres of maxilla and labium rather short and broadly truncate at apex (in C. bleuzeni and C. melanaria ), or moderately long and fusiform (in the remaining species). Galea long; moderately narrow (in C. bleuzeni and C. melanaria ), narrow (in most species). In male inferior lobes of eyes convex, almost contiguous to moderately far apart, width of one lobe/interocular distance 6.0-7.0 (in C. durantoni and C. mneme ), 4.20 (in C. bleuzeni and C. melanaria ); in female weakly convex and further apart, width of one lobe/interocular distance 1.2-1.3 (in C. bleuzeni , C. euphrosyne and C. melanaria ), about 1.7 (in C. durantoni and C. mneme ). Superior lobes of eyes (based on few specimens, as usually hidden) subparallel-sided, with 9-15 rows of moderately large ommatidia; laterally narrowed by about half their mesal width (in most species, including male C. melanaria ), or narrowed by two-thirds their mesal width (in female C. melanaria ); and separated by 2.3-2.8 the width of one lobe in male, in female 2.7-3.0. Antennal tubercles weakly raised (especially in female), rounded at apex and separated by 2.6-3.3 width of scape. Antennae: moderately robust (slightly more so in male), subcrassate, with most segments elongate, and apical ones narrow at base (in most species), or robust, crassate, with only basal antennomeres elongate, and apical ones hardly narrower at base (in C. melanaria ); short to relatively long (without apparent sexual differences); apex reaching from middle of metepisternum to middle of metacoxae, or just passing metacoxae (in C. mneme ); scape usually subcylindrical, but somewhat pyriform (in C. melanaria ); and moderately narrow (width 0.25-0.35 mm); antennomeres V-X (in C. durantoni ), or VI-X (in most species) serrate, or subserrate (in C. melanaria ). Antennomere III very short to short, 0.67-0.93 length of scape (shortest in female C. durantoni , longest in male C. mneme ), 1.1-1.25 longer than IV-IX (in female C. durantoni ), or about 1.1-1.6 longer than IV-IX (in most species), or 1.6-1.8 longer than IV-IX (in male C. melanaria ); IV slightly shorter than V (in female C. euphrosyne , male C. melanaria and both sexes of C. mneme ), or equal to V (in females of C. durantoni and C. melanaria ); V- IX nearly subequal; but VIII and IX nearly always shorter than V-VII; X nearly always shorter than IX. Antennomere XI ovate, or somewhat elongate (in female of C. euphrosyne and C. mneme , and both sexes of C. bleuzeni ) with moderately small apical cone (in females of C. durantoni and C. euphrosyne ), or rather large apical cone (in both sexes of C. bleuzeni , C. melanaria and C. mneme ), as long as IV, or slightly longer (in female C. melanaria ). Prothorax: variable in shape (but without marked sexual differences); strongly transverse, length/width 0.80 (in female C. durantoni ), or less strongly transverse, length/width 0.85-0.97 (in most species); obovate and strongly convex (in C. bleuzeni and C. melanaria ); somewhat trapezoidal with rounded hind angles, and less convex (in female C. euphrosyne ); more cylindrical with weakly rounded sides (in C. mneme ); and more rectangular with weakly rounded sides, and flatter on disc (in C. durantoni ); in male widest in front of middle, prothoracic quotient in male 2.12-2.35; in female variable: in front of middle, prothoracic quotient 2.25 (in C. melanaria ), or at middle, prothoracic quotient about 2.1 (in C. bleuzeni and C. euphrosyne ), or behind middle, prothoracic quotient 1.71- 1.85 (in C. durantoni and C. mneme respectively); width of basal and apical margins of prothorax subequal (widths apex/base 0.91-1.05); basal margin moderately rounded and somewhat juxtaposed between elytral humeri. Pronotal surface only moderately irregular, with weakly raised pair of wide calli to either side of disc (the anterior one evanescent in some species, the posterior one tumid in C. bleuzeni and C. durantoni ), even so calli do not overhang profile of sides in any of the species; disc lacking callosities at midline. Apical constriction weak or absent; basal constriction strongly abrupt towards sides, and not fossate. Prosternum: flat, its surface often below level of prosternal process; the latter weakly arced (in C. durantoni ), or not at all arced (in the remaining species); base of process wide, 4 times narrower than width of procoxal cavity (in C. euphrosyne ), or 6-10 times narrower than width of procoxal cavity (in most species). Apex of prosternal process small and short; variable in shape: somewhat triangular (in most species), trapezoidal (in female C. melanaria ), bilobed (in C. bleuzeni and male C. melanaria ). Procoxal cavity rather broadly plugged laterally; behind narrowly open, the gap between apex of post coxal process and apex of prosternal process 0.1 mm (in most females), or the gap 0.15 mm (in male C. mneme ), or the gap wide, 0.40 mm (in both sexes of C. bleuzeni and C. melanaria ). Scutellum: small, trapezoidal; sparsely pubescent, or with dense, recumbent, brassy pubescence (in C. euphrosyne ). Elytra: cuneate; and, irrespective of sex, 1.14-1.22 longer than width across humeri (in most species, or maybe shorter in C. bleuzeni ), or 1.31-1.35 (in C. mneme ); apex nearly reaching to middle, or just passing metacoxae; laterally weakly arced (in most species), or not at all arced (in C. melanaria ), and hardly divergent apically; but strongly gaping for apical half (in C. bleuzeni , C. euphrosyne and C. melanaria ), or for slightly more than apical third (in C. durantoni and C. mneme ). Humeri hiding mesepimera; rounded, projecting and prominent. Each elytron gradually and strongly narrowed to rounded, unarmed apex. Without distinct translucent panel (in C. melanaria ); or with distinct translucent panel (in most species), these depressed (abruptly so towards apex) and variable in size, rather broad towards apex, reaching sutural margin (in C. durantoni ), or separated from sutural margin by narrow band of dense punctures (in the remaining species). Surface surrounding translucent panel irregular: raised adjacent to, and posterior to scutellum, and at sides (somewhat abruptly at humeri, to leave these narrow and prominent); towards apex (the panels separated from the sides by a short, well defined carina, which may represent remnants of the humero-apical costa); and at apex (giving the elytra a lobe-like appearance). Mesosternum: at center hardly more prominent than sides; mesosternal declivity deep and abrupt (in both sexes of C. durantoni , in male C. bleuzeni and females of C. euphrosyne and C. mneme ), or subabrupt (in females of C. bleuzeni and C. melanaria , and male C. mneme ), or deep and well inclined, about 60º slope (in male C. melanaria ). Base of process nearly flat; coxal cavity 1.00-1.20 wider than base of process (in female), or 1.38 wider than base of process (in male); apex of process V-shaped (in male C. mneme ), or hardly excavate (in the remaining species), the sides weakly diverging, and sharply pointed (in most species), or the sides weakly bilobed (in C. euphrosyne ). Mesocoxal cavity moderately widely open to mesepimerum. Lengths of mesosternum/metasternum 0.76-0.85. Metathorax: wide, usually relatively wider in male, body length/width metasternum 3.82-4.32, in female 4.24-4.67; sides usually weakly rounded, leaving apical margin of metasternum weakly oblique (in most species); metasternum tumid, and somewhat flattened for apical half (more so in most female), its surface more prominent than mesocoxae. Metepisternum widest at base, distinctly tapering to subacuminate apex. Abdomen: moderately robust, rather narrow (in male C. bleuzeni ), or wide (in most species), and weakly annulated; in male almost cylindrical and convex; in female slightly flattened and general shape variable: either conical, with urosternite I conical and rounded at sides (in female C. durantoni ), or fusiform, with urosternite I subconical and straight-sided (in other females); urosternite I the longest; urosternites II-IV transverse, variable in length, subequal (in both sexes of C. melanaria ), or sequentially shorter towards apex of abdomen (in most species). Urosternite V trapezoidal; in male hardly differentiated, slightly flattened on disc, apical margin excavate, and sharply pointed at sides (in C. mneme ), or truncate, and blunt at sides (in C. melanaria ); in female apical half bent downwards (weakly in C. melanaria ), apical margin truncate to excavate (in C. mneme and C. euphrosyne respectively), or acuminate to weakly acuminate (in C. durantoni and C. melanaria respectively). Abdominal process almost planar with abdomen in female; inclined in male (slope about 30º). Legs: in both sexes ratio lengths front/middle/hind leg 1.0:1.1-1.2:2.1- 2.3. Front and middle legs: body length/length of legs 2.6-2.9 and 2.2-2.6 respectively. Front leg: femur about as long as tibia, or somewhat longer (in female C. mneme ); tibia moderately robust; narrow at base, rather abruptly widening and almost parallel-sided to apex; when viewed dorsally apical margin oblique, somewhat lanceolate; apico-lateral angle looks strongly dentate. Middle leg: femur moderately long, 1.1-1.5 longer than length of tibia; femoral clave moderately robust (but not tumid when viewed from above), in both sexes length of femur/lateral width of femoral clave 3.1-3.5; tibia rather slender and almost parallel-sided to apex (in most species), or gradually widening to apex (in C. mneme ). Hind leg: robust, body length/length of leg in both sexes 1.2-1.4; femur strongly pedunculate-clavate; clave fusiform, with sides hardly parallel-sided (when viewed laterally), and weakly tumid (when viewed from above); apex reaching from basal third of urosternite III to middle of IV; clave long, peduncle short, moderately narrow, and flattened; length clave/peduncle 2.1-2.5 (in most species), or 3.1 (in C. durantoni ). Metatibia, when viewed laterally, slightly curved and bisinuate (in C. euphrosyne ,), or almost straight (in most species); moderately robust, and uniformly wide when viewed dorsally. Metatarsus: distinctly narrower than apex of metatibia, robust in male, less robust in female. Metatarsomere I cylindrical (in C. melanaria ), subcylindrical (in the remaining species); II not pediculate, trapezoidal; II slightly shorter or slightly longer than III; lobes of III usually narrow, rounded at sides, and weakly divergent. In both sexes first metatarsomere 1.00-1.27 length of II+III.

Genitalia. The description of the genitalia is based on two species, C. melanaria ( Fig. 52 ) and C. mneme ( Fig. 53 ). Tegmen similar to Exepimelitta windsori ; rather different from other epimelittids. Median lobe of aedeagus: moderately long (about 2.0- 3.2 mm), slender, modestly arced, with acuminate apex; and with small dark bodies present. Tegmen: apical part longer than basal part. Apical part divided into two relatively long, finger-shaped lobes, these strongly divergent and narrow in C. mneme , less divergent and broader in C. melanaria (length/width of lobe 3.9-6.0). Each lobe with moderately curved lateral and mesal margins, at apex abruptly wider, slightly asymmetrical and subacuminate. Basal part moderately broad and short (more so in C. mneme ). Y-piece long and narrow, the stem about as long as the fork.

General pubescence. Pubescence of pronotum, elytra and abdomen much reduced in both sexes (especially in C. mneme ); the setae usually black, rufous or chestnut; but somewhat golden on elytra (in C. euphrosyne ). Notable pubescence (tufts of long, suberect setae): generally absent on upperside of body and elytra, but can be present as diagonal patch of dense, short setae on elytra (in C. bleuzeni , C. euphrosyne and C. melanaria ); on underside of body as follows: below inferior lobes of eyes; towards sides on apical margin of prosternum; and markedly dense tufts adjacent to front margin of procoxae (in males of C. bleuzeni and C. melanaria ); sides of meso- and metasternum (or covering most of metasternum in male C. melanaria ), and metepisternum; dense rufous hair covering sides of abdomen (in male C. melanaria ). Less notable pubescence consisting of whitish or golden, recumbent hairs on: mesepimera; and sides of metasternum (in males of C. bleuzeni and C. mneme ); abdominal urosternite I liberally clothed with silver pubescence (in male C. bleuzeni ); and urosternites I and II with dense, narrow band of yellow pubescence on hind margins (in C. durantoni ). Notable pubescence on legs as follows: ventral and dorsal surfaces of pro- and mesofemora (hardly notable in C. euphrosyne and C. mneme ); aggregating in to dense tufts (in C. bleuzeni and C. melanaria ); almost uniformly clothing metafemoral clave (not especially dense, but notable suberect stiff setae in most species; denser and longer in C. bleuzeni ); metatibiae with dense brushes (in C. bleuzeni ), or bunching into denser patches, but not quite dense enough to be called brushes (in female C. euphrosyne and male C. mneme ), or adorned with long setae, only moderately dense, and somewhat more uniformly distributed (in C. durantoni , C. melanaria , and female C. mneme ); and not emanating from swellings on tibial surface.

General puncturation. On upperside: generally very dense, rather small, and alveolate on head, pronotum and elytra; on head and pronotum uniformly distributed, without smooth, impunctate areas, except on frons (in most species); or sides of pronotum smooth between large, subalveolate punctures (in C. durantoni ); on elytra smooth, impunctate areas restricted to translucent panels, these sparsely impunctate (in most species), or entire elytral surface almost uniformly densely punctate, obliterating vestiges of translucent panels (in C. melanaria ). Underside puncturation mirrors the state of its pubescence; the punctures generally very dense and small: on prosternum confused and contiguous; micropunctate on mesosternum; on metasternum beveled (in C. melanaria and C. mneme ), or less dense, not beveled, and larger on metasternum (in C. durantoni and C. euphrosyne ); on abdomen punctures small; dense and beveled (in C. melanaria ), or less so (in male C. mneme ); micropunctate (in C. euphrosyne and female C. mneme ); or sparsely and shallowly punctate (in C. durantoni ).

Species included in this genus: Charisia durantoni ( Peñaherrera-Leiva and Tavakilian, 2003) , comb. nov.: Charisia euphrosyne ( Newman, 1840) , comb. nov.; Charisia melanaria Gounelle, 1911 ; Charisia mneme ( Newman, 1841) , comb. nov.; Charisia bleuzeni ( Peñaherrera-Leiva and Tavakilian, 2003) , comb. nov.; and on a provisional basis Charisia ornaticollis Zajciw, 1973 . The holotype of the latter, deposited in National Museum , Rio de Janeiro, has not been examined, as they will not lend specimens to nonmuseum personnel (pers. comm. M.A. Monné, MNRJ) ; and the original description, with figure, together with a rather poor photograph of the holotype (available on the internet) do not supply the information needed to determine its true status. Zajciw (1973) suggests his species to be near to Charisia bicolor ; and it may be better placed in Erratamelitta .

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.

Figures 25-30. Genus Charisia revalidated. Fig. 25-28. Charisia melanaria Gounelle, 1911: 25) male, dorsal aspect; 26) male, ventral aspect; 27) female, dorsal aspect; 28) female, ventral aspect. Fig. 29-30. Charisia bleuzeni (Peñaherrera-Leiva and Tavakilian, 2003), dorsal aspect: 29) male;30) female holotype.

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).