Tessaromma Newman, 1840

Jin, Mengjie, Ślipiński, Adam, Keyzer, Roger De & Pang, Hong, 2017, Review of Australian genera Tessaromma Newman and Phlyctaenodes Newman with description of a new genus and species (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Phlyctaenodini), Zootaxa 4277 (1), pp. 67-85 : 74-76

Tessaromma Newman

( Figures 3 , 4 M–Y)

Tessaromma Newman, 1840: 20 . Type species by monotypy, Tessaromma undatum Newman, 1840 .

Meropachys Hope, 1841: 54 . Type species by subsequent designation, McKeown 1947: 54, Meropachys tristis Hope, 1841 .

Description. Length 6–21 mm. Body slender, brown to dark brown with distinct marble-like or wavy setose pattern on elytra. Vestiture double of sparse stiff bristles and dense adpressed setae. Head with weak frontoclypeal suture; eyes coarsely facetted, completely divided into, two broadly separated parts. Antenna 11-segmented; scape pear-shaped, strongly expanded apically, concave ventrally; pedicel transverse, distinctively shorter than scape; antennomere 4 slightly shorter than antennomeres 3 or 5. Pronotum with sharp lateral projections, and at least weakly developed tubercles on pronotal disc (sometimes hardly visible). Prosternal process narrow, weakly expanded posteriorly; Mesoventral process broad and meeting metaventrite. Elytra rounded or obliquely truncate apically; elytral surface with at least three rows of granules each bearing apical puncture and bristle. Procoxa with transverse plate covering part of trochanter; femora strongly clavate, without ventral setose brushes; protibia with 2 apical spines.

Remarks. There are only four genera of Australian Cerambycidae with eyes completely divided into two parts: Skeletodes Newman , Phalota Pascoe, Wattlemoria Slipinski & Escalona and Tessaromma . Skeletodes differs from Tessaromma by having long and slender legs and an apical spine on antennomere 3. Tessaromma can be separated from the other two genera by having femora strongly pedunculate-clavate, and dorsum with dense golden adpressed pubescence forming wavy pattern.

Tessaromma setosa McKeown, 1942 ( Figs 2A–2C ) described from Queensland, Yarraman ( QMB) does not belong to Phlyctaenodini having the sunken type of antennal articulation, the procoxal cavities without lateral extensions, the protrochantin not visible externally and the mesocoxal cavities closed to mesepimeron. In the generic key to Australian Cerambycinae ( Slipinski & Escalona 2016) it will key to Ectinope Pascoe sharing elongate body, clavate femora, prothorax without lateral projections and the procoxal cavities externally open. We are transferring that species to that genus as Ectinope setosus (McKeown) comb. nov. It differs from the single, type species E. spinicollis Pascoe by its superior size (16 mm as compared to 8–9 mm), broader upper eye lobe and the elytral surfaces bearing rows of setigerous shiny punctures.

Figures

FIGURE 2. A – C: Tessaromma setosa McKeown (Holotype, QM). D – E: Tessaromma aurata McKeown (Holotype, AM). F – G: Phlyctaenodes queenslandicus sp. nov. (Holotye, ANIC).

FIGURE 3. A – D: Tessaromma nanum Blackburn. E – F: Tessaromma undatum Newman. G – H: Tessaromma triste (Hope). I – J: Tessaromma argenteonigra Gressitt (Holotype, BPBM).

FIGURE 4. A – D: Phlyctaenodes pustulatus (Hope); E – H: Phlyctaenodes pustulosus Newman; I – L: Phlyctaenodes sordidus (McKeown); M – P: Tessaromma nanum Blackburn; Q – U: Tessaromma triste (Hope); V – Y: Tessaromma undatum Newman. A, E, I, M, Q, V: penis; B, F, J, N, R, W: tegmen; C, H, K, O, S, X: sternite VIII; D, G, L, P, T, Y: tergite VIII; U: endophallus.