Paraeclipta tomhacketti, Clarke Abstract, 2011

Clarke, Robin O. S., 2011, Bolivian Rhinotragini Iv: Paraeclipta Gen. Nov. (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae), New Species And New Combinations, Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 51 (15), pp. 233-251 : 244-246

Paraeclipta tomhacketti sp. nov.

Figs. 5A, 5B

Holotype male: 5.70 mm. Deposited at MNKM.

Diagnosis: Males of Paraeclipta tomhacketti are best separated from those of P. melgarae by their more testaceous colour (in P. melgarae orange-yellow), and almost uniformly dense punctures on elytra (in P. melgarae elytral punctures are sparser on basal third). Paraeclipta tomhacketti may be separated from the rest of the Bolivian species by the yellowish first abdominal segment; and the female from most of the others by its cylindrical abdomen, only shared with P. tomhacketti and P. moscosoi .

Description of holotype: general colour as P. melgarae with the following differences: the yellow colour is nearer testaceous (lacking orange tint); prosternum (including all of process) yellow with black triangular fascia at centre; front and hind angles of pronotum yellow; antenna with some differences of colour distribution, the following yellow: all of scape and pedicel, basal half of antennomeres III-IV and VIII-X, and basal third of V-VII and XI; elytra brown; basal quarter with broad yellow fascia centred on humeri (inc base and epipleura) yellow; the rest of each epipleuron, suture, and area around and behind scutellum blackish; legs noticeably more testaceous, femora and tibiae of front and middle legs entirely yellow; metafemoral clave and metatibia black for apical half.

Structure: rostrum (0.20 mm) slightly less than half length of inferior lobes of eyes. Clypeus punctate. Frons densely punctate, the punctures deep, oval and irregular in size; interocular space extending and slightly widening to middle of frons, leaving middle of frons intact, but sides of frons somewhat divided from extension of interocular space by slight declivity; frontal suture almost reaching clypeus (prolonged by extension of interocular space). Inferior lobes of eyes hardly contiguous, width of one lobe about six times interocular space, the latter slightly raised above eyes. Superior lobes of eyes separated by (0.25 mm) about three times their own width. Apices of antennal tubercles separated by 2.5 width of scape. Antennae reach middle of urosternite II; scape (0.35 mm); antennomere III (0.45 mm); IV (0.35 mm); V (0.40 mm); VI (0.35 mm); VII (0.30 mm) elongate, narrower at base; VIII (0.30 mm) less elongate, wider at base, apex moderately widened; IX-XI (equally and entirely widened) forming loose club; IX (0.30 mm) and X (0.25 mm) quadrate, XI (0.35 mm) elongate. Prothorax 1.23 longer than wide, widest just behind middle, from here to front margin sides slightly emarginate, and oblique to basal constriction; apical and basal margins of pronotum subequal (0.65-0.70 mm), the former with narrow, smooth, raised border. Prosternal process almost completely flat (apex slightly upturned and declivous across middle), base long and narrow, ca. 0.05 mm wide (coxal cavity 0.30 mm wide); apex large, with slightly raised sides, and flat centre. Scutellum rounded. Elytra just reaching base of urosternite V; 3.6 longer than width of humeri, the latter not prominent nor projecting, outer angle hardly rounded; apical half of elytra slightly and regularly widening almost to apex (where apices abruptly narrower); apices relatively widely separated (due to short, but abrupt gape), slightly obliquely truncate; sutural and lateral angle obtuse with small tooth; humero-apical costa almost entire. Size and shape (round) of elytral punctures almost uniform; more disperse and irregularly distributed on yellow fascia; denser and more regularly distributed posteriorly, adjacent to humero-apical costa with wider, slightly raised interstices; between costa and suture forming transverse to slightly arced rows of two or three punctures, and few of them contiguous. Abdomen parallel-sided, narrow and convex, widest at middle of urosternite I-II; II-IV subequal (0.65- 0.60 mm) with rounded sides; V trapezoidal shorter (0.45 mm), hardly tumid laterally, U-shaped depression almost obsolete, apical margin emarginate. Abdominal process not long (0.20 mm), rather narrow and triangular, with acuminate apex. Legs: claves less abrupt and moderately tumid mesally. Length of hind leg 3.80 mm; apical two-thirds of protibia parallel-sid- ed (apex 1.4 wider than base); apex of metafemora reaching apex of urosternite III; metatibia (1.50 mm) shorter than metafemora (1.60 mm), cylindrical and almost straight, slightly thickening to apex. Tarsi moderately long, pro- and mesotarsi subequal in length (0.50-0.60 mm), metatarsi longer (0.70 mm); metatarsomere I (0.25 mm).

Variation: the single, smaller, male paratype shows no significant differences from the holotype: the eyes are slightly more contiguous, and some of the surface sculpture is reduced.

Description of female ( Fig. 5B ): colour different from male: antennae and prothorax cinnamon and black; middle and front legs orange-yellow, hind legs as male; apical half to third of antennomere III black or dusky; prothorax entirely translucent cinnamon-yellow, except basal quarter of pronotum with opaque, black, trapezoidal fascia at middle (in one female this fascia small and conical); meso- and metasternites black, except mesepimeron yellow; elytra completely yellow across extreme base, otherwise similar to male; abdomen entirely transparent yellow. Rostrum as male. Clypeus almost impunctate. Sides of frons densely punctate, the punctures deep, oval and regular in size, and divided into rows by elongate, fine sulci; interocular space extending and widening to base of clypeus as uninterrupted level surface (and almost planar with clypeus), leaving genae demarcated from extension of interocular space by distinct declivity; frontal suture hardly traceable, represented by very fine sulcus from antennal tubercles to middle of inferior lobes of eyes. Inferior lobes of eyes not widely separated, width of one lobe 1.6 times interocular space, the latter slightly raised above eyes, slightly depressed at midline, with irregular row of 6-7 punctures to each side (these divided into groups by micro-carinae), and at middle a group of five towards apex. Superior lobes of eyes separated by (0.25 mm) about 2.5 times their own width. Prothorax 1.22 longer than wide, widest at middle, apical constriction obsolete, sides regularly rounded from apex to basal constriction. Prosternal process entirely flat, base wider than in male (ca. 0.10 mm), about one third width of coxal cavity. Elytra flat, more so apically than male; 3.45 longer than width of humeri; humeri slightly projecting; humero-apical costa less distinct; apical dehiscence shorter and not as wide as in male; elytral punctures less disperse on basal third. Abdomen cylindrical, almost parallel-sided, broad, deep, and convex, widest at apex of urosternite II, length of I+II equal (1.35 mm), III to V (0.55 mm) incrementally shorter; V trapezoidal, slightly declivous across middle, apical margin quadrate, otherwise undifferentiated. Abdominal process rather wide and triangular, and blunt at apex. Legs very similar to male, including narrower protibiae, but metatibia strongly curved latero-mesally (almost straight in male).

Measurements (mm) (2 males / 5 females): total length, 5.00-5.20/6.00-7.50; length of pronotum, 0.85-0.95/1.10-1.20; width of pronotum, 0.70-0.75/0.90-1.05; length of elytra, 2.90-3.20/3.80-4.45; width at humeri, 0.80-0.90/1.10-1.20.

Type material: Holotype male, BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz, Quebrada Angostura , 19°48’S / 63°39’W, 1,070 m, 26 km W Ipati, 6 km W Estancia Caraparacito, 03.I.2008, R. Clarke / S. Zamalloa col., on/flying to flowers of Croton sp. A ( MNKN).

Paratypes with same data as holotype: 1 male and 1 female ( RCSZ) .

Paratypes with different data from holotype: Chuquisaca, Incahuasi , 1,600 m, E. Muyupampa, 3 females, XII.1984, L.E. Peña col. ( MZUSP); Monteagudo, 1,300 m, 1 female, XII.1984, L.E. Peña col. ( RCSZ) .

Discussion: Paraeclipta tomhacketti is close to P. melgarae , but their distribution (submontane Chaco Forest, as opposed to lowland Amazon Forest), the many small differences in colour and structure, and their presence in different kind of flower and plant (open bushes with large flower spikes, as opposed to dense, leafy trees with relatively small flower spikes) will separate the two species in the field.

Without field data males of P. melgarae and P. tomhacketti can only be separated under magnification (and only reliably with larger specimens): P. melgarae lacks the extension of the interocular space on to frons (but present in half of the females), and interocular space is about as wide as width of inferior lobe (in P. tomhacketti about two-thirds width of lobe); prothorax more rounded at sides (but more like P. tomhacketti in small specimens), and not much narrower than base of elytra (distinctly narrower in P. tomhacketti ); elytral punctures almost uniformly dense (seems to be a constant character, and maybe the best), and elytral apices less gaping; protibial differences between the two species (as recorded under their descriptions are not reliable with small specimens); metafemoral clave appears to be more abrupt in P. melgarae , and generally 3/5 of the apex black, but these differences are too close to P. tomhacketti (clave more cylindrical, half of femoral apex black) to exclude the equalizing effects of variation.

Fortunately the females of the two species present more cogent differences. Colour differences: none of the eleven paratypes of P. melgarae have a trapezoidal black fascia at the base of pronotum (as in four of the five females of P. tomhacketti ), eight of them have the rubber stamp-shaped fascia, in one this is reduced to an irregular triangle, and in two pronotum is unicoloured; in one female of P. melgarae the mesepimeron is yellowish, in the rest black (in P. tomhacketti it is yellow); in P. melgarae urosternite V is normally chestnut to black, but yellowish in two specimens (in P. tomhacketti it is yellow). Surface of interocular space between inferior lobes is somewhat rugose with dense punctures in all females of P. melgarae (in P. tomhacketti punctures on interocular space are separated by smooth interstices). Female structural differences are: abdomen (see diagnosis); width of inferior lobe of eye divided by interocular space: the mean for the five females of P. tomhacketti is 1.53 (range 1.20-1.75), the mean for all females of P. melgarae is 1.13 (range 1.0-1.5); female protibia is narrower and more parallel-sided in P. tomhacketti , wider and less parallel in P. melgarae ; the metatibia in P. tomhacketti is rather strongly curved, in P. melgarae straight to slightly curved; and comparison of one female of each species of equal size (6.00 mm) legs and antennae are more robust, and antennal club more incrassate in P. melgarae , than they are in P. tomhacketti .

Etymology: this species is dedicated to Thomas Hackett; with a generous donation, the first to support the establishment of Amboró National Park, Department of Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Figures

FIGURES 5‑6: 5, Paraeclipta tomhacketti sp. nov.: A male holotype, B female paratype. 6, Paraeclipta moscosoi sp. nov.: A male holotype, B female paratype.