Sphaerion lingafelteri, Galileo, Maria Helena M. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016

Galileo, Maria Helena M. & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2016, Five new species and a new country record in American Cerambycidae (Coleoptera), Zootaxa 4196 (1), pp. 129-143 : 133-135

Sphaerion lingafelteri sp. nov.

( Figs. 11–14 )

Description. Male. Integument dark-brown; mouthparts light reddish-brown; antennae light reddish-brown, slightly lighter toward distal segments; elytra light reddish-brown except narrow black band along margins of distal sixth (gradually brown toward anterior region); femora light reddish-brown, gradually darker after middle of club toward black distal region; tibiae light reddish-brown, slightly lighter toward apex; tarsi light reddish-brown. Setae yellowish.

Head. Frons deeply, transversely sulcate close to clypeus, mainly laterally; finely, abundantly punctate laterally, smooth on narrow central region; with short, sub-decumbent, sparse setae. Area between upper eye lobes finely, densely, confluently punctate, mainly centrally; with short, decumbent, moderately abundant setae and some long, erect setae close to eyes. Area between upper eye lobes and prothoracic margin tumid, finely, abundantly punctate (punctures coarser than area between upper eye lobes, confluent toward prothoracic margin); with short, decumbent, sparse setae (sparser than area between upper eye lobes). Antennal tubercles finely, abundantly punctate close to longitudinal sulcus, sparse on central region, finer, abundant close to apex; with short, decumbent, sparse setae. Area behind eyes finely, abundantly punctate, mainly close to upper eye lobe, gradually sparser toward inferior side of lower eye lobe; with short, sparse setae except on narrow area close to distal half of lower eye lobe with abundant setae. Submentum finely, abundantly punctate interspersed with coarser punctures (centrally punctures confluent, striate); with short, erect, moderately abundantly setae interspersed with long, erect setae. Genae, finely, abundantly punctate close to eye, smooth close to apex; with short, abundant setae close to eye, glabrous toward apex. Postclypeus transversely sulcate centrally near anteclypeus; finely, abundantly punctate except on smooth, transverse central region; with short, moderately abundantly setae (glabrous on smooth area), with one very long seta on each side. Mandibles coarsely, confluently, punctate laterally, mainly on base, with triangular, elongate depression close to inferior margin; with short, moderately abundantly setae interspersed with long, erect setae. Distance between upper eye lobes 0.65 times length of scape; distance between lower eye lobes in frontal view 0.95 times length of scape. Antennae 1.9 times elytral length, reaching elytral apex at apex of antennomere VIII. Scape finely, abundantly punctate, mainly laterally, sparser toward apex; with short, sparse, decumbent setae interspersed with long, erect setae. Antennomeres with long, erect setae, mainly ventrally, distinctly more abundant on basal segments; antennomeres III–VI dorsally sulcate; inner apex of antennomere III with minute spine; inner apex of antennomere IV with short spine; inner apex of antennomeres V–X unarmed. Antennal formula (ratio) based on antennomere III (spines not included): scape = 0.59; pedicel = 0.14; IV = 0.76; V = 0.85; VI = 0.84; VII = 0.88; VIII = 0.77; IX = 0.72; X = 0.68; XI = 0.89.

Thorax. Prothorax 1.25 times wider than long; sides distinctly rounded, unarmed; sides coarsely, deeply, moderately abundantly punctate, except sub-smooth triangular area close to anterior margin (this area narrowed toward pronotum); with minute, abundant setae (not obscuring integument), interspersed with long, erect, sparse setae. Pronotum with 5 distinctly gibbosities: two irregular, placed on each side of central region and one elongate centrally (distinctly wider on its basal 2/3, narrow on its distal third); central area between and on gibbosities shiny, opaque on remaining surface; finely, abundantly punctate on shiny area, smooth on gibbosities; opaque surface with punctures coarser, deeper, mainly toward anterior region and sides of prothorax; shiny region with minute, sparse setae (distinctly more abundant on basal region) interspersed with long, erect setae; opaque region with minute, abundant setae, not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect setae (minute setae forming moderately narrow, elongate band on each side of distal half, obscuring integument). Prosternum coarsely, abundantly punctate on basal half, gradually finer toward distal third; distal third finely, transversely striate; with minute, abundant setae, not obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect setae. Prosternal process with minute, abundant setae (more abundant centrally) interspersed with long, erect setae. Mesosternum minutely, abundantly punctate, interspersed with fine punctures; with minute, abundant setae (slightly distinct centrally) interspersed with long, erect setae (more abundantly centrally). Mesepimeron, mesepisternum and metepisternum with minute, abundant setae, almost obscuring integument, interspersed with long, erect setae, mainly on metepisternum. Metasternum minutely, densely punctate, interspersed with fine, sparse punctures; with minute, abundant setae, distinctly sparser toward central area, interspersed with long, erect setae. Scutellum, with short, decumbent, abundant setae almost entirely obscuring integument. Elytra. Coarsely, abundantly punctate on basal third, gradually finer, sparser toward apex; with minute, sparse setae interspersed with long erect setae; uniformly rounded on apex of outer margin toward apex of short spine, obliquely truncate from spine toward rounded sutural angle. Legs. Femora with minute, sparse setae interspersed with long, erect setae (distinctly more abundant on ventral side of peduncle). Outer side of tibiae slightly sulcate on basal half (inferior margin of sulcus carinashaped). Metatarsomere I slightly longer than II–III together.

Abdomen. Ventrites finely, abundantly punctate; with minute, abundant setae (not obscuring integument, more abundantly laterally and basal central region), interspersed with long, erect, moderately abundant setae. Distal margin of ventrite V slightly concave.

Dimensions (mm). Holotype male. Total length (including mandibles), 17.20; prothoracic length, 2.85; anterior prothoracic width, 2.50; posterior prothoracic width, 2.70; largest prothoracic width, 3.80; humeral width, 4.05; elytral length, 11.80.

Type material. Holotype male from BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz: Huaico (near Potrerillo del Guendá ; Andrés Ibáñez Province ; 17º40.5’S / 63º26.6’W; 425 m), 22–23.XI.2013, S. Lingafelter col. ( MNKM).

Etymology. The new species is named after Steven W. Lingafelter, collector of the holotype.

Remarks. Sphaerion lingafelteri sp. nov. shares some features with species of Nephalius Newman, 1841 , as for example, the maxillary palpus almost as long as twice the labial palpus, similar distance between lower eye lobes in frontal view, and the elytra somewhat flattened distally. This makes the differences between Nephalius and Sphaerion very questionable. However, we are including the new species in Sphaerion mainly by its notable similarity with S. inerme White, 1853 , a species notably variable in dorsal pubescence and general color of the integument. Notwithstanding, the new species differs from S. inerme as follows: antennae in male distinctly shorter, exceeding elytral apices at antennomere VIII ( Fig. 11 ); femora distinctly less clavate ( Fig. 14 ). In S. inerme , the antennae in male are longer (exceed elytral apex at antennomere VI) ( Figs. 15–16 ) and the femora are more clavate ( Fig. 17 ).

Sphaerion lingafelteri sp. nov. can be included in the alternative of couplet “5” from Martins (2005) (translated; modified):

5(4). Larger dimensions (length, 31–52 mm); antennae, in both sexes, with relatively long spine at antennomeres III–VI. United States of America (Texas) , Mexico (Chiapas) , Brazil (Pará, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Santa Catarina) , Argentina and Uruguay......................................... S. exutum (Newman, 1841)

- Smaller dimensions (length, 21–40 mm); antennae unarmed or with minute spine (male) or with very short spine at antennomeres III–VI (female)................................................................................... 5’

5’(5). Antennae (male) longer, exceed elytral apex at antennomere VI; femora distinctly clavate ( Fig. 17 ). Brazil (Mato Grosso, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraíba, Pernambuco, Bahia, Minas Gerais, Espírito Santo, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul) , Bolivia (Beni, Santa Cruz, Tarija) , Paraguay, Argentina (Jujuy, Salta) , Uruguay........................................................................................... S. inerme White, 1853

- Antennae (male) shorter, exceeding elytral apices at antennomere VIII; femora less distinctly clavate ( Fig. 14 ). Bolivia......................................................................................... S. lingafelteri sp. nov.

Figures

FIGURES 11 – 17. 11 – 14, Sphaerion lingafelteri sp. nov., holotype male: 11, dorsal habitus; 12, ventral habitus; 13, lateral habitus; 14, femora. 15 – 17, Sphaerion inerme, male: 15, dorsal habitus; 16, lateral habitus; 17, femora.