Hippopsis fractilinea Bates, 1866

Vlasak, Josef & Santos-Silva, Antonio, 2023, Description of a new species of Hippopsis Lepeletier & Audinet-Serville and comments on the identity of H. quadrivittata Breuning (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae, Agapanthiini), Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia 63, pp. 1-7 : 5-7

Hippopsis fractilinea Bates, 1866

( Figs. 3 A-3K, 3M)

Hippopsis fractilinea Bates, 1866: 41 .

Hippopsis biapicata Breuning, 1940a: 81 .

Hippopsis fractilinea ; Galileo & Martins, 1988a: 198 (syn.); Martins & Galileo (2006): 480 (key), fig. 2; Lingafelter et al., 2017: 200; Galileo et al., 2017a: 176 (key).

Hippopsis quadrivittata ; Galileo & Martins, 1988a: 198; Martins & Galileo (2006): 480 (key), fig. 5; Galileo et al., 2017a: 176 (key).

Remarks: Bates (1866) described H. fractilinea based on syntypes from Brazil (Amazonas). Breuning (1940a) described H. biapicata ( Fig. 3M) based on a single specimen from Bolivia and reported that it differs from H.fractilinea by the lower eye lobes twice longer than the gena. Galileo & Martins (1988a) synonymized H. biapicata with H. fractilinea (translated): "The features mentioned by Breuning (1962: 8) [redescription] separating H. biapicata from H. fractilinea is the relation between the length of lower eye lobe and the genae: twice the length of the genae in H. biapicata and less than twice the length of the genae in H. fractilinea . This is a secondary sexual feature, which invalidates the distinction between species. Furthermore, D.S. Napp (pers. comm.) examined the two holotypes [sic – syntypes of H. fractilinea ] at the "Muséum National d′Histoire Naturelle″, Paris, and considered them as belonging to the same species. Hippopsis fractilinea and H. quadrivittata have elytral color pattern similar and are separated by the appearance of the apex of the elytra″. Still, according to Galileo & Martins (1988a), H. quadrivittata (translated): "The holotype [of H. quadrivittata ] was not located by D.S. Napp (pers. comm.) at the "Muséum National d′Histoire Naturelle″, Paris″.

The holotype of H. quadrivittata was photographed in Paris by Jesus Santiago Moure and Gérard L. Tavakilian ( Fig. 3L). Evidently, the specimens considered as being H. quadrivittata by Galileo & Martins (1988a) and Martins & Galileo (2006) are specimens of H. fractilinea . The elytral apex in H.fractilinea is very variable ( Figs. 3 A-3K, 3M). Also, the width of the longitudinal yellow pubescent bands, vertex, pronotum, and elytra, are somewhat variable,and not related to the geographical distribution.The specimens in Figures 3 A-3G were identified by Ubirajara R. Martins de Souza as H. fractilinea at MZSP collection and the specimens in Figures 3 H-3K as H. quadrivittata .

Currently, H. fractilinea is known from Ecuador, Brazil (Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia), Peru, and Bolivia (Cochabamba, Santa Cruz), while H. quadrivittata from Colombia, Ecuador, and French Guiana (Monné, 2023; Tavakilian & Chevillotte, 2022). It is probable that the record of H.quadrivittata from French Guiana was based on misidentification of H. fractilinea .

Material examined: ECUADOR, Orellana: Pompeya, 1 ♀, V.1965, Peña leg. ( MZSP). Napo: Limoncocha , 2 ♀♀, 15-28. VI.1976, S. & J. Peck leg. ( MZSP) . PERU, Junín: Satipo , 2 ♀♀, no date indicated, A. Maller leg. ( MZSP) . BOLIVIA, Santa Cruz: 2.7 km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna , 430 m, 1 ♀, 05-15.XI.2001, M.C. Thomas & B.K. Dozier leg. ( MZSP) ; 4-6 km SSE Buena Vista, Hotel Flora & Fauna , 1 ♀, 22-31.X.2002, Wappes & Morris leg. ( MZSP) . BRAZIL, Amazonas: Benjamin Constant, Rio Javary , 1 ♀ ( MZSP 54745 ), V.1963, formerly Diringshofen collection ( MZSP) ; 1 ♀ ( MZSP 54746 ), XI.1963,formerly Diringshofen collection ( MZSP) ; Tefé , 1 ♂ ( MZSP 54747 ), III.1959, formerly Diringshofen collection ( MZSP) .